The college entrance essay is proof that the world is full of harsh realities.

“Some colleges make prompts that I believe are specifically designed to inflict harm upon the students,” said Old Rochester Regional senior John Hewitt.

One prompt asked Hewitt to compare his sight to that of the mantis shrimp (yes, really.)

While most essay topics tend to be less abstract, that doesn’t make them less stressful.

High school seniors spend countless hours writing and rewriting, second guessing themselves and starting over…all for some admissions officer to glance at their 650 words of literary genius for a grand total of five minutes before dropping the application into the yes, maybe or “absolutely not” pile.

But ORR English teachers Merri Wickman and Sarabeth Morrell say that the essays are their students’ chance to separate from the pack.

“I tell the kids it’s probably the most important piece of writing you do in your whole high school career. It counts in the real world,” said Wickman.

“Let’s face it,” she said, “the rest of the application is statistics and numbers. This is the one chance where there is a human element where they can be different than the rest of the pile.”

Wickman and Morrell don’t give a grade for college essays, but they have incorporated it into their curriculum. And with good reason.

“They come in the first day of school talking about it,” said Morrell.

So she and Wickman are ready. Beginning with orientation, they read an essay from a previous graduate to give parents and students an idea of what colleges want.

In the classroom, the focus of the year, “Who am I? What is my place in the universe?,” helps students brainstorm for the essays.

“What we try to teach is that they have to come up with a significant moment that is unique,” said Morrell.

Gone are the days when a story about a trip to a third world country or a difficult loss is enough to give students a competitive edge.

Track star Michael Wyman, who will matriculate to Brown University in the fall, wrote about his running sneakers. Sam Barrett wrote about a time she thought she caused a small fire in her house only to find out her house was struck by lightning.

A former applications reviewer herself, Morrell knows what she’s talking about.

“You read the same things over and over. You look for that funny, unique, laugh out loud [essays],” she said.

She and Wickman get to know their students well and meet with them one-on-one through multiple drafts to get that perfect essay…or essays.

Some students in Wickman’s AP English class have applied to as many as 10 schools, many requiring supplemental essays in addition to the Common Application used by more than 500 schools.

The students say they’re thankful for all the help their teachers give them.

“You’re always afraid you’re going to sound stupid,” said senior Ruhi Raje. “It’s nice to have a teacher who knows you, who you’re comfortable with, to make sure you’re presenting the best of yourself.”

Hewitt agreed. When faced with “blank page syndrome,” he said his teachers have been a big help. “They save essays from mediocrity or worse.”

Wickman said the extra work on essays has paid off for students.

“We’ve had kids get back sticky notes on their essays saying ‘great essay,’ which is not the norm.”

The teachers say it’s one of their favorite parts of the job.

“You get to know those kids so well through the essays and working with them,” said Wickman.