ACT Writing Scores

My ACT score was a 35 (36M, 36S, 34E, 32R), and I was quite happy with this score until my writing score came in and it was a lousy 21. Is it worth the retake just for the writing score? I’m applying to top schools (Ivy League, MIT, Johns Hopkins) and I don’t want anything to hurt my chances but I also don’t want to waste my time. What do you guys think?

There has been a lot of criticism over the grading system for the new ACT writing (googling it will yield a bunch of articles about students with high composite scores and seemingly low writing scores).

A 21 places you in the 74th percentile according to this table from the September 2015 ACT. There may be a more recent table online somewhere, but I couldn’t find it quickly.
http://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/NormsChartSTEMELAWriting-Web2015-16.pdf

I’m sure college admissions officers are aware that a lot of students are scoring low on the writing section. I wouldn’t stress about it too much or retake it. A 35 composite is a fantastic score and I’m sure you have better ways to spend your time than studying for this and retaking it. College admissions officers will see your English grades as well as read your essays, which will help them infer your true writing ability. Spend the time you would have spent studying crafting a great personal statement and supplements!

You could also pay to have the essay rescored. Many people have done this and gotten a higher score.

I agree with the comment above. Have it re scored and don’t stress over a 35. You will not do better if you retake, and you don’t need to do better. Your score is incredible.

It’s too late for my essay to be rescored but thanks for the advice. I’ll just try to write good application essays and hope they look at those and see that I am a capable writer.