Three Things Parents Need to Know About the College Essay

Understand what causes college essay stress and why your child needs support

Students spend years writing essays in their English classes. Yet when they reach arguably the most important essay in their academic career, they often don’t know where to start or how to write it.

How is it possible that even high-achieving students struggle with how to get started, structure, and finish their Common App college essay?

Take a pause and imagine what that must feel like for them. Some words that come to mind:

• Embarrassing

• Confusing

• Frustrating

• Shameful

And how do most human beings respond to these types of emotions? We either get super stressed out and struggle to perform, or we shift into avoidance. Neither place is a good place to be when trying to tackle a piece of writing that requires calm, focus, and self-reflection.

1) Your student wasn’t taught how to write this type of essay

You may find this hard to believe, but, most likely, your student was never taught how to write this type of essay. Yes, maybe they once wrote a memoir piece in middle school or a personal narrative freshman year. Personal narrative essays are written on occasion, but it is not a top focus for teachers.

English teachers work hard to teach their students how to think critically for themselves and how to craft effective arguments. Both of these are worthwhile endeavors and at the heart of what we do when reading texts and writing essays.

The college essay is not a focus for English teachers because we are preparing students for AP Lang, AP Lit, and college itself. Therefore, the focus is on argumentative and academic writing.

The college essay asks students to do something very different.

2) The college essay requires a unique approach and structure

Students are not prepared to write the college essay because the approach is unique. When writing essays in school, students are taught to approach that type of writing with logic, formal language, and polished conventions. Students are often taught to prioritize formal, analytical tone over personal voice.

When faced with the college essay, students often freeze up. Suddenly they are being asked to use their voice, be creative, and develop their own structure.

English teachers emphasize structure because it helps students think critically and communicate clearly. They are taught how to develop a hook for their introduction, craft a defensible and debatable argument in their thesis, strong body paragraphs with evidence and analysis, and a conclusion that summarizes their main ideas and expands beyond the scope of their thesis. This is the foundation of strong academic writing.

Students are not given a structure for their college essay:

• Is there an introduction? Sort of.

• Is there a thesis? Maybe it’s explicit, maybe it grows out of the reflection.

• Are there body paragraphs? Yeah, kind of.

• Is there a conclusion? Yeah, but it’s different from an essay.

No wonder students are confused. No wonder they freeze up and procrastinate and avoid. How do you tackle a piece of writing you haven’t been prepared to take on? The challenge is that the college essay asks students to do something very different from the type of writing most schools are designed to teach.

This is why students need guidance, structure, and support.

3) Self-reflection and vulnerability are keys to success

Teenagers are still learning how to self-reflect and be vulnerable. And these are important traits to include in the college essay. Admissions specialists want to get a sense of who your child is and what they are going to bring to campus in terms of character and who they are as an individual.

Self-reflection and vulnerability are being taught in school more now than ever before with social emotional learning and the shifting of strict gender norms. That being said, self-reflection and vulnerability start at home. This is a skill you can help model at home by being present with your children.

This college essay process is also an opportunity for you to self reflect.

The Bottom Line

The sudden shift from analyzing literature to writing about themselves can leave students feeling lost.

The very habits that make students straight-A English students are the exact habits they have to unlearn to write a great Common app essay.

The college essay isn't a test of academic writing; it’s a test of self-discovery. Because it asks for something so fundamentally different from their day-to-day schooling, students don't just need a proofreader. They need guidance, a new kind of structure, and a safe space to find their authentic, reflective voice.

If your student needs support, let’s connect to discuss how The College Essay Blueprint can provide the structured support you’ve been looking for.

If your student needs support, schedule a free consultation here: Schedule a Strategy Session

Or learn more about Barrett Blueprint at barrettblueprint.com