We’re all familiar with essays. You start by writing about your mother, your favorite dish, or a festival. It’s simple, you scribble your thoughts on paper, and there’s no right or wrong answer as long as your sentences make grammatical sense. You reach the ninth grade, and you’re introduced to a little something called the argumentative essay. It’s like a debate, but there’s no opponent. You pick a side and argue for it. But this isn’t like writing an essay about your mother. Here you’re being evaluated on the strength of your argument and your ability to introduce and refute opposing views.

Now, here’s some food for thought: under which category does the college application essay fall? I’d say it’s a combination of the two, and I’ll tell you why.

The application essay combines the authenticity of subjectivity with the persuasion of argumentation. It doesn’t matter what your prompt is–you still have to answer it–but what matters more is ensuring that you’re at the center of your response. The other thing to remember is that no matter what your prompt is, you intend to persuade the reader to believe that you’re worthy of admission into your program of choice.