<p>do writing scores count heavily in the admission process?
How do colleges use these scores?
In my class of all the people who haven taken the SAT their writing scores are the lowest (in the mid 500's). or low 600's. How bad is this?
Will colleges look upon this fact in negative light or will they not consider it?
It s in a way unfair to expect internationals to have equally high writing scores..does any one feel the same way?
Assuming majority are applying to engg majors or science majos</p>
<p>The topic about what universities expect from internationals is an old one. Use the search feature. Having a low writing score is no excuse. Just because you're an engineering student does not make it okay if you can't string two sentences together.</p>
<p>Also, admissions for internationals is very competitive. Why do you think collges will care about your low writing score when they have so many international students who have near perfect scores.</p>
<p>Stop trying to find excuses. Use the search feature. Grow up.</p>
<p>I think if the person was from a country that used nada english, such as china and korea, the adcoms may raise an eyebrow at a low 500.
I think if the person was from a country like australia, england, and this person had a low 500, the adcoms may question the applicant.</p>
<p>If the college says that they do not look at writing scores, (some dont - you gotta check with the schools), they will not look. Well of course they may glance at it but yeah you can decide whether they do look at it or not.</p>
<p>But the thing is, if you want to get admitted to the top colleges, as lakshya said, dont find excuses. Because in an applicant pool, there will ALWAYS be international applicants with near perfect/ perfect SAT scores. ALWAYS.</p>
<p>But at the top schools, I doubt anyone will get automatically rejected because their writing score was low. You see, these schools look at the WHOLE applicant, in respect to their pool. If they like you, you are admitted. If they don't, you are rejected. But speaking of lesser prestigious schools is another story as there are couple of schools that have an automatic acceptance criteria for specified SAT scores.</p>
<p>My advice to you is to stop trying to find the holes in your apps. Instead, try to enhance your best features.</p>
<p>Why do people automatically make the assumption that universities should have lower standards for internationals with respect to English language skills? This is simply not true; there is no reason for this to be true. A university is typically looking for students with a good overall profile who will essentially perform well at the university; poor English language skills result in poor performance. What does the university gain by admitting students who are likely to perform poorly because they come from a different country - ESPECIALLY when there are so many foreign students who DO have excellent English language skills?</p>
<p>I agree completely with all posters above. I see no reason for students in an Indian curriculum to have a problem with the Writing section. AP Language maybe, but SAT Writing, not really. Please also note that most colleges don't accept you to an "engineering course" unlike in India but accept you to their complete college. There's no reason therefore for them to lower any expected standards for you as there is a superfluity of qualified applicants.
As an International things can only be tougher for you not easier.</p>
<p>WELL for starts lakshya M i was not talking about myself, i was talking for my classmates ..all of whom had low writing scores.
And by the way my writing scores are not bad.
It was just a question ..why do people have to pounce on me for that. It was just an opinon which i though could be discussed.</p>
<p>If your writing score is not bad. Good for you. </p>
<p>As for your question:</p>
<p>There used to be a time(almost 5-6 years ago) when the top universities were sort of lenient with low verbal scores for internationals. Ever wondered why that happened? It was because the general trend among the international applicant pool was such.</p>
<p>The situation is very different now. It's almost the opposite. You will find a lot of internationals with near perfect SAT scores. So now the general trend is that of high scores. So when colleges see lower verbal and writing scores - they don't quite view it in the same light as they did earlier. And why should they? They have no shortage of better people. People, who aren't expecting leniency on account of being international students.</p>
<p>Face it, times have changed. </p>
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<p>@Orhan Pamuk: You know of many people who got into MIT? How many? 1, 2 or 10. It doesn't matter. As long as a sizeable percentage of MITs class didn't get in with SAT scores of less than 2000. The comparison doesn't make sense.</p>
<p>I used the term near perfect. </p>
<p>Anyway, the biggest mistake people generally make is that of using isolated cases and then making them out to signify the general trend. Sure, colleges aren't specifically looking for people with perfect scores but if you take a look at the middle 50% of their admitted class you'll see where the general trend lies.</p>
