How about starting your writing program early?

In "The Unlived Life is Not Worth Examining," Robert Pondiscio challenges the idea of personal essays for college admission applications:

What if applicants were asked to write or submit a research paper
instead?  Which is more predictive of college success, past academic
work, or a personal essay, where students labor to make themselves seem
well-rounded, fascinating and irresistible to schools?

That’s what I call Writing Across the Curriculum.

Tip from Joanne Jacobs, whose post title, "First, Get a Life," says it all.