I've written dozens of them, but I still don't understand what is an essay supposed to be

[LarryWook]

This is going to sound really stupid, but hear me out. I'm a junior in college, I've written probably forty or fifty essays at this point, and I still don't think I actually understand what an essay is. Like, I know the mechanics—introduction, thesis, body paragraphs, conclusion—but I don't get the point. In high school, essays were just vehicles to prove you did the reading.

In college, they feel like something else, but I can't figure out what. My professors use words like 'contribution' and 'intervention' and 'scholarly conversation,' and I nod along, but in my heart, I'm still just trying to hit the word count and cite enough sources. Is an essay supposed to change someone's mind? Is it supposed to demonstrate mastery? Is it supposed to be a performance of intelligence? I'm starting to feel like everyone else got a memo about the secret purpose of essays and I was absent that day. Can anyone explain, in simple terms, what an essay is actually for?

 

[Muller]

This is going to sound really stupid, but hear me out. I'm a junior in college, I've written probably forty or fifty essays at this point, and I still don't think I actually understand what an essay is. Like, I know the mechanics—introduction, thesis, body paragraphs, conclusion—but I don't get the point. In high school, essays were just vehicles to prove you did the reading.

In college, they feel like something else, but I can't figure out what. My professors use words like 'contribution' and 'intervention' and 'scholarly conversation,' and I nod along, but in my heart, I'm still just trying to hit the word count and cite enough sources. Is an essay supposed to change someone's mind? Is it supposed to demonstrate mastery? Is it supposed to be a performance of intelligence? I'm starting to feel like everyone else got a memo about the secret purpose of essays and I was absent that day. Can anyone explain, in simple terms, what an essay is actually for?

This doesn't sound stupid at all—it sounds honest. I'm a senior and I've felt this exact same dread. Like, am I just arranging words in a fancy pattern until the professor gives me a gold star?

Someone once told me: an essay is just you thinking out loud on paper, but with structure. It's not about proving you read stuff. It's about taking those sources and having your own thought in response. Scary, but freeing. You're not alone in this!