Hey Scholars!
Did you know that less than 1% of colleges and universities require the ACT or SAT essay? This includes ALL HBCUs and Ivy League institutions—not a single one of them require ACT or SAT essays any more for admission consideration! This increases equity in college admissions, as many low income students (who can’t afford the optional essay portion of the test) and anxious/bad essay writers no longer have to worry about the essay negatively impacting their chances of admission into their school of choice.
So do you need to complete the ACT or SAT essay? Maybe. It depends on many variables such as the type of schools you’re applying to, your overall competitiveness, etc. Although very few schools require the essay any more, many still recommend them, so want to have a strong rationale for opting out. We can help you make the right decision for your situation! In the comments here or our ACT/SAT IG post, tell us why or why not you decided to do the essay.
-Dr. D.