What is an essay?

An essay in its noun form is a piece of writing used to express someone's opinion on a certain topic or their opinion. I think you can tell a lot about a person from the way they write their essays. This is why I think a lot of higher level universities require an essay to be part of the application process. Interviewing every single student applying for college would be a very long and annoying process. An essay is an some way a written form of an interview. I think more jobs should require some kind of essay to be part of the application. It angers me when I don't get a job over someone who is less suited for the job just because of the application he or she turns in. Essays are a great way to tell people apart.