People definitely underestimate the power of a good essay. Every high school student can have similar stats and numbers to someone else, but no one can have the same story. Essays can make your application come alive and they’re the only part of your app that you can fully control by the time college app season comes along. Make them great for EVERY college you apply to (even for the UCs who people claim are “stats-driven”), it can be the one driving factor that gets you in!