In March, Princeton Review published an article that stated: “Over 70% of students taking the SAT and more than 50% taking the ACT opt in to the essay.” However, according to its research, only 2% of colleges require the essay. Therefore, this week’s press releases from University of Chicago, Brown University, CalTech, and Princeton that they, too, were also eschewing the writing sample were generally expected.
Is this another example of the “dumbing down” of the admissions process? Isn’t communication a key factor of academic and career success? Is the fact that the writing samples are the only subjective parts of these standardized exams a consideration in avoiding the prompts? Shouldn’t the college educated be able to express themselves clearly in written communications such as memos, e-mails, and proposals?
A decade ago, The Chronicle of Higher Education reacted to a College Board study entitled: National Commission on Writing: Writing: A Ticket to Work… or A Ticket Out? That headline read: WRITING IS THE KEY TO COLLEGE SUCCESS. The College Board study concluded that “people who cannot write and communicate clearly will not be hired and are not likely to be considered for promotion. The College Board’s National Commission on Writing: The Neglected “R”, states that more than 50 percent of first-year college students are unable to produce papers relatively free of language errors.” Isn’t that still true today?
