How important is the essay on the SAT?

Test Preparation
1

<p>I got a 2200 on the January 28th SAT:</p>

<p>M: 740
C: 720
W: 740 (essay: 8)</p>

<p>It was my first (possibly only..) time, and I'm planning on taking the ACT this April. But if I were to submit the SAT as opposed to the ACT (I've found through practice tests that I'm better at the ACT.. but only the official score matters haha), how much would universities look (down?) at my essay?</p>

<p>I was pretty bummed because I wrote much better essays when I took timed practice tests, and I kind of freaked out during the official one and didn't do as well..</p>

2

<p>It gets some consideration at some colleges but many don’t consider it at all (examples: Stanford, UChicago, Cornell) I would not be overly concerned with what you have.</p>