College Admissions and the Writing Section: Thoughts from a Former Admissions Officer

Edison Prep tutors are frequently asked about the SAT Writing section and whether it counts in the eyes of admissions officers, and if so, whether it is on an equal footing with the other two sections (Reading and Math).

Edison Prep interviewed Jason K. Lewis, a graduate of Washington University in St Louis who has a number of years of admissions experience at elite universities such as Wash U and Columbia University.

Edison Prep:
We hear from parents all the time who believe that “the Writing section doesn’t count,” yet many admissions offices note on their admissions blogs that they do indeed utilize all three scores in their admissions decisions.

Jason K. Lewis:
There are several misconceptions about the importance of the Writing component of the SAT exam in the college admissions process, mainly due to the tremendous array of admissions standards at various colleges.

The Writing section was added in 2005, and many families have older siblings who took the old version of the SAT (before 2005), or have children who applied the first year or two of the new Writing section, when many schools in fact did not yet utilize the Writing section.  “But over the past six years, here in 2011, the vast vast majority of Universities have begun using the Writing score in their admissions decisions in some capacity in their evaluation.”

Simply put, there are very, very few colleges that do not consider the Writing component whatsoever in their evaluation.

Most colleges use one of two different standards in evaluating the SAT Writing component:

• those that consider it to be of equal importance as the traditional Critical Reading and Math sections, and
• those that merely want to see that the Writing score is roughly in-line with your performance on the other two sections (meaning, that it is not an “outlier” when compared to your other two sections).

Blowing off the writing section under the premise that it doesn’t count is a severe mistake; college admissions officers are always looking for reasons to admit a student, so don’t give them any reason not to want to admit you.

Every component of a student’s application matters; admissions officers are not “selectively blind”!   Considering that your Writing score will be present in your application, it is always best to put your best foot forward.  The more positive and compelling aspects to an application, the better.

To be safe, the best bet is to always speak with each individual college you’re interested in.  It’ll take less than an hour to call and confirm each of your school’s policies, or you can find it on their websites. Do not trust Yahoo! Answers or the like for admissions information.

EP:
So, it sounds like the Writing section counts almost everywhere.  But does it count as much as the other sections?

JKL:
There are very, very few colleges that consider the Writing component to be more important than the other two sections.  One can contrast this with the Math section, which is commonly weighed more heavily by many math and engineering programs.

Many large, public Universities employ a mathematical formula when making admissions decisions, due to the lack of manpower when having to evaluate over 50,000 applications. In these types of formulas, a high Writing score can “make up” for weaker scores in the other two sections; conversely, a poor Writing score can hurt your chances.

Students should consider the type of University to which they are applying, and also consider their intended majors. Some colleges may want to see comparatively higher Writing scores from students with academic interests in English, the humanities, writing, or foreign languages.  On the other hand, many colleges (including highly selective private schools, large public schools, and smaller liberal arts colleges) may make admissions decisions without regard to your intended academic major.  Therefore, it is really tough to say across the board any definitive answer, which is why it’s always best to speak with each individual college, and ask for help from your school counselor and your friends at Edison Prep!

EP:
US News & World Report still lists the rankings on the 1600 point scale.  Do you foresee it changing to the 2400 point scale anytime soon?

JKL:
Well, I’m not privy to behind-the-scenes discussions at the various rankings magazines, and families should always use them, if at all, as a jumping off point in their college search more than anything else.  Personally, just from a data-gathering standpoint, it does seem odd that all three sections are not reported.  It certainly gives the misconception that since only two sections are reported, that colleges henceforth only consider those two sections in their evaluation, which, as we discussed previously, is rarely the case.  It isn’t very helpful to students.  I would conjecture, personally, that if the rankings guides’ goal is to include information that best serves prospective students, it is simply a matter of when, and not if all three sections are reported.  Either way, students and families can always find the relevant information outside of rankings guides, such as by contacting colleges or asking their college advisors.  Just remember that standardized testing is never the only reason to consider a college, and never the only method by which colleges make admissions decisions.

EP:
Are there reasons to study for Writing beyond just the admissions decision?

JKL:
Absolutely.  Colleges want to ensure that students who will grace their campus can express their thoughts in a clear, concise, and sophisticated manner, since nearly every course requires comprehensive written assignments.

There is virtually no academic field where writing is not of some moderate level of importance. The SAT Writing section, as well as the ACT writing section, is helpful to colleges to evaluate these qualities.   Additionally, many schools may use the Writing score (or the essay score) as an alternative to a college placement exam when slotting students into various “tracks” of Freshman English classes.

EP:
Any final thoughts?

JKL:
Bottom line — don’t forget about the Writing score!  As with most things, a good score can only help your application and admissions prospects, and it is always best to have as many positive qualities in your application as possible.

Additional commentary from Edison Prep: 

• Since many Edison Prep students apply to UGA, a link to an Athens article about all three sections counting at UGA is here:http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/092008/uga_334391852.shtml  
• Edison Prep tutors often receive this question: “Given the choice of 600 Reading / 600 Math / 500 Math, or 500 Reading / 600 Math / 600 Writing, wouldn’t the former be better?”  We would agree; old habits die hard.  However…
• The reason why we’re confident that writing matters, especially at elite universities, is due to the admissions decisions we’ve seen from those who have ignored Writing relative to their other scores. One student’s parent forbade us from working on Writing, despite the fact that it was by far his lowest starting score.  When he applied with great grades and an eventual 750/760/580 to his list of elite schools, he did not receive the types of admissions decisions from these Top 20 schools that should have theoretically occurred if “only the first two sections count.”
• There’s no reason for such an example to occur, especially given the fact that Writing is the easiest section to improve upon!