Soozie is right that scores probably do matter at those 4. My daughter applied to 2 of them and did not get in. But one of them she wouldn’t have gone to for all the tea in China after her audition (the guy was MEAN), and the other (NYU MT only), yes, would have been a definite contender had she gotten in, but she was warned that it was an academic reach, so she was not at all counting on it. But please remember that, as someone pointed out earlier, not all schools even care about test scores. Just as there are some people here who think they represent a person’s potential and others who don’t, there are schools that have very different philosophies about this. Only one of my MT kid’s schools did not require test scores and she didn’t send them, and still got a $25K a year scholarship from them! They obviously cared about different things. And as tempting as it may be to want to send these schools high scores if you have them, some schools truly won’t see you as a stronger candidate because of them. At some point my kid came to the conclusion that if super tippy top tests and grades mattered THAT much to a school, more than what she was actually doing with her life, what other things she was involved or interested in, what personal challenges she might have had, and what else she was learning outside the classroom, it probably wasn’t a good fit for her.
The subject of gaming the testing system was brought up earlier and I do agree that can be accomplished in different ways. So just to clarify, I am NOT a proponent of these tests at all nor do I feel they particularly tell much about a student other than whether they are good at taking tests. But my stance is that since they are not reliable, the earlier you start taking them in junior year, the more you may find a score that randomly goes up–even without studying!
So personally I would not want my child defined by just one set of tests, when it would be possible to take more. And I would want the whole process done during junior year, since senior year has auditions and applications and all that fun jazz!
Good luck to you all!
My D is not a good test taker either. In fact, she has a 504 plan which affords her extended time on tests. What that means for the ACT is that she takes it over five weekends. She took it in the Spring of her Junior year and got a respectable score (but felt she could do better). She’s doing a review course now and will take it again (over 5 weekends) starting in a few weeks. She couldn’t fathom doing both the ACT and SAT so she’ll live with the ACT scores. If she has to submit her scores from the Spring, they will be sufficient to get her into most (probably all) schools on her list. If she can boost the scores a bit it may mean more scholarship $$. I am no fan of standardized testing; assume I’m not alone here.
I’m really surprised at the amount of schools I’ve seen that are test optional. Interesting for sure. Most have a GPA requirement but I’m wondering if not submitting a test score screws up merit aid?
@theaterwork I strongly advise you to speak directly with each admission officer and read the site carefully. Some test optional schools require extra essays or interviews or separate scholarships apps or for you to submit scores after enrollment for academic advising reasons. For some it may effect(affect) merit money. Look up who your child’s admission counselor is and begin a relationship with them. They can answer better than anyone else school specific questions with accuracy.