The College Essay Declared War on Critical Thinking

Every fall, I attempt to convince my yearly cohort of college-counseling students that writing is the single most important skill they will ever learn. Many of them stare at me in disbelief, insisting that the rise of generative AI has made the need to write nearly obsolete. Deep into college-application season, however, my students soon realize that the good writers among them will not only have an easier time cruising through their college essays but may also see better admissions results. After all, the college essay is meant—at least in theory—to identify innovative thinkers.