<p>I'm a junior, took December SAT for the first time w/o prep and got a 2300 -- which sounds great, but I'm kind of embarrassed by my performance on the individual sections (got an 8 on the essay and a 750M :). </p>
<p>Do schools care more about whether your overall score is good or the specific sections? I think I can do better on the math and I know I can do better on the essay, but a 2300's high enough that I'd feel stupid retaking it if those two sections won't hurt me that badly.</p>
<p>My top two schools are Columbia and Georgetown if that helps.</p>
<p>First off, great job! That truly is amazing!</p>
<p>Now to answer your first question, I would generally say they care the most about your critical reading+math score out of 1600. Most schools only use your writing score to determine your english class once admitted. That being said, if your writing score is holding up your 2300, then it couldn’t hurt to take it again.</p>
<p>Secondly, I’m fairly confident both Columbia & Georgetown superscore. If I’m not mistaken, this would mean that you could retake the SAT and if any section goes up (regardless of anything going down), it would increase your score & your chances of admission. And on the off chance all three sections go down, score choice ensures that these never have to be seen of you don’t want them to! </p>
<p>Although my scores weren’t nearly as amazing as your’s, it really benefitted me to retake the SAT even after I had exceeded the dream score I initially set for myself. What ended up happening was that I didn’t even need to rely on superscoring because all three sections went up. You never know, so if money and time aren’t factors, you’ve got nothing to lose!</p>