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SU will not require applicants to submit SAT optional essay

The SAT as current Syracuse University students remember it is being replaced with a re-designed test complete with a new optional essay.

Only 13 percent of colleges and universities will require applicants submit the new SAT’s optional essay section for admission, according to a Kaplan Test Prep survey.

SU is one of the many schools that are not requiring students to submit the essay.

“As part of the redesigned SAT, the critical reading section is being modified to include a writing and language assessment,” said Steven O’Keefe, assistant dean of admissions at SU. “We feel that this section will be sufficient to assess our applicants reading and critical thinking skills. However, we will monitor the performance of the essay section after the first year through College Board, and determine if we need to add it as a requirement.”

Ivy League schools such as Yale University, Harvard University, Princeton University and Dartmouth University are among the 13 percent of schools that will require applicants to submit the results essay section, according to an Aug. 24 Bloomberg Business article.



In addition to the optional essay that measures both reading and writing skills, the new SAT will include an evidence-based reading and writing test section and a math section.





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