Not sure why, on many threads, posters tell kids a great, on-point essay is boring. It’s not gaming. They want the eureka moment of finding a match. That does offer latitude, but it needs to end with more than it started, make a point- and that’s about the college, what they do look for.
Show, not just tell. When people say they wrote about something more random, I think they forget it’s not just the topic. It’s what is delivered. The “She gets it!” moment.