Lack of college essay writing preparation disadvantages seniors

By Sam bell

Opinion editor 

As the school year starts, college applications and essays become an unavoidable reality for high school seniors. As a crucial part of the application process, personal statements give students the opportunity to write about a defining moment they have experienced or an aspect about themselves that sets them apart from the thousands of other applicants. This competitive system puts a tremendous amount of pressure on high school students. In the midst of this work and pressure to complete college applications and maintain good grades, students are confronted with their lack of college essay preparation.

Colleges ask applicants to pour out their life-defining moment onto paper using their own stylized “voice” in just 650 words.  Yet, for the past four years, high school students have been conditioned to follow a strict structure that limits how and when they are allowed to express their literary  voices. As if it were being played on a record player over and over, the outline of an introduction paragraph, two or three body paragraphs, and a conclusion have been ingrained into students’ minds. 

Students have yet to have the opportunity to take a course over  the past three years that has offered help on how to perfect and write a personal statement. It is challenging for students to move past their years of training, which forces students to follow a strict format  when it comes to writing essays. It is much more difficult to move beyond the traditional format. In reality, what colleges want is for students to simply use their own personal and authentic diction. If Costa required teachers to incorporate college essay-styled assignments, students would feel more comfortable when faced with the inevitable task, rather than seeing it as unfamiliar territory.  

Although this style and structure of writing is crucial for future years of writing in college and beyond, this narrow view of essay writing puts students at a disadvantage when trying to write an essay that will determine where their future will lead.

*Correction: An earlier version of this story claimed that none of the English courses offered at Costa “include curriculum on how to properly write a personal statement.” This version has been corrected. Different forms of college essay writing practice is a part of various English department teacher’s curriculums. English teachers also provide outside resources accessible to Costa students to aid in writing their college essays.