My junior D has taken the ACT twice and she’s satisfied enough with her score to be done with it rather than keep trying to gain a point or two. She did not choose in advance to have her scores sent anywhere since we wanted to see them first. I read on one of these threads that someone sent their test scores to all of their schools before they applied and some schools responded by inviting them to apply and waiving the application fees. Did anyone else find this to be the case? Should we go ahead and start sending scores now this spring (before we can even apply)or is this too early? I don’t want them to get lost if it’s too soon but it would be nice to get it out of the way and save some money if it works. If we had used our free sends when we took the test they’d be there now but I just wasn’t sure how the process works since we didn’t. Thanks!
Once you send the score, you open up a file in admissions. It probably isn’t too early, if your D is truly satisfied she’s done. It would be a way of expressing interest in the schools. Most people don’t send it this early because they’re either not sure about the score or the school.
It’s most probably not going to get lost. The worst that would happen is that you send them again later on down the road, but that would be unlikely to happen.
However, I should say that although It’s indeed possible to get invited to apply with app fees waived, her scores would have to be very strong for the school she’s applying to & even then it would be up to the school. It’s not assured by any stretch of the imagination.
I didn’t send my scores in advance to the following schools but I still got the application fee waived: Fordham, Tulane, Rider. (There were other colleges who I didn’t send my ACT score to yet they waived the fee, but I mentioned these three since they are spoken about on this forum for their performing arts programs)
My ACT score was 30, for reference. I didn’t reach out to any of these schools in any way, I just recieved emails inviting me to apply for free… Come to think of it I’m not exactly sure how/what info they recieved but hey, I’m not one to question free things! 
My daughter did send the ACT scores somewhat early (July) and received a number of fee waivers. She sent the scores then because it was something she could check off her list, but with 16 schools to apply to, it added up to a nice cash bonus …that of course we spent in other ways
Thanks so much! I appreciate the info and think we’ll get around and send them and see how it goes. She should be in good shape for most of her schools so here’s hoping!
Ok now I am confused. My D took ACT twice. Got 30 on the first try and 33 on the second. We thought great, let’s move on. She found out now that 2 of her friends who are also MT BFA wanna be’s got a 32 and a 34 and they are both retaking it. Am I missing something? Everything I read here sounds like ultimately it’s the audition that’s the deciding factor so why waste time? Is there a big difference in scholarship money or admittance rates between 32, 34, and 36? We are looking at Northwestern but we know 2 kids with 34’s this year who did not get in there and it sounds like they look at the big picture with grades, activities, etc more than just the number. Other than that, most of her list shows lower median scores. I don’t understand the need for another try but am I wrong? I don’t want to lead her astray. Thanks!
Congratulations on some fantastic scores! Those scores should serve you well for acceptances and scholarships in most schools. I would only re-take it if you feel she would do better - which of course is impossible to predict. Unless you do some extra intensive practice and study, or you happen to know an area in which you can improve, the odds of scoring significantly better are not great. If you have a section of the test in which you didn’t do as well as others, some schools may allow you to “super score” – where you take the highest score for each section, no matter which testing date it came from. So if you feel you could improve a previously low scoring section, you might choose to take the test again. But a lot of schools just go with the best overall test score. I’d say with a 33, you don’t have a lot of room for improvement. You may want to look at the schools on your list and see if any have published guidelines for scholarship dollars. Some schools go ahead and tell you that an ACT score of x = y dollars. If your score is close to a cutoff, and you feel you could up your scholarship dollars by scoring better,that could cause students to take the test again. And as you’ve indicated, for highly competitive schools such as Northwestern, no ACT score is a guarantee of admission, so some people may choose to take it again in hopes of bettering their admissions chances by increasing their score further. But for most MT schools a 33 is more than fine for admission and will probably reward you with some significant scholarship dollars as well.
My D earned a 32 her first try-and she’s not taking it again. I would so much rather spend the time/energy/$ on a master’s class, on a hotel night for an on-site audition, etc. BUT-that’s what works for us. Every kid is different.
@ourturn2, the decision whether or not to take again to hopefully go higher than the already-high 33 depends on your D’s goals. You write that she wants to get into Northwestern–if that is a goal then yes, I personally would take it again. When you say you know x and y kids who didn’t get in with 34, you are only going by two anecdotes. You don’t know their overall package & how they relate to the other candidates. I’m talking stats & probability, not anecdotes–you increase your chances with a higher score, even in the realm of 33.
That said, I wouldn’t drive myself crazy over it. She can study herself; you don’t need tutoring at this point. She can review the test and see where she went ‘wrong’ (not too wrong!) and analyze why, then adjust, and apply to practice tests. She can always not send the scores in if she doesn’t like them. As vynstar says, in addition to helping her increase her chances, a higher score definitely increases your scholarship/grant chances. She’s in a great position since she already has a great score; I personally think it can’t hurt to study and take it again.
One thing I should add–if you are going to be asking for need based aid, you want to have as strong a package as possible. Not only can you get better scholarships, but since you decrease your chances if you need aid (most colleges are not need blind), having a very high score will help ‘offset’ the need.
Thanks @vvnstar and @generations - that’s good advice and right on the money according to the college coach I asked. Their advice also was to retake it if she had her heart set on an ivy or northwestern but we should be fine for admittance most other places. She’s never wanted an ivy and NU is not one of her top choices since she believes she wants more of a conservatory college experience. It’s just such a great program that we put it on there but if she doesn’t want to try and increase her chances there, so be it. We know it’s a long shot anyway you slice it with that one and the delayed MT admittance audition concerns her too so we’re going to follow along with@owensfolks and move on. Thanks for letting me know we’re not alone! I checked most of the schools on her list to see if it made a difference money wise and at the majority of them it didn’t at all from what I could tell. We don’t qualify for financial aid at this point and the biggest difference I saw was $2000 per year at one school if she got up to 35. She says if it looks like she’ll get accepted at that school, she’ll hurry up and retake it next spring. I know that isn’t the best plan but I think that’s a great sign she’s over it so probably not worth redoing it now anyway. If anyone knows a school where the difference in scholarship dollars is significant between 33 and 35, please pass it on. Not sure we could get there anyway but it might be more incentive to try. Otherwise, she’s done! Thanks!