Does NMSF essay really matter?

[Lolar7]

<p>I was named a semi finalist and I've gathered that most of the semi finalists go through to finalists and that for those who don't, it is usually because of disciplinary problems, grades, or low test scores. In all the reading I've done on here, no one has mentioned whether the essay has anything to do with it.</p>

<p>I have a 3.98 unweighted GPA, a 2250 SAT score, and no disciplinary problems at all. Do I really have to worry about writing an AMAZING essay? The prompt is something I am struggling with because I honestly can't think of what I would write about. Should I worry about this?</p>

[atomom]

<p>I heard of a kid who didn’t make it after writing a frivolous essay–not sure if there were any other disqualifying factors. As long as your essay answers the prompt, has no/few errors, doesn’t make you sound like a crazy/mean person, and fits in the space allowed (about 500 words) you should be fine. You’ve gotten this far, so just write a good essay on one of the topics given–it doesn’t have to be “amazing.”</p>