<p>I have spent the last month visiting a hundred college websites and checking links to admission, scholarships, and honors programs. These have been first to third tier schools but not ivys. Not one of them used SAT writing scores to define a minimum cut-off. True some of the sites had not been updated and were for 2005-2006. But even the 2006-2007 did not mention SAT writing scores. What have you all seen?</p>
<p>This is such a transition year! It seems to me that many are considering the Writing score as they would and SATII. Most of the schools my daughter is looking at require some Writing test, whether it's old SATII, the new SAT, or the ACT Writing section.</p>
<p>From what I have seen I can't really tell. It weems that most of the schools want to have the data settle out before committing to using it. With that said I also believe that most schools that required the SAT II writing in ht past before it got moved over to the SAT I section will probably know what to make of the scores and use them.</p>
<p>The ones I feel bad for are the ones with high Writing and associated essay scores because they may not be considered this year.</p>
<p>We have attended info sessions at 12 schools. Eah one said they wanted the writing test taken either as part of the SAT I, the old SAT II in writing, or the writing option of the ACT. Most said they would "look" at them, but not use them...whatever the heck that means.</p>
<p>We were told by one school that they required the writing so they could build a database for future admissions years.</p>
<p>Below repeats a post I made in May. You may be able to find the NY Times story that I quoted in the Times archives.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that while cr and math scores correlate with the old SAT's verbal and math sections and can be compared directly, the writing test is a completely new test that can not be compared directly with the old SAT II writing test. </p>
<p>The percentiles are likely to be very different. Remember, since only the top colleges in the country required SAT IIs, in general, only top students took the SAT II writing so the percentiles for that test are likely to be much lower than the same scores would receive on the new SAT writing. Thus, perhaps a 650 was a 65th percentile on the old SAT writing, but might be an 80th percentile on the new SAT writing. This is, of course, purely a guess.</p>
<h2>How Colleges are Using New SAT Essay </h2>
<p>What I find interesting is:
1. Colleges may compare the essay to the student's application essay. This may end up weeding out a lot of students who have been cheating by having their essays professionally written.</p>
<ol>
<li>While other postings have quoted College Board as saying that errors of fact will not hurt essay's scores, colleges probably will not be that charitable if they see students doing things like writing that "Anna Karenina" is a comedy, as occurred in a high scoring essay quoted in a story posted last week on this site. (Remember, colleges can see the students' essays on the new test).</li>
</ol>
<p>May 15 New York Times:
"Three years after the College Board increased students' anxieties with its decision to add a handwritten essay to the SAT, and three months after the test made its debut, many universities are still grappling with how, when and even if they will use the new scores.</p>
<p>So far, less than half of the nation's colleges and universities have said they will require next year's applicants to submit writing scores. It remains an open question, however, whether they will give the essay scores as much weight as those on the reading and math sections. </p>
<p>Institutions may also decide to compare an applicant's SAT essay with the application essay, which are typically more polished. </p>
<p>'We know of 429 out of about 1,600 four-year colleges that have said they're going to require the writing test, but many of them are taking a wait-and-see attitude about using the scores in admissions, and that makes sense," said Brian O'Reilly, a College Board official. </p>
<p>The College Board itself is sounding a note of caution about using the first round of scores.</p>
<p>"We have never recommended that schools use it in admissions decisions right away," said Chiara Coletti, a College Board spokeswoman. "Since this is a new test, it makes sense to be
careful in how it's used the first year....'"</p>
<p>The UC's will definitely use the Writing scores....</p>