This pilot study identifies some lexical aspects of the emerging writing skills in Spanish among receptive English/Spanish bilingual students with little or no exposure to formal study of the home language upon entering a Spanish Heritage Language Program at a large public university in the Southwestern United States. The 200+ essays analyzed in the study are the last section of an online placement and credit exam that all incoming students take before enrolling in Spanish courses. The study focuses on lexical richness by analyzing lexical density, profile, and variation. It also measures transfer from English in the form of code-switches, borrowings, calques, and lexical creations. This exploratory study complements previous research and provides valuable information to the profession about the learning needs of this student population.