@twicer you can use your free score sends and colleges will save them until the applications arrive senior year. My kids (so far 2 out of 3)take their second and last SAT in OCT of Junior year they send scores to 3 colleges and one to National Merit so in case they make NM we don’t have to pay to have the scores sent later. I don’t want to give the College anymore money than I have to!
This is also one way to “demonstrate interest” for schools that care about that.
@Twicer he sent one of his free reports to the NCAA. This morning he was talking to his teacher and she suggested that he not send it to any colleges just yet, so he just did the one to NCAA. I don’t think it would have been a problem to send it to a couple of his safety schools. I guess we have a couple of days to figure it out but I thought you were able to send them to the schools even before you apply. Will have to look into that.
Boomer Sooner!!
My D is not interested in OU but it’s our state flagship so I’m obliged to say that. 
Truly, it is a wonderful school. I know many happy students there.
@Texas1820 Depends on the the college. Safety schools, schools that say they only look at the highest score, schools that superscore, schools that require all schools anyway - should not be a problem.
FYI
D used free score reports for a couple of safeties in the fall. A rep from one of those schools called our house in January, encouraging my D to complete her application. I suppose they assumed she was a senior since she sent the SAT score. Hopefully they’ll keep it on file for her.
Re: OU - it’s high on S’s list. 
We’re visiting in April.
Our school tells juniors not to bother with free SAT/ACT score reports to colleges because the schools don’t typically start a folder on a student until after their application arrives. The counselors at the HS said that if the school isn’t expecting information, they have nowhere to file it along with all of the other applications they are receiving. For this reason, students at D18’s HS are required to submit applications at least 3 weeks before the due date so that the school can then follow up with the transcripts, school report, and letters of recommendation. Not sure if that’s the case or not, but wanted to share it since I guess it makes sense that schools don’t have the capacity to save so much information between incoming fall 2017 applicants, spring 2018 applicants, and then our kids’ materials.
I was going through the pile of marketing materials that my kids have received from colleges and noticed that my daughter has a much bigger pile, including some from extremely selective colleges. This causes me to wonder which scores are generating the mail. My daughter’s PSAT score was slightly better than her brother’s, but not significantly so. She then took the SAT and did well, while my son took the ACT and did equally well. I would have expected equal amounts of mail.
My S18 took ACT and sent to a few safety schools sophomore year. He is taking the SAT this month and will send to a few others (not reaches). D16 did same as a junior. The schools she sent the scores to knew what year she was and maintained the scores for acceptance, merit scholarships, etc. Others in our area have done the same and we have never heard of any issues.
^^This. @lifegarding, I think your school’s counselor is incorrect. When I was debating about sending my now college sophomore’s scores early, I contacted a few schools on her list because I was concerned about this very issue. They all said that they are very familiar with kids sending scores before they send their apps and they will maintain them and match them with the app when they receive it later.
@twinsmama, I have found it impossible to figure out the algorithm for college mailings.
@Suzy100 that is what we found too. Now that it’s all electronic it doesn’t take much to store scores. DS did contacted the school after she submitted her applications to confirm they had the scores sent a year earlier just to make sure but there wasn’t a problem.
So…
My D had her schedule for next year all figured out, and then today TWO of her teachers pulled her aside to make sure she was planning to take AP Chem. She wasn’t, but of course now she thinks she might. AP Chem, AP Physics, AP Calc AB, and AP Stats…for my Humanities girl. Where’s that roller coaster emoticon?
I just went into college board and sent all 4 free reports. D18 wasn’t thrilled that I put the “local commuter” school on the list. It is a fine school but he rolled his eyes. It would be the back up to the back up but you never know stranger things may happen, plus I couldn’t pass up free.
@lifegarding – that’s an interesting take by your counselors. The scores are sent electronically so finding a place to “file” it isn’t typically an issue. Sometimes, a school purges its system of application related materials after a cycle finishes, but it is my understanding that the majority just “park” scores somewhere else in their system if it’s not going to be used in the current cycle and then use them to populate a “file” when the time comes to evaluate the student who sent the scores. I put things in quotes because these are all electronic records that don’t take up any actual physical space.
