College essay writing is a combination of critical thinking, organized writing and personal reflection. The first two components – critical thinking and organization – are what make up the “thinking process” part of the writing process, while personal reflection is what we use to “reflect on ourselves.” All of these skills are blended in an integrated way during the writing of admissions essays. It’s not unusual for a student to spend the better part of a summer writing one of these essays. These types of essays give students the best chance at success in college.
When a student completes one of these essays, they often receive positive feedback from college administrators who evaluate the composition and decide whether or not the admissions officer was correct in his or her evaluation. The writing process gives students a chance to present their case to college admission officials with original and well-crafted essays. If an admissions officer notes that a student has written an excellent admissions essay, it can increase his or her chances of being accepted into the college of their choice.
While many students mistakenly believe that college essays are little more than a list of cliched cliches, the reality of the writing process defies those misconceptions. Students spend months researching schools, reading thousands of admissions letters and reading hundreds of application essays before they begin the writing process. There is very little time available for the creative writing process unless students choose to clump their ideas into cohesive groups. The reality is that most students have a rich pool of ideas and would be hard pressed to come up with even a dozen new ideas to present in their college essays.