[Wyman]

Admissions essays matter a ton if you're a borderline admission. They also matter a ton if you're applying for scholarships.

1) Don't get too cocky. Remember that there are a lot more high schools than colleges, and a lot of kids who are the best in their class are going to be applying. If it's a school you can even remotely believe that you might not get into, spend serious time on your essay.

2) Your "load of ECs" should provide you with some fodder for your essay(s). Have you ever done volunteer work? My eagle scout project (and essay I wrote about it) got me a postcard from my admissions officer at Duke saying how impressed she was by my project, and 2 weeks later I get a letter saying I was one of Duke's top 50 applicants and inviting me down there to interview for a full scholarship (this is a solid brag, but I didn't end up getting the scholarship, and I went elsewhere). The moral of this story is that although I'm not a great writer, the content of my essay helped me get an opportunity for some serious money (obv my resume didn't hurt).

3) As a senior, I was on the committee for the scholarship I had. As such, I read a ton of essays/applications for the scholarship. The poster above hit the nail on the head. When reading your essay, we want to learn something about you, and you want to stand out. You want me to think "Yeah, this kid would make a great addition to our community. We'd be proud to have him/her as one of our alumni."

GR is probably right. If your grades and everything are solid, you'll probably get in somewhere. But times are changing. With grade inflation running rampant, in addition to good grades, colleges are looking for well-rounded people who will bring something unique to the school. Your essay(s) should convince them that you're it.

Where are you applying, btw?