People say that essays are VERY important and can make up for poor test scores…
but this is what i always thought : unless the essays are exceptionally well written or notoriously poorly written, they will not help nor hurt, but just complete the picture of you as an applicant as a whole, for everyone who applies to ivy should write fairly well… and most essays are about the same quality in the applicant pool no matter how much better they are than those of the ppl from ur local school…
<p>I'd say that essays are very important to Ivies. Everyone who applies to Ivies has the same general stats, and they can't admit everyone. The essay is probably where they make the big decisions from. Just my guess though.</p>
<p>I agree with Dusk2k. At elite schools, so many students of such a high caliber apply that very small differences can affect the outcome, be it acceptance or otherwise. In that instance, a 1550 or a 1600 will make little to no difference. The essay is the only chance in the application to truly convey your voice, and a sense of who you are (I know, that phrase is very cliched for those of us still applying). If you can write an especially well written, creative, interesting essay that will stand out from the thousands of other students with the same SAT scores as you, you have a real shot at admittance.</p>