@lifagarding and @2014novamom Our school and the Clemson admissions rep told kids to send all scores to colleges. This worked amazingly in our favor for my son who is a senior. He sent his scores to Clemson over 18 months before his application and was granted “Provisional Acceptance,” which we didn’t even know existed. Took so much pressure off. Clemson told us they only care about and look at your highest scores.
thanks everyone, this is very helpful to know. Guess we’ll send them next time around if she takes them again. Otherwise, we’ll send them around the time of the applications.
@RoonilWazlib99 Just jumping over from the class of 2017 parents thread and can’t believe I have to do this again with D18. My D17 made it through the Michigan gauntlet and I think she’s headed to Ann Arbor in the fall. Be prepared to apply early, and wait, and wait some more and then look at your child’s application in disbelief and wonder, how if they cured cancer in 8th grade, were they deferred? Then on one random Thursday in February at 1:00 the morning an admissions officer will finally get around to reading your child’s extraordinary application for the first time though they promised a holistic review by December. That acceptance that seemed so easily achievable at that long ago info session will finally be in hand. At 1:00 in the morning. On a weekday. Go Blue! Phew!
College Tour Report:
Just got back from first college tour with S18 and thought I would share our experiences. Our kiddo is all over the map in terms of interest and type of college, so this trip was to visit a small liberal arts college, a medium sized very competitive college, and a large public that has lots of merit money; hoping to narrow his focus. While we were not successful at narrowing his list, we did learn a lot.
Rhodes- Visited Rhodes in Memphis which is a 2000 student LAC. Nice tour. Beautiful campus with very friendly students and staff. S18 immediately grasped the benefits of a small college. He is interested in studying voice or musical theatre, with the ability to double major or minor in something else. He could do that easily at Rhodes. Stopped by the theatre department but not much going on there. Few students around and facilities were not great. Then went by the music dept and wandered in. We were immediately greeted by the main voice professor and given an impromptu tour, including their impressive new concert venue in a renovated church. She even let us sit in on a voice lesson she was giving a student. S18 was very impressed.
Vanderbilt- Took a tour of the school in the morning. Immediately a big difference from Rhodes where had 3 families on tour whereas at Vandy we were in a room full of people, perhaps 50 families. Again, beautiful campus with great facilities. Very liberal arts focused so students were studying multiple disciplines. Did not get to talk to anyone in the theatre dept but saw the main theatre. Then took a tour of the Blair School of Music, which was amazing. Less than 300 music students pursuing their passions in their own building at the edge of campus, over 50% of whom were double majoring in something on the main campus. Vandy jumped to the top of his list and he immediately began asking us questions about affordability.
U of Alabama- Wife and I had toured Alabama before with our older child, and were prepared to just use the tour as an example of a large SEC school with merit money. But the tour itself was great and instead of being turned off by the size of the school, S18 focused on the advantages of the great facilities and opportunities at Bama. Best dorms we had seen by far and new buildings springing up everywhere. It was a Saturday and the theatre dept building was closed, but we lucked out with the music school. Auditions were being held and we got a tour. Holy Cow! Better music facilities than at Vandy! Even on a Saturday the school was buzzing with activity, with practice rooms full. Amazing concert venues and recital rooms. A whole new wing built for the marching band, so the band and the orchestra do not have to fight for venue time. Lots of flexibility with majors/minors he could pursue. Alabama went onto the list as a solid option.
So he did not cross off any particular type of school from his list. He liked things about small, medium and large. But he did notice that at least at these 3 schools, the music/voice facilities FAR exceeded the theatre departments, nudging him to consider a music degree over theatre. We will see!
@lifegarding I think that’s bad advice, we had the same discussion last year and most found the colleges had no issues starting files.
@vistajay We’re finding most theatre programs at LACs are pretty sad—which is unfortunate for us, as my D wants a LAC with a strong theatre program. I’ve been at colleges where the facilities are amazing, but the productions and focused attention are pretty meh. Easier to HAVE a theatre than do do theater, I guess.