<p>BTW the examples I’ve given are just samples I pulled out of thin air, not what you should be writing. I’m sure you know that, but I feel better saying it. Anyway I’m not the greatest writer, so you’ll probably do better with something that comes from you & your heart.</p>
<p>In all my rambling I’m not sure if I’ve expressed my main point well enough, so let me quote one of the adcoms in the link I referenced earlier.
And since I’m in an advice-giving mood let me add this: people put WAY too much emphasis into getting into a “top” college. That emphasis is much better placed on finding a fit – a college in the setting you want, with the size classes you want, the level of personal attention you need, enrolling the kind of kids you’d be happy to have as friends, etc. A fit can be a college that’s ranked, 5, 50, or even 500. If its the right place for you and you can throw yourself into it then things well turn out well. So no matter whether Wash U says yeah or nay, if you can identify why you think its a good fit for you and find other schools that are similar you’ll be fine!</p>