Lehigh use of SAT essay component

[chel17]

Does anyone have information on whether Lehigh uses the essay component from SAT scores. S has a relatively good profile except that he literally bombed the SAT essay. He was unable to even come close to finish within the time constraints-has ADHD but getting an extended time is difficult to obtain from College board.

Thanks for any concrete information on the subject

[Corbett]

From the current Lehigh online Catalog:

SAT/ACT: Each candidate for admission to the first-year class is required to take either the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT). Students are not required to sit for the writing component of either exam.

http://catalog.lehigh.edu/informationofgeneralinterest/entranceexaminations/

The current Lehigh class profile includes SAT scores, but only for critical reading and math. The ACT score in the class profile explicitly states “not including writing score”.
http://www1.lehigh.edu/admissions/undergrad/profile

So it doesn’t appear that Lehigh cares about the SAT essay component. However, if you want “concrete information,” you should verify this point with Lehigh admissions.

[chel17]

Thanks, the issue really is that SAT scores cannot be submitted without the essay component unless the student did not take the essay portion. So our S is faced with the decision of either writing a supplemental essay to explain the poor performance. However, if Lehigh does not consider at all the essay component then he believes it would be unwise to submit an additional explanatory essay. A little bit of a conundrum on what best course of action is. Otherwise, his stats are reasonable (SAT 1470, Math 770, English 700, GPA W 4.16 UW 3.8) and Lehigh is one of his two top picks.