If you can only afford to sit for the free ACT offered at school, find out if (and how) to explain that to admissions offices. https://www.collegeconfidential.com/articles/you-can-only-afford-1-test-sitting-should-you-mention-that-in-your-essay/
Can’t you get a fee waiver to allow you to sit again?
The article mentioned that it is refers to kids just above the income limits for fee waivers.
Our HS offers a program to all students to waive your test fee in exchange for a certain number of hours of work for the school. There are no income restrictions and no questions asked. DD had a friend use the program, not because money was tight so much as he hadn’t been doing well in the class and his parents wanted him to have “skin in the game” for the AP exam.
This is something that should be included and highlighted along with other family financial challenges and limitations that student’s family has in the LORs the GC and teacher write. The student should remind both of those reference to include the information. The GC should absolutely make that clear. This sort of information is better coming from someone other than the student, as are any reasons , impediments, rationalizations about less than optimal results and also putting accomplishments in the most advantageous context
I’m not sure why this matters. Many kids only take those tests once. A few babysitting jobs will pay for another sitting. There are many waiver opportunities. I’d be dubious that this candidate was not very imaginative or resourceful if I was the college hearing this.
I don’t think I would mention it - it sounds a little like an excuse for not having a higher score. Also begs the question of how you will pay for college.
For the SAT fee waiver you only have to qualify for free or reduced lunch, I don’t know how it works for the ACT. The income limit for reduced lunch was $46,435 in year 2018/19 for a family of four.
My S’s SAT fee was $45 without the essay. There are many expenses associated with college applications, test fees, AP exam fees, application fees, CSS profile fees, tuition deposit and housing deposit.
It’s a good idea for the student to get a job if possible.
It’s still expensive for many kids to re-take, even if they aren’t lowest income. And those babysitting dollars may need to go for other expenses.
Surprisingly, I often agree with the posts @CCEdit_Torrey shares. (If I read them.)
No, it desn’t go in the essay, as the article discusses.
Better to prepare really well for that one sitting and do the best you can. Taking the test only once isn’t a handicap that needs to be explained. It is only recently that people seem to expect to have to take it multiple times.
Yes, some kids only take the tests once. I have two kids who did. But not because it was a family financial hardship to retake.
There are some schools that take family economic hardship into account in the admissions decisions. I reiterate that the GC should address the issue not the student.