<p>There will be growning pains associated with the new SATI, no doubt about it. It is probably a very good thing that Adcoms will have access to the actual essay a student writes for the test. That way, they can compare their own opinion of the essay to the score awarded by the test evaluators. I’ve read that the scoring for the new SATI essays will be very formulaic, which I guess would have to be the objective if one were to hope for any level of standardization. However, this very fact allows for very little in the categories of personal style and creativity. An essay awarded a low or mediocre score by a test evaluator might be valued by an adcom for strengths not included in the test scorer’s rubric. </p>
<p>I do feel sorry, however, for the student who needs time to sit and ruminate upon a topic before he can begin writing about it. Twenty minutes is not very long to write an impromptu essay on an unknow topic. Many people just do not think fast on their feet, or write well under pressure. I realize that the SATII Writing Exam presented the same problems, but they will now be multiplied by serveral hundred thousand–dare I say, millions—with the advent of the new SATI.</p>
<p>Fendergirl, you are definitely a purist in your approach to writing, and I applaud (in theory) your sense of personal integrity. But I shudder to think what the literary world would be like in the absence of editors and proof readers. Many colleges (my D’s is one of them) offer the services of a “Writing Center” whereby a student may submit a paper for peer review prior to handing it in for a grade. This service is highly recommended by the faculty and administration. The Writing Center is staffed by students who have proven themselves highly competent writers, peers who can help a student hone her topic by pointing out areas of weakness or inconsistency. It helps alleviate stress for the student writing the paper (assuming she has not waited until the last minute to write it and attempt to have it evaluated by the Writing Center staff), and helps her to submit her very strongest paper for a grade. What the Writing Center staff DOES NOT do is write a paper for a student (or rewrite one). They merely help her to determine that she is on the right track, that her ideas are cogent, and that she has avoided any glaring glammatical errors. I see nothing wrong with that. It also helps spare the faculty the pain of reading through a truly horrendous paper.</p>