Can a great application essay make up for some shortcomings in my application?

<p>no i could certainly not afford $46k…but with some financial aid i might see it through…any ideas for good safety schools for cs?..i am obsessed becuz of their prestige…other colleges may just be as good education wise,or quality of campus wise,even might come close placement wise…but their is a prestige associated with HYSM that makes them very desirable in every corner of the world…even in India,they are quite famous,while UT Austin being perhaps just as good in all respects or UM, or even UC Berkeley are quite rarely heard of…i’ll take some risks…but i’ll certainly apply to safety schools as I don’t really think my chances for them are good at all</p>