Many of the more competitive schools that I’m considering(Columbia, CalTech, UChicago) do not require the essay, but they will be able to see the essay score itself when the scores are sent in.
For schools that do require it, such as the UCs, would an essay score such as mine be a significant hindrance to me, especially because I know I can write better than my scores reflected? The issue I have with retaking the test is that I can’t guarantee myself a similar or higher composite score, and I think that that portion of the SAT is more important and relevant to colleges than the essay.