Author! Author! Colleges Struggle to Evaluate Applicants' Writing

By BEN GOSE

The dreaded personal essay used to be the toughest part of the college-admissions process for the applicant.

These days it's admissions officers who fret about student writing — and not just because they fall asleep reading endless takes on "overcoming adversity." They've got weightier concerns — plagiarized essays, students who receive excessive help from parents or writing coaches, and questions about whether to consider the controversial new writing samples on