I might be wrong but I feel like Stanford puts A LOT of emphasis on the college essays and wanted to know what you guys thought about this.
I’m not saying they’re the most important factor but I felt like some students who were weaker in certain areas but who had stellar essays ended up getting in
You will never know and neither will anyone else who posts here. The dean of admissions at MIT once gave me great advice which I pass onto you and others: “When you are applying to college, take all requests by colleges very seriously. You will never find out which ones are important and which ones are not.”
Best of luck.
I would say they are very important. It gives you a chance to separate yourself from the rest of the applicant pool. It shouldn’t be the only thing carrying you, but it certainly is something you shouldn’t neglect.
I would say that if your stats are high, but not “perfect,” excellent essays will really help make up for it.
Very.
fredthered’s post is accurate. Short of working at Stanford admissions in the future, you will never know for sure. But it’s fair to say they have a substantial influence on your result…with the big caveat that they will be subject to how receptive your reader is to your essay at the exact day, hour, and minute that they read your essays.