"When the College Board first added an essay portion to the SAT in 2005, it was said to be sending a strong message about the importance of writing in a student’s curriculum.
It’s had its fair share of supporters and critics ever since. Some were unhappy with the added testing time, the higher price that came with it and the futility of the essay format in assessing a student’s academic writing ability in college. Others said it was necessary to show subject mastery, rather than just aptitude." …
https://www.studyinternational.com/news/us-universities-drop-sat-act-essay-requirement/
I wonder if schools will place more emphasis on the common app essay.
Writing an essay AFTER taking a 3 hours test does not make sense. I hope other schools follow suit and drop the requirement. My son’s school system paid for a sitting of the ACT, but that free test did not include the writing portion. And, one school on his list requires it, not for admission, but for placement in a writing requirement class. So, now he has to take another standardized test just for the writing portion (he was happy with his score).
I suspect that many elite colleges will follow the lead of Princeton and require a graded essay from school as part of the application.
If other schools follow suit, I hope they decide before this application cycle begins–end of July. If not, my son has to take the ACT again and add the essay component. He is happy with his score and would rather submit a graded essay from school!