Q: How do I write an essay on  my Mac book pro?

Use a product such as OpenOffice.

(69198)

He can use TextEdit that is in the Applications folder, but eventually you will need to get Office 2011 for compatibility with the requirements of most universities.

The stock word processor is TextEdit:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2523

Either that or you purchase Pages(Mac App Store), Office for Mac or similar.

This is free:

http://www.bean-osx.com/Bean.html

TextEdit which already comes pre-installed on the Mac.  Search for free word processing software on MacUpdate and CNET Mac Downloads websites.

I second Open Office if the idea is to not buy anything for now.

For 99.9% of work required from a college student Open Office would not cause any compatibility issues. Just use it with Microsoft formats (doc, docx, ppt, pptx, etc.)

It wouldn't hurt to check the educational discounts for the college. Some times MS Office would be next to free depending on the deal college has with MS.

Were one to go in this direction a better choice would be Libre Office.