I just got my ACT composite score back of a 32. My writing was a six out of 12. How much would this hurt my chances for competitive colleges? And should I retake it to apply for ivies?
Thanks so much for the help!
What was your overall writing score?
Since your composite was a 32, that’s still a very very competitive score. As for competitive schools such as ivies, I would retake it because
A. A better score is always, well, better, and
B. Other applicants will have better scores. Need to be competitive.
Good luck!
My son had similar essay scores on the ACT/SAT, while scoring very respectably on other sections. He received a 6 on an ACT where his English and Writing scores were 35 and 33 (I forget which was which). I think it was a problem with the time and format. He didn’t apply to Ivies, but I suspect good SAT/ACT scores, APs, grades, etc. should compensate. The essay score is probably a pretty small component. My son took a full IB diploma (very writing-intensive), received 5s on US History and World Geography APs, was active in student government, Model UN, and JSA/Debating. I don’t think there was any question of his ability to communicate effectively; he simply struggled with the essay portion. If every other component of your application is competitive, that shouldn’t hurt you, but the admissions scenario is so brutal at Ivies that you never know. Take the SAT at least once, and go ahead and re-take the ACT if you want (colleges will usually use the better composite score, so there’s little risk in your case), but this might simply be an area of weakness. I recommend identifying some attractive, realistic match and safe schools, too. The Ivies reject thousands of applicants with perfect test scores.