How much do colleges consider the writing portion of the ACT?

My composite score for my ACT is a 35, however, my essay was scored as only an 8. I’m wondering if this will affect how colleges view my overall score, or to what extent the writing portion measures an applicant’s preparedness for college.

It won’t hurt you at all. Your ACT score is excellent. Congratulations for it. Try to work on your EC’s and GPA. Good luck with your app!

In my college search/application experience, it seemed that ACT writing was often required (in place of SAT IIs) but the score didn’t matter much or at all. I would not recommend retaking just to raise your writing score.