Hey guys, I just got my SAT scores back and it turns out I bombed the essay (6 5 6), which was concerning and pretty surprising considering that I always get A’s in AP Lang and view myself as a good writer. This was my first time taking the test. I’m worried that the score will make colleges doubt the validity of my supplements and that it might lower my strength as an applicant. I want to go into engineering at Columbia, Princeton, Penn, Michigan, or Berkeley. Should I retake/is it worth my time? Do you have any tips for improvement? Thanks.
wOW. I got the same essay stats as you too, but a 1510. I also viewed myself as a good writer and that came as quite a shock to me. However, your essay score should not affect you too much as an engineering major. Your SAT is almost perfect, and if you want to assure them of your strength in writing you should probably focus on writing the best application essays possible. (getting an extra letter of rec from your AP Lang teacher probably won’t hurt either.)
Otherwise, focus on STEM related extracurriculars and you should be fine! Those schools are really top-notch and reject a lot of applicants with stats that may be higher than yours. What will separate you from them is not a higher essay score, but the presence of clear motivation in a compelling application that shows who you are as a person.
Good luck!