For colleges that aren’t Ivy league but still good like Boston University and Georgia Tech, are essays honestly a make or break deal or do they mainly look at grades, scores, and extracurriculars?
Both are holistic. Better to assume it all matters than take a risk on an off essay.
well my essay is just a narration about something that I did. it wasn’t all fancy like the ones posted online. Not badly written, but simple…just showing one small side of me. does that make my essay bad?
@lookingforward ^^^
Best essays are the ones that tell a story, so sounds like you did that.
so its okay if the essay is simple and not complex and abstract like the ones online??
@NYDreammom ^^
@“Amberlanya Herwana” Yes, it’s always ok for you to be you as expressed through your essay 
OP, if it tells a little story that relevant to what adcoms look for, you “could” be fine.
But “a small side” of you that’s got zip to do with the traits, experiences, and growth colleges look for, won’t show them.
It’s ok to be “you,” but this is a college app. Show them the “you” that they’ll want in the class. It isn’t random.
I’ve suggested you learn more about your targets, what they look for, the sort of traits they like, what’s “relevant.”
It’s not “make or break” and it’s not irrelevant. It’s a factor in an overall portfolio of an application. Typically less important than grades and coursework, less or equal to standardized testing, equal to EC, more important than geography, work history, etc.
Just like you can get an A in a class with a 78 on one test, or a B with a 100 on one test, it’s just one input. (Though it’s tough to get an A with a 0, invest some time in it).
My daughter’s essay is all about sewing plush toys she learned from the internet. She got in a T20.
Just saying: just the topic doesn’t reflect content, how effective the essay actually was, in what’s conveyed.
But I agree, the complex, abstract “stuff” online is misleading. Very. They aren’t looking for expository, opinion, or thesis statements.