I’m not saying that I would have gotten in if my essays were “the best,” or that that idea is even quantifiable – I was mainly responding to badgolfer’s comment by saying that just because I know my essays weren’t great doesn’t mean that I didn’t put effort into them. I wasn’t obsessed with it, but I still tried, obviously. No amount of time would have made them spectacular, but writing a college essay is a very limited skill that doesn’t really affect anything I’ll do in or after college, so ultimately, I’m not too concerned with it. (I hope that makes sense; correct me if I misunderstood you.)
I agree with you completely on both points, which is why I’m not concerned about going to my “safety” school – I just paid my deposit, actually!! 