Do College Admissions Essays really matter?

[Wyman]

Yale, Duke, and UVA are tougher to get into than the others.

Focus on those essays and try to use them for the other schools if possible. Get an English teacher (creative writing if you have one) or two to critique your essay before you submit.

It's understandable to get a case of "senioritis", but that should wait until after admissions. And you should expect to get over it real quick when next fall rolls around -- that is, of course, if you care what you get in college.

Best of luck, OP.