<p>They don’t want the “high flashy vocab prose” if it is awkward or inaccurately used, as I imagine would be the case with my many nervous budding college applicants. You shouldn’t go through your essay with a thesaurus, because so many big words will make you sound pretentious and unintelligent. But I’m sure style matters. Vocabulary matters, but that’s not the only thing. The way your essay is structured, and the way your sentences all flow contributes to how the essay reads. </p>
<p>Content matters. The main thing to do is to be creative, and not to listen to these dumb admissions books telling you how to write a college essay. If it seems too refined, it won’t jump off the page.</p>
<p>Be yourself, and be creative. That’s all there is to it. And yes, they really matter. If you come off as boring or pompous, there are enough applicants to throw you out no matter your credentials.</p>