<p>My DS has good stats (3.84 UW, 2090 SAT, 33 ACT) which I think would give him a decent chance to be accepted at Whitman. But, his strength is math and science, where he wants to major, and his writing scores and essays are in the B (83-87%) range. Considering Whitman's focus on writing, is less-than-awesome writing a deal breaker for admission? Will this make things harder for him if he ends up there?</p>
<p>I bet it is not a deal-breaker. They will look at ACT writing score or SAT and the essays give a chance to demonstrate his competence. I think they just want to be sure a kid will not be overwhelmed with the demands of academic writing; I also think they help kids who need it to have sufficient professional writing skills even if that is not their strength</p>
<p>I agree with mmaah. While Whitman is a writing-intensive school in terms of the Core/Antiquity and Modernity curriculum, it also has a very good science department and I've met a lot of people here who are interested in the sciences/math.</p>
<p>Also remember that their brains are still growing and skills accumulating. Most LACs require plenty of writing and most college kids who are asked to write get better. I think I only really developed adult professional writing skills in college and grad school. No one writes the SAT 5 paragraph essay in real life.....And some of the best scientists are also good writers--honed by practice and necessary for grants and reports. PS: ACT writing test is more liberal/variable in it's way of judging writing I think.</p>
<p>Indiana 51, my DS is a freshman Natural Sciences and Mathematics major at Whitman this year. My perspective is, as chocolatecello said, that the core curriculum is so reading/writing intensive that a certain level of skill is important going into it. That being said, writing instruction is a big part of the core curriculum. Having two sons now at LACs, I've been impressed with how they have both become such better writers as a result of the freshmen core programs. Your son's grades and scores in writing certainly indicate a level of proficiency that should not be a problem for him at all. It's a fabulous school, good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for your replies! He was very impressed with the BBMB program and is hoping that it will work out for him. We decided that Whitman won't accept him if they feel that his writing will be a problem. I really liked that they wanted a graded paper as part of his application. With that they can see where his strengths and weaknesses are.</p>
<p>Indiana91:</p>
<p>excuse my ignorance, but what is the BBMB program?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology.</p>