As a new Adjunct Professor in the English Department’s Writing Program at Florida Atlantic University in 1996, I discovered something that surprised me: students were terrified of writing. I made it my mission to get students comfortable with the concept of actually expressing themselves; to no longer regurgitate the opinions of authors and parents solely, or provide an ego-driven “what does she want to hear” response. I wanted students to discover what they thought, and in doing so, discover who they were; the two actually go hand in hand. I learned a great deal in those early teaching days: students crave and fear the freedom to express themselves, and yet once they discover their ability to do so, their confidence soars. Suddenly, they are able to own their own opinions and perspectives, and in turn, they can relax enough to learn the skills that take the quality of their writing to new heights. As a teacher I was, and continue to be, thrilled by this process of discovery for students.

These many years later not much has changed; students are bright, they work hard, and they express horror when faced with a prompt asking them to reveal themselves. The horror turns to panic for many students as they realize just how much rides on their ability to create a superbly written personal essay that conveys a picture of who they are and what they have to offer the college community. The college application essay has taken on a new level of importance within the application package due to the ultracompetitive college admissions climate.