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IMO, my SAT and ACT essays were not reflective of my writing ability at all. (No, I did not do ‘bad’). 25/30 minutes after over two-hours of mindless bubbling doesn’t lend itself to the best writing. My admissions essay was all my own, with a little suggestion from an outside source. But since when was editing bad? Even at the college I’m about to go to, there’s an entire student-run center for help on essays.</p>
<p>Besides, there’s plenty of coaching on the SAT essays apparently. I had no idea that you should reference A, B, and C… (I know so many people who went in with one or two books in their heads for examples to every possible situation the SAT essay could ask for).</p>
<p>Agree with idad and interesteddad, posts #31-33. If you read a few years’ worth of topics from Chicago’s “Uncommon Application” (and probably now the Chicago supplement to the Common App) vs. a few years’ worth of topics from the SAT writing test, you will probably see a significant qualitative difference in the nature of the questions. Really, I don’t think you could do more than skim the surface of the issues raised by several of the Chicago topics, even if you could devote the entire SAT “writing” time to thinking. When the SAT writing test became part of the SAT I, someone (sorry, can’t find the column right now, even using Google) wrote an op-ed commentary on the “demented weasel school of writing,” favored by the CB scorers–a little over the top, yes . . . but I can understand a decision by a university to disregard a score that is unaffected by inaccuracy of the “facts” included in the essay. A weaker school than Chicago might be interested in seeing how well a student plays the game of “spot-the-false-dichotomy” in the SAT topics, but Chicago can probably take this skill for granted.</p>
<p>Re, mini’s comment, #34:
“Last time I looked, my graduate alma mater’s institutional mission was set by the President and Board of Trustees, and, as far as admissions, administered by the admissions department, and had nothing to do with the faculty whatsoever.”</p>
<p>This reminds me of the time, about 40 years ago, when a major snowstorm closed my university . . . the only time that has happened, as far as I know. The VP for Operations sent a message to the local radio stations saying that essential personnel should report to work, but “Professors and other non-essential personnel should remain at home.” (Of course, he meant that the animal-care workers and the Phys Plant emergency workers needed to come, and no one else.)</p>
<p>In the “ancient” universities (European), the faculty essentially constitute the university. I still can’t tell if you were joking, mini?</p>