<p>I got a 34 Composite (with a 35 in English) and an 8 on my essay. Will this matter much to admissions counselors? I've scored a 790 in writing on the SAT twice and have written a great essay for my common app and good supplement essays. For some reason, I just suck at standardized test essays.</p>
<p>I'm applying to Duke, Emory, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Vandy, UVA, and a few ivies.</p>
<p>I’m in a pretty similar boat; I received a 35 composite (also with a 35 in English) and an 8 on the essay. I think most admissions officers realize that the essay writing portion of both the SAT and ACT leaves something to be desired in accurately reflecting writing ability-- all it really does is test how MUCH you can write in 30 minutes. Honestly, I would not really worry about it, as the colleges you’re looking at will look to your college essays for a sense of your writing capabilities rather than score on a standardized test.</p>
<p>Well I’m sure they don’t put a huge emphasis on the essay score. However, be aware that they look at your essay score separate from your composite. If you were an admissions officer would you be impressed by a 8 essay? I think you should just keep your score because essay score is not that important but just keep in mind they will look at your essay score. And, for the colleges you are applying to, a score of 8 sure as hell is not impressive.</p>
<p>I had that same problem and took the ACT again. Got the same good composite but with a higher writing score - just what I needed.</p>
<p>Similar annoyance, can’t get past a 10 on that stupid essay. I’ve taken it twice and I’ve gotten a 10 BOTH times. It drags my English score down to an English/Writing composite of a 33…</p>