Hey there! I just joined the website, and it’s very cool to see so many other people getting involved with the college search. Very excited to be in the Class of 2018, and eager to see what lies ahead!
So far, I’ve already been fortunate enough to receive general admission to The University of North Texas, Texas State University and The University of Kansas, and I’m waiting on two other schools to respond to my applications that I’ve already submitted. On top of all of this, I plan on auditioning for each respective college of music to pursue performance, with North Texas as my top choice currently. Amidst all of the chaos, however, I’ve also already been fortunate to receive the “KU Distinction” Scholarship from Kansas, valuing at $24,000 ($6,000/yr)! This brings me down to about to same cost as I would have to pay for in-state tuition here in Texas, and that’s something that I personally am super excited about! 
However, Kansas has another scholarship that I could potentially qualify for, which is the “KU Excellence” Scholarship that’s valued for over $43,000, which would immensely impact my college search. In order to qualify, I need to have at least an ACT score of 28. I already meet the GPA requirements for both scholarships, but despite taking the ACT a whopping three times already, I need to raise my score by a couple of points in order to grasp the scholarship. My past three exams have all scored between a 24-26.
I feel like I have nothing to lose in retaking the ACT for a fourth and final time in hopes of potentially receiving a higher scholarship from Kansas, but knowing that there are multiple choices out there, I’ve questioned as to whether or not it’s necessarily worth the investment to retake the ACT one more time. As I mentioned, my top choice is currently UNT due to their excellent music program, and for the promotion of diversity and inclusion that I’ve seen from the school. On top of extracurricular activities, such as choir and our school’s musical, as well as academics, the ACT is going to add onto the stress that has already built up to be my senior year. I’m genuinely curious to see what others might have to say about my situation, so this is where you guys come in! 
I’m leaning towards taking the ACT for one final time this October, as there isn’t another exam before Kansas’ deadline on December 1st to let admission know of any changes to my score, so I really got just one shot at raising my composite score. Again, I already have so many other things going on, and I know that this would just add a pretty good deal of stress onto my fall semester to prepare for the test again. I took it three times over my junior year, so it’s not as if I’m inexperienced, but it has been a while, so I’ll need to commit a lot of time to review the testing procedures and strategies within the next month.
I know it might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s something I’ve gone back and forth on. What do you guys think? Is it worth retaking to try and grasp this scholarship, or should I just settle in with the current amount that I’ve already been awarded by the university? I would appreciate some insight!
If you read all the way to the end, then I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedules to read this. Have a great day!