idad

Libby, have a great trip and stay away from this two–inch long ants.

me.duh

Libby,

Bring back some two-inch long ants to UChicago.

And then sick them on people who ask annoying questions.

UofCman

If SAT scores are not looked at at all, why not go SAT-optional?

brand_182

oooh U of C man...good thing she went on vacation. That's a killer question.

Perplexitudinous

It's yet another little bit of information to help in making admissions decisions.

UofCman

^ The claim was, "There is no place for the SAT writing score because it is not a factor in our admissions process" which quite frankly, I just do not buy.

Diocletian

Why? They're already getting essays from you. These should be sufficient judge of you writing talent. As I understand it, the admissions people see the writing section as untested. They're not sure what a top score actually means. It seems silly to count the score when you don't even know what the score is counting.

brand_182

Well I'll be happy when an average score is reported...I've heard it's going to be in the low 500s. It just sucks for us that took the writing portion and did the best on it, and yet it will not even be viewed as a subject test! I mean, most ppl that took the Writing subject test said it was very similar to the one on the new SAT, so why couldn't it even be considered in that aspect?

Perplexitudinous

For one thing, it's not a subject test - it's a part of the reasoning test now (for example, according to CB the scores from the old writing subject test and the new writing section cannot be compared). Besides, if your high writing score truly does reflect your ability to write, surely that ability will become apparent in your essay, as Diocletian said.

brand_182

let's hope so...

Perplexitudinous

Indeed. It's kind of the point of accepting the results standardized tests that those tests should simply take a sampling of a broader set of abilities. So, there are two possibilities:

1. The test does NOT measure what CB says it measures, in which case UChicago can't use the scores to make their decision, OR

2. The test DOES measure your writing ability, in which case that ability will undoubtedly be apparent in your essay.

Either way, UChicago is justified in ignoring the writing score for the time being.

I personally suggest that you forget about your test results and take a look at some of your own writing. That will help you find out for yourself whether you write well and whether that is your particular talent. Too often I see CCers define themselves and their talents by their test scores, but in actuality test scores are useless unless they *reflect upon* the individual. In my experience, the SAT reasoning test does a pitiful job of reflecting true interests and talents beyond a margin of at least a hundred points. (Note that that is MY experience.) I'm not saying your writing score isn't worth anything by any means; I am saying that you should not judge yourself by your scores.

writonthetransom

I don't agree that the application essay presents an applicant's writing ability as accurately the combination of the two would. An application essay is more of a creative writing sample. It shows a lot of writing skill while capturing the writer's personality, but it does not show that the writer knows how to organize a formal essay and argue a point with supporting evidence, which is often necessary in college writing. The SAT also tests ability to think quickly and work in a timed setting-and there are essay tests in college. Maybe the SAT Writing can be improved, but I think it's better to consider both things.

Diocletian

Because the SAT writing test is so new we simply don't have enough data. You say the test "shows" this and that, but what data is there? Is there actually a correlation between success on the writing test and ability to write a "formal" essay? There is, as I understand it, a correlation between SAT scores and ones sucess their first year of college.

Until we know what the SAT writing test shows or doesn't show it's counterproductive to treat it as authoritative.

writonthetransom

You're right, it is new, so it doesn't necessarily show such things. I was just saying that based on the pretty objective points used in grading SAT essays, it focuses on some different writing skills than an essay does.

idad

Ted O'Neill mentioned in an article that they have no idea if there is any predictive value in the score. They will record them and analyze the relation of the scores to later performance of admitted students over a few years to determine if the writing section adds any value.