What do schools look for in the writing portion? Forum

[gmreplay]

If sloppy writing is a good defensive move then the scouter will report that my power level is over 9000.

(if the scouter does not report that my power level is over 9000, then it is not true that sloppy handwriting is a good defensive move)

[moandersen]

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned (or at least is worth reiterating): fill up the pages they give you. If you only write a single paragraph, it looks like you didn't take it seriously. So write the essay, answer the question, fill up the space provided, and don't worry about it too much beyond that.

I think it's a nice cool-down after the race through the rest of the test.

i dont think you need to fully fill out the front AND back - just make sure you have a paragraph or two on the back. both of the times I took the lsat, i finished the writing section in about 20 minutes, used the bathroom, and watched 90% of the people around me frantically trying to finish before time was called. I was amused.

[gmreplay]

That's probably because you have the power of the best coach in the history of the world, Mike Ditka, on your side.

BTW, I am so going to use the word "panacea" on my writing portion. The Harvard and Yale deans will read it, their heads will explode and I will be guaranteed a spot in their university despite my 166 score. That's all in the fine print of their admissions brochures.

[Pricer]

I have read so many times that schools do not care what you write, as long as you write something, that I have not looked at a single thing for the writing portion. I am going to wing it completely. Well, not completely. I read the first half of the question for the writing portion after a PT once.

[dk8]

in june i was sure i didn't improve on my score, so i didn't write much. 2 paragraphs at most. maybe thats why i'm getting wl'ed everywhere.

[Thirteen]

Take it seriously, and you will be fine.

[vanwinkle]

Schools pretty much make sure you didn't just blow it off, and make sure you can form complete thoughts. They look for you to take a position and explain it, but they understand that you just took a 4 hour test and probably have reduced brain power. I doubt any use it to disqualify candidates unless they didn't do it or just wrote nonsense.

I believe that TITCR. Schools have tons of applications to go through, it probably gets a cursory "Can they write something that's not nonsense or offensive?" and then that's about it.

However, I do know they at least glance them over. Awesome story from an LSAT tutor: He took the LSAT just to get a job with a tutoring company, not intending to go to law school, so to have fun on the writing sample he left a blank after every fifth word of his essay, and then when he was done went back and filled in every single blank with amusing curse words. Three or four years later, he changed his mind and decided to try applying. By then he'd totally forgotten about what he did on the writing section.

Since his numbers were good he was getting considered at T14 schools. One of them, the dean of admissions called him up and asked to speak with him, which he'd never heard of this dean doing before, and the dean makes small talk for a couple minutes and asks why he wants to attend that school, and then goes, "So, about this LSAT you took a few years ago and the writing section..." And suddenly it came flooding back to him.

After he explained it to the dean, the dean thanked him for explaining and hung up, and he got an acceptance letter a couple weeks later.

[gmreplay]

I am shocked they would accept someone after a stunt like that. Frankly I sort of feel like the writing portion is just a test of your mettle to see if your can resist the urge to tell LSAC to eat shit after ruining your life for months on end.

[dk8]

Schools pretty much make sure you didn't just blow it off, and make sure you can form complete thoughts. They look for you to take a position and explain it, but they understand that you just took a 4 hour test and probably have reduced brain power. I doubt any use it to disqualify candidates unless they didn't do it or just wrote nonsense.

I believe that TITCR. Schools have tons of applications to go through, it probably gets a cursory "Can they write something that's not nonsense or offensive?" and then that's about it.

However, I do know they at least glance them over. Awesome story from an LSAT tutor: He took the LSAT just to get a job with a tutoring company, not intending to go to law school, so to have fun on the writing sample he left a blank after every fifth word of his essay, and then when he was done went back and filled in every single blank with amusing curse words. Three or four years later, he changed his mind and decided to try applying. By then he'd totally forgotten about what he did on the writing section.

Since his numbers were good he was getting considered at T14 schools. One of them, the dean of admissions called him up and asked to speak with him, which he'd never heard of this dean doing before, and the dean makes small talk for a couple minutes and asks why he wants to attend that school, and then goes, "So, about this LSAT you took a few years ago and the writing section..." And suddenly it came flooding back to him.

After he explained it to the dean, the dean thanked him for explaining and hung up, and he got an acceptance letter a couple weeks later.

lol good story. maybe i should ask some deans if my writing sample got me wled. I might have wrote 10 sentences max.

[Vincent Vega]

In Sept, I skipped the real prompt and launched into an iquiry about how an amature astronomers guild has the kind of dollars to front a multi million dollar observatory, and speculated it was a crime cindicate. So far, in at 3 schools.

Moral

1: They appreciate sarcasm
or
2: They don't even read it.



2 is TCR

I hope you spelled syndicate correctly in your writing sample.

[vanwinkle]

I am shocked they would accept someone after a stunt like that. Frankly I sort of feel like the writing portion is just a test of your mettle to see if your can resist the urge to tell LSAC to eat shit after ruining your life for months on end.

Well, in his case 3-4 years had passed since then. It's probably the same as someone who got arrested for something minor, but it was long enough ago that they're willing to accept you've grown by then. If he'd done it in the same cycle he was applying I imagine they wouldn't have even given him a chance to explain.

[clevinger33]

I spent 10 minutes scribbling some bullshit in completely illegible handwriting (even I could literally not read what I had written) and then spent the rest of the time doodling on the "scratch paper" section or whatever. The girl next to me kept giving me looks, but I think she was just jealous. The proctor walked by and saw me doodling and laughed.

The writing section does not matter. I'm not joking, it would be literally impossible to comprehend anything that I had written on the page that was sent in. I have terrible handwriting to begin with, and I tried to make it even worse just for the occasion. It was nonsense. I got in everywhere I applied. They really don't care.

[Vincent Vega]

I actually wrote an essay to the best of my ability - not because I felt I had to or that I felt it mattered, just because in the slight chance that even one school would read it, I felt it was worth my time and effort to write it, since I had to sit there through it anyway.