Not exactly an ideal essay score, but given most top colleges dont even require essays, would it make sense to retake the sat without the essay this time? Would seeing the essay score drag down my application or do they not care?
My advice is to devote your time to other endeavors. That’s a score that will get you past any screen.
Like @gardenstategal said the composite score is already really good. Don’t bother taking the essay. CB has horribly subjective grading criteria (there was a study a while ago that I can’t seem to find anymore that said there was something like a 95% correlation between essay length and score) so a 15 probably isn’t reflective of your writing criteria. Also remember you don’t have to report the essay for most competitive schools and they’ll never have a chance to see it…
You should not retake. You have a score in the very highest percentile. There is a high chance your composite score will go down. Your essay score is fine. That will never be the deciding factor.
If finance is not a problem and if you feel confident that you can attain a similar score, I think it would not be a bad idea to take it again
Caltech has the highest average SAT score of 1550. Your good.