<p>@tk21769 The short answer is that yes, I think it holds true for the top (public) universities and those that use TAs a lot. Among regional/MA universities, writing assignments may be less frequent. Of course, the subject matter of the course and the professor teaching it all play a significant role in how any given class is taught, so generalizations can only be very broad. I sent you a rather lengthy PM with more detailed thoughts. </p>