So I recently got my June ACT score back, and I was really happy (35 composite). However, it says I got a 23 on my essay, even though I thought I did pretty well… anyway, would I be okay sending this score to top colleges? Or will the writing score hurt my chances?
You’re in the same boat as a lot of people here and I’m sure it’ll barely affect you. I scored a 33 Composite and a 21 reading and I’m not really worried. Colleges will have a real sense of what your essays are like when you do your college essays.
The ACT essays are ‘scored’ by non-professionals, with no composition teaching or assessment experience. Accordingly, they are not given much weight in admissions. Many top schools don’t even ask for the writing test.
Here’s what sucks…I took the April 2016 ACT and scored a 26 Composite/19 Writing. The 26 Composite puts me in the middle 50% of all accepted students to my #1 choice. I am also ranked at the top 10% mark of my class. One month after I took the April ACT, I found out that my #1 choice no longer uses the writing section in the decision process! I called ACT and asked them to just send the composite score from the 4 parts, they said they have to send the entire test! Yikes!! My previous ACT exam has a 25 Composite/25 Writing. I will take the September ACT without the writing section. This all could have been avoided if there wasn’t so much confusion as to whether or not the section would count!
I got a 23 on writing too. Honestly I don’t even know what they want from these essays
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" Honestly I don't even know what they want from these essays" <<
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An extra $17.
LOL I got a 35C when I took it a couple months ago too. But my essay score was a flipping 19 XD. I was really shocked cuz I thought I had followed the directions to the T, and I really enjoy writing. But anyway, I don’t think they are that important. I’m just gonna make sure my college essays are great.
Same here. DS has a 27c but only 19 writing. Needless to say he was very disappointed. Although we ordered the test, it really didn’t offer any insight on what went wrong. Very frustrating!
Here to provide my perspective! I scored a 35C and a 24 on the essay portion and was worried in regards to how it would affect my college applications. I’ll be heading to Harvard next fall, so it clearly didn’t play as large of a role as I had feared! Send those scores and focus your time on your essays. Don’t let silly numbers distract you. Best of luck!
Penn State does not use the Writing portion of the ACT in the decision making process.
The essays are now graded on a scale of 12, yes?
Yeah. They are. Speaking of which I got 9/12 on the essay but a 36 composite. How bad is this going to look to colleges ? I’m early apping to HYPSM.
My son’s ACT tutor says anything above an 8 on the essay combined with a high composite is fine.
Essays DON’T MATTER this year. The colleges know that the ACT screwed up the Class of 2017 with multiple scoring systems. As long as you have an 8 or above, it shows you know how to write.
@midtntutor how do you know that Essays don’t matter this year. Which college do you work for? How do you know an 8 or above is okay?
Does that mean someone who got a 7 but has high English and Reading scores are seen as NOT being able to write?
^^funny
@annamom, I am a private tutor, but I am in regular contact with both public and private school counselors as well as professional college counselors. These counselors are collectively hearing that because of the myriad of issues with the ACT Essay over the past year (combined with a radical format change on the SAT), schools are minimizing the essay’s importance.
With the ACT, the ACT itself admitted this summer that their scoring system on tests given 9/15 through 6/16 was faulty, and the new scoring system has now only been in place for one test. The SAT’s changes have also diminished the essay’s impact. Instead of the 25 minute required essay they now offer a 50 minute optional essay. I have discussed the asinine nature of the new SAT essay on other posts. The private school and private professional counselors are making sure, more than ever, that their students/clients are writing solid app essays.
Another line of evidence is that, per many posts all over this board, many universities are downgrading or altogether removing the essay requirement for the Class of 2018.
I can never guarantee that a specific university isn’t going to use the essay as a decision maker, but generally speaking the importance of the ACT/SAT essay is, at least in some aspects, fading each year.
@midtntutor can you give examples of colleges that still required essay in the application but considered essay do not matter? and that an 8 or above is okay, but not a 7?
@annamom, I don’t have any specific lists of schools that do or don’t consider it. My advice would be to check with the schools on your teen’s list and they can give you more specifics.