If you get to this point, you will know what essay you want to write without having to ask for prompts.

FORBES: What Should I Write My College Essays About?

To understand what a real essay is, we have to reach back into history again, though this time not so far.

FORBES: Why I Write

Applicants will need to provide their current grade point average, demonstrate their gaming prowess (including in-game ranking, tournament history and prizes awarded), draft an essay on what games mean to them, and include a video of why they deserve the funding.

FORBES: Connect

His welcome and readable essay lays out what he thinks liberalism really amounts to and why it demands support.

ECONOMIST: Liberalism

Remember, as you write, the essay is not about what you have done.

FORBES: What Should I Write My College Essays About?

That said, I think my mother's essay begs the question: What kind of mother was Erica Jong?

WSJ: Molly Jong-Fast on Growing Up With Erica Jong

In the nineteen-sixties, the sociologist Robert K. Merton wrote a famous essay on scientific discovery in which he raised the question of what the existence of multiples tells us about genius.

NEWYORKER: In the Air

If not, what business did he have carrying out the heart surgery he mentioned in his essay?

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Young China | Tips From an Expert

What makes Andreas so compelling is that once per month, the creator pours out in an essay on the site, his thoughts about living and working in the high-tech startup world.

FORBES: Opportunity Knocking

The client was particularly nervous about taking that chance on his essay because his college grade point average (GPA) was only 3.0--not what's needed to get into a top business school.

FORBES: Magazine Article