<p>Everybody hasn't won an International Olympiad, everybody hasn't done some sort of research in high school. For these people SAT scores might not mean so much. For the rest, they do have weight.</p>
<p>If the scores weren't all that important, why are colleges still using them? Why are companies like Princeton Review, Kaplan, Barrons, ETS making so much money?</p>
<p>The SATs aren't everything. But they are something.</p>
<p>You know strangely enough I'd agree with you, Orhan; my word choice there possibly wasn't the best. The meaning I was aiming to convey was that SAT Writing scores would still be considered; and that there is no lowering of standards whatever they maybe, (that varies from college to college), for Internationals.</p>
<p>I think we all do know that admissions are holistic and therefore such questions are in reality of course moderately pointless as none of us really have much experience in the admissions process.</p>
<p>To Orhan Pamuk; perhaps you should change your username; I'm not sure if it's allowed considering that Orhan Pamuk's a real person as well.</p>
<p>They aren't world famous, Nobel Prize-winning novelists.</p>
<p>how i would have loved to be one It MIGHT GET ME ADMITTED to MIT</p>
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They aren't world famous, Nobel Prize-winning novelists.
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<p>Exactly my point. On most online forums (I'm not sure if that's the case here), user accounts aren't allowed to have notable living individuals' names.</p>
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<p>You're pathetic. You feel your life is over if you don't get into a reputed college. Everything you do in your high school years - you do it for college admissions. You gain knowledge - for college admissions. You participate in ECs - for college admissions. </p>
<p>I hate it when people don't actually consider these first 20 odd years of their life as years worth living. You're always doing things not for the moment, but for the next 30-40 years. What if you don't make it? What if luck has had a role to play? You will regret the time you wasted fussing about the future(which is always uncertain, at best) instead of enjoying the present.</p>
<p>And if you do achieve whatever you set out to, you'll always ask yourself whether the price you paid for it was reasonable or not.</p>
<p>you know something ..it is really sad.
You do not know the first thing about me, why i do my Ec's etc...You surmise is purely based upon my posts here.Neverthless go on and insult me, say all you want.</p>
<p>"great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, small people talk about other people"</p>
<p>that post was absolutely unwarranted
I posted that previous comment on a lighter note -it was a play on how competitive MIT admissions are</p>
<p>
I strongly disagree with all but one of the above posters. Quote:</p>
<p>Originally Posted by badman89 A university is typically looking for students with a good overall profile who will essentially perform well at the university; poor English language skills result in poor performance. ESPECIALLY when there are so many foreign students who DO have excellent English language skills?</p>
<p>Not necessarily. I know many people who got into MIT with SAT scores < 2000, and are doing well there. HYPM are looking for a diverse class not for a class where everyone loves Shakspere.
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<p>I said "poor English language skills result in poor performance." not "poor SATs result in poor performance"</p>
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Not necessarily. I know many people who got into MIT with SAT scores < 2000, and are doing well there. HYPM are looking for a diverse class not for a class where everyone loves Shakspere.
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I know you used the wrong words but it sounds like as if you meant that SAT critical reading and writing requires the knowledge of Shakespeare. (which obviously, does not).</p>
<p>Well, reading Shakspere helps with the vocab questions.</p>
<p>I would recommend people to read more recent texts if they want to improve their SAT scores. But for SAT II in Literature, Shakespeare would surely help; although it doesn't mean that one must love him to do well.</p>
<p>I don't know why kARTHIKSMART reminds of Fyodor Karamazov.</p>
<p>Thankfully, I dont hav username as a name of a notable ''living'' individual...otherwise I would hav been draggd in this one......:p.....
as for the topic, the Writing score is a matter of long discussion but to b Laconic, they dont affect u until and unless u score below 600..(I guess u got my meaning)....</p>
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<p>Care to back that up? You actually think colleges are going to view Internationals with a 600 in writing in the same light as those who score 750s or around that.</p>