<p>Selling yourself is a tricky business. You don’t want to be too understated, in a British way, but equally, it is not just a ‘look at me!’ bragfest. The very top schools look for some maturity of thought. A frequent example (heard this directly from both the Dean of Admissions at Princeton and an Admissions officer at UPenn): ‘don’t tell us that you went to a third world country to do community service and learned how differently people live. It won’t impress us. We want to know what you did with that experience: how did it change your understanding of yourself? What are you going to do with that experience? If nothing, choose something else to write about’. Especially as a slightly older applicant, you should present them with a very clear idea of who you are, where you are going, and <em>what you bring to the table</em>-Ie, why you would be a great addition to their university. You mentioned that your various pieces hang together well- that is key- you want a story arc.</p>
<p>Also, it may seem obvious, but a surprising number of people don’t spend enough time investigating the uni’s websites in detail. You want to get down to the background of the professors in your primary subject area, what their research areas are, etc. Look for links between you and the uni, and weave those into your essays (don’t overdo it- Note a kink matter of factly!). Note that International is welcome, but it is not as big a hook as it used to be, esp at the top private universities. </p>
<p>Btw, as others have indicated, once your SAT is 2200 there isn’t much benefit to a higher mark- it really used more as a benchmark. At that point your essays will matter more.</p>