Essay quality: academic level or templates?
I'm struggling with my first college essays. Professors keep saying they're "high school level." I see tons of essay templates online (like 5-paragraph intros with thesis roadmaps, PEEL paragraphs, etc.). If I follow a strong academic template perfectly, won't that automatically make my essay high-quality and college-level? Or is it more about the actual academic depth?
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Short answer: templates assist, but they are insufficient on their own. Academic templates (PEEL, thesis roadmaps, etc.) are excellent for structure and clarity, particularly when you are stuck. However, academics typically define "high school level" in terms of depth—argument strength, use of sources, critical analysis, and how you engage with ideas, rather than merely structure. A neatly organized article with minimal analysis nonetheless feels unsophisticated. Some students utilize examples or outlines from the 99Papers writing service to learn how higher-level arguments are produced, then apply that thinking to their own work. Focus on why your message is important, not simply where it goes.