Since now the essay section is separated from the Writing section, would you be able to super-score your essay? For example, if you did really well on your Evidence Based Reading&Writing plus your Math section but didn’t do so well on your essay, would you be able to super-score the essay portion as well for the colleges to see?
More to the point, why bother retaking or resciring with an eye on the essay score?
Check out the piece in the Boston Globe on how the new essay section is being received. It’s not a useful indicator of your abilities. If you’re retaking strictly to improve the essay score, it’s not likely a useful investment of your time and energy.
@ProfessorD has any other institution commented about the essay?
Yes. The University of Pennsylvania and Swarthmore, for instance, have both openly declared that the new essay will not be given consideration in applications. The director of composition at MIT has called it ‘an improvement,’ but still formulaic, and an unreliable indicator of writing or analytic ability.