<p>I keep hearing kids at school saying that writing doesn't matter and that colleges don't even look at it. I know some top schools like Cornell and Georgetown don't look at it but don't other schools consider it? </p>
<p>At first i assumed those kids at school don't know what they're talking about but every kid thinks writing doesn't matter..</p>
<p>Also, for ex. someone i know said that some colleges even though they list it in their stats they dont look at writing (he said he went to campus and asked admission officer and they said that (emory in this case)). </p>
<p>uhh, is this kid wrong or what? i might be getting paranoid since i keep hearing this at school..</p>
<p>A terrible score on writing will obviously look bad. However, schools do not count as much on writing as the other two critical subjects. Publics generally disregard it completely. However, it is still nice to do well, even if it does not count.</p>
<p>College Board has released data that apparently proves that your writing score on the SAT is the best predictor for college success out of the three sections.</p>
<p>Of course, this could just be CB skewing data. The writing section, however, does definitely matter at most schools, regardless of what your friends say. But most likely schools do not weigh the section as heavily as other two sections (because they have the essays that you submit to gauge writing skill).</p>
<p>You have it the other way around. Schools generally count the writing section, but some don’t. If the writing section is reported, then it is considered. If the writing section is not reported, then it is not considered. If this were not true, why is the writing section not reported in some colleges’ stats? They obviously voluntarily did not include it to imply that they do not consider it. Best case scenario: score high in all sections. If you apply to 10 colleges, there is a likely chance that at least one will consider the writing section.</p>
<p>Harvard considers it.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The SAT essay’s main purpose is not to test writing skill. It is to test reasoning skill. For example, graders do not care if you have a conclusion paragraph because there is virtually no reasoning involved in writing one.</p>
<p>How did you come to that conclusion that “graders do not care if you have a conclusion paragraph because there is virtually no reasoning involved in writing one”? There is some reasoning involved in writing a conclusion… </p>
<p>But like I said, the SAT Writing section is supposed to also gauge writing skill. Why else would there be an essay section? Writing essays doesn’t gauge reasoning skills, but your writing skill in general.</p>
<p>What I’ve heard is that most colleges take issue with the way the essays are graded on the writing section because supposedly they let anyone with a college degree from anywhere become a grader after just looking at a packet, which can result in some fluctuation. The multiple choice part is, however, more valid and looked somewhat more carefully at by colleges.</p>