Editorial: College writing tests a good idea for future
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Come fall 2006, students interested in the University of Minnesota are going to have to sharpen their writing skills. The university is going to require all freshman applicants to the Twin Cities, Duluth and Morris campuses to take one of two standardized writing tests.
Writing skills are imperative, and it’s good to see the university underscoring the importance it places on it.
The new requirement fits in well with what both the SAT I and ACT college entrance tests are doing. Both will begin incorporating a writing sample in spring 2005. Both tests will include a written essay and multiple choice questions on grammar, usage and word choice.
The SAT I is requiring the writing exam, while the ACT is offering it as optional to students, but it will be required by the university.
In adopting the writing requirement, the university joins nearly all the other institutions in the Big Ten. It seems only right that the university that carries Minnesota’s name have the same high standards as other institutions of higher learning. And school superintendents around the state gave strong support for the writing requirement.
By adopting the writing requirement, university officials have an additional piece of information for their comprehensive review of each student on which they base their admissions decisions.
Academic achievement is, of course, the primary focus for college admissions, but knowing how to properly construct sentences, use proper grammar and choose the correct words take a person far in all walks of life &045; whether it’s writing that college paper, applying for a job, writing a letter to the editor of the local paper, or simply conversing with a friend.