<p>On CollegeBoard, it says that Ric uses the SAT and ACT essays for admission. I would think that, with the two full essays and other writings necessary to apply, the last thing they would read would be an essay with a terrible prompt that they know was written in under 30 minutes. So, do they really read it?</p>
<p>Send an email to admissions and ask.</p>
<p>My guess: they are still compiling statistics to see whether there is any strong correlation between the writing scores and the perceived quality of the submitted essays, the summer writing test taken after admission but before matriculation, and/or the performance once in school. They, like most schools, want to see if these standardized writing scores are predictive of anything. I doubt they pay much attention to the ACT/SAT essay itself.</p>