In 2005, the College Board debuted the “new” SAT, which included a new and mandatory essay. The impetus for the change was both a desire to prioritize the importance of good writing but also in response to pressure from the University of California. The large UC system, enrolling over 200,000 students, said that fewer freshmen were prepared for the rigors of college writing, and threatened to drop the SAT altogether unless a writing section was added. Not to be left behind, the ACT also added an optional writing section in 2005.
No one disputes the importance of writing, but nearly 15 years later, are these writing assessments relevant? Do they provide admissions committees helpful information to assess a student’s writing ability?
SAT/ACT ESSAY: REQUIRED OR NOT?
Let’s start with a look at the current admissions requirements of schools atop US News and World Report’s top national universities and liberal arts colleges to see what they say about this assessment:
|
National University |
Essay | Liberal Arts College |
Essay |
| not required | Air Force Academy |
not specified |
|
| not required | Amherst | recommended | |
| not required | Barnard |
not required |
|
| Columbia | not required | Bates |
not required |
| not required | Bowdoin |
not required |
|
| not required | Bryn Mawr |
not required |
|
| optional | Carleton |
not required |
|
| not required | Claremont McKenna |
not required |
|
| not required | Colby | optional | |
| not required | Colgate |
not required |
|
| not required | Davidson |
not required |
|
| not required | Grinnell |
not required |
|
| not required | Hamilton |
not required |
|
| not required | Harvey Mudd |
not required |
|
| not required | Haverford |
not required |
|
| not required | Middlebury |
not required |
|
| optional | Naval Academy |
not specified |
|
| not required | Pomona |
not required |
|
| not required | Smith |
not required |
|
| not required | Soka University |
required |
|
| not required | Swarthmore |
not required |
|
| required | U Richmond |
not required |
|
| required | Vassar |
not required |
|
| not required | Washington and Lee |
not required |
|
| not required | Wellesley |
not required |
|
| not required | Wesleyan |
not required |
|
| not required | West Point |
required |
|
| not required | Williams |
not required |
NOTE: This list is subject to change. Be sure to confirm with each school prior to applying.
Only two top national universities – UC Berkeley and UCLA (as well as the rest of the UC system) clearly state on their websites that the essay portion of these exams is required. Of the top national colleges, only two require it—Soka University of America, and West Point—and one (Amherst) recommends it.
THE VALUE OF WRITING
Does this mean that admissions committees no longer value writing? Absolutely not. They will review grades in rigorous and honors level English courses, your essays and supplements, other standardized testing (especially AP Language and Composition and AP Literature and Composition), recommendations, and increasingly, graded English or history papers. Yes, many schools, Princeton for example, are finding that the graded papers required by all applicants are helpful in evaluating for admissions.
So, don’t stress out about the essay portion of your SAT or ACT, unless you are targeting any of the schools mentioned above, but do focus on improving your writing abilities through rigorous coursework and reading great literature (fiction, non-fiction, classic, and contemporary) and challenging periodicals. Beyond just getting into college, improving your writing skills will be key to your lifelong success.
