<p>I took the ACT yesterday. I'm not confident about my essay, but I'm usually a great writer. If I end up with a poor score on the essay, can I possibly make up for it with an amazing college application essay? I'm applying to Columbia, Barnard & NYU...</p>
<p>As far as the essay, my intro and conclusion were clear but underdeveloped. I maintained the focus and had a few examples, and I did offer a rebuttal to a counter argument. Overall I know it could have been much better developed, but any ideas on how those types of essays seem to fare? I'm praying for a lenient grader...</p>
<p>In my previous ACT, I felt as if I had bombed my essay. It was terrible. As in I didn’t write very much in depth (around 150 words) and it wasn’t well organized. I got a 9.
Readers, according to me, tend to look at the effort and then grade. If they see you tried to write your best, you will get a avg.+ score. After all, in 30 minutes, how much and how well can you write?</p>
<p>Thanks, that’s reassuring. I once scored a 6/12 on an essay that was actually quite well-written (I’m still LIVID about that) so I’m always nervous about the essay, but I guess it depends on the grader.</p>
<p>The essay graders for the ACT are not sophisticated readers, and they have 3 minutes per essay or something ludicrous. Your ACT essay grade does not reflect your writing ability and top colleges know this. They will, of course, read your application, essay and supplement with great interest. The scores are more of a winnowing tool but no selective colleges place much value on the essay. They will make their own judgments about your writing. In other words, don’t worry!</p>