“The Dean” recommends that your child NOT re-take the SAT. Given those very strong scores, he would run the risk of having admission officials think that he is an obsessive perfectionist if he were to try the tests again. 😉 You shouldn’t worry about the essay score. Many of the most selective colleges don’t use it at all, and it will take a back seat to his 800’s, regardless of where he applies. It’s not as if an 8 is a disaster. Your son may indeed be able to do better, but he definitely doesn’t have to.