In this study, current research on writing self-efficacy—"confidence that one can perform successfully in a particular domain" (Bruning 25)—and data from a local survey of first-year college students, or freshmen, is used to examine dispositions towards writing abilities among students tagged as "advanced" and "average." Two studies were conducted, the first with 62 freshmen in first-year writing courses and the second with 26 freshmen enrolled in a jump-start summer program. The first study found that the majority of the students reported a lack of confidence in their writing skills and largely identified as basic writers; the second study’s results were the opposite. This dichotomy between writing self-efficacy in students labeled in university writing placement testing as "average" versus students labeled as "advanced" raises questions about labeling and writing performance. The study concludes with a call for further research regarding pedagogical strategies that promote writing confidence regardless of the students’ assumed ability.