I’m very happy with my score but i got a 5/4/5 on the essay (i also have a 34 on the ACT with a mediocre essay score , can’t remember exactly what it was). I can’t help but feel that will affect my admissions chances? Does anyone know how much colleges care about the SAT/ACT essay? Should i retake them?
You’re more likely to stand out if you’ve done some interesting extracurriculars / passion rather than have perfect scores across, but if you have time to waste retaking / don’t mind the stress go for it. Same thing applies for ivies. (Think about it - 80% of the people have perfect scores all across) it’s your passion that shines through. Plus, 1540 surpasses the standard threshold for nearly every selective ivy.
Very few colleges still require the essay portion of the SAT or ACT.