Nicole
Do colleges really care about ACT Writing versus regular?
A lot of colleges say they require only the ACT with writing. Does this mean if I send an application with the ACT without writing they will throw out my application? #ACT #college #applications
2 answers
Austin L.
Austin’s Answer
Hi Nicole,
Really good question. If a college that you are interested has a requirement, then I would heed their words and do what they say. You can call and ask the admission department what their policy is, but I would not ignore what they say is a requirement and hope that they don't throw away your application. There is a reason that colleges have requirement and it isn't for laughs, they have requirements so as to attract the student body that they want. Some colleges require ACT w/ writing while other colleges do not care about whether or not you submit an ACT w/ writing. Every college is different so you should check every one of their websites and call their admission department to be sure. If they, meaning the admissions department, tells you that the writing is required, DON'T ignore them. Having an application thrown out because you didn't follow all the directions is not fun at all.
I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck.
Best,
Austin
Jillian Graver
Jillian’s Answer
If a school is requiring it, it means you need to take the writing portion of the test. Especially with many of these schools getting record-high numbers of applicants, they are quicker than ever to throw applications away that don't meet the requirements listed. I highly recommend scheduling a slot to sit for the ACT with writing.
Do your best to prepare for it, but speaking from my experience, it didn't seem like the schools I applied to put too much stock into my actual score (I did fine, but by Harvard's standards I was definitely below average and still got in). In my opinion, it would be better to do just okay on it and still submit the score, than to not do it at all.
Best of luck with your applications!