Academic Writing Skills in College Admissions Essays
Exploring Their Implications for Admissions Decisions and First-Semester Grade Point Average
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9733445 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sugene Cho-Baker (Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ), Sugene Cho‐Baker (Educational Testing Service), Brent Bridgeman (0000-0002-2386-8844, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ), Guangming Ling (0000-0003-1185-6384, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ, corresponding author), Michael Flor (0000-0002-3320-5729, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ), Vinetha Belur (0009-0005-9126-0696, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 272-282 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Educational Researcher (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0013-189X • E-ISSN: 1935-102X |
| Publisher | American Educational Research Association (AERA) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.3102/0013189x251324189 |
| OpenAlex | W4409121972 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 31 |
Admissions essays submitted by applicants to undergraduate institutions are typically evaluated by admissions professionals to gain a better understanding of an applicant’s likely fit for the institution. These essays are becoming increasingly important because many colleges are likely to strengthen the role that non-test-based application materials play in the admission decision-making process. The current study examines an index of academic writing skills exhibited in admissions essays and its implications for admissions decisions and post-enrollment academic outcomes across students from different demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds. We found that underrepresented minority (URM) and low-socioeconomic status applicants tended to submit essays that showed lower academic writing skills than their counterparts. URM and first-generation applicants who submitted essays with higher academic writing skills were more likely to get accepted, but they were not likely to receive higher first-semester grade point averages, on average, compared to non-URM and non-first-generation applicants who submitted essays that displayed high academic writing skills
Academic achievement · Academic writing · Mathematics education · Medical education · Pedagogy · Point (geometry · Sociology · Medical Education and Admissions · Medicine · Psychology · Student Assessment and Feedback
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |