Making writing less scary for students and focusing on the messy, recursive nature of writing helps students use the writing process to bring forth the thoughts that might otherwise not find their way into essays. Students who revisit their writing also revisit their thinking and are empowered to cultivate and articulate that thinking in clearer and clearer terms. Messy prewriting and overwriting for application essays can help unassuming, hard-working honors students articulate facets of themselves they had never thought were exceptional. In this article, the author discusses how leading students through the process can help fellowships advisors avoid the "groomer" mentality and instead guide students on a journey of self-discovery that has value regardless of the application's outcome.