<p>One of my d’s schools asked for a graded paper. I was impressed and wished this were more regularly requested. For one thing, it helped to put the level of writing at disparate high schools in context and for another it allowed an applicant to submit a representation of his best work. It doesn’t take the place of a personal statement but I think it’s an excellent piece to an application and provides a better glimpse of a student’s scholastic writing ability than what the essay can provide.</p>