My team and I are writing educators. (See our College Essay Help Center for help with all aspects of applications.) Anytime we write or our students write, we always stay laser-focused on one thing – our audience. Yet, when we ask high schoolers, “What is the purpose of the college application?” – we’re met with blank stares, or get stammering answers like, “It’s just something I need to do to get into college.” Or when we ask, “What do admissions officers want to know about you?” – we’re frequently met with, “I don’t know, maybe something about who I am.”