I just received my score report back and am a little disappointed. I have a 34 composite but I got a 29 on the writing. I wasn’t planning on retaking the ACT but now I feel that I need to. How much do colleges (top choice schools are UCLA, Vanderbilt, USC) care about the writing score? Thank you!
Congratulations on your 34. That’s 99th percentile and you should be very proud. The writing only matters if you get something below an 18. Admissions people know you’re pressed for time during testing and it’s not a real world scenario. We went to the info session at Cornell last month and the presenter made a point of repeating that they don’t look at writing in admissions. Some schools may vary but if an Ivy League school isn’t looking at it then you can assume others don’t - especially when ACT started messing with their formulas. Having said that, a 29 doesn’t translate to the same scale as your composite. Your writing score is still 95th percentile. As far as I’m concerned you’re done with testing. With a 34 and I presume a strong GPA, you are a lock for USC and UCLA and probably 50/50 at Vandy (and not because of writing). Spend your time enhancing your experiences outside of the classroom. You’ve earned time off. Enjoy it.
Many schools are no longer requiring the Writing score, and 29 is a great score.
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/act-writing-and-sat-essay-requirements/
Thank you for the information! I think I am going to stick with the 34 
@cotopaxi @payn4ward