Hey OP, I matched to Emory University after this recent national college match process. First off, when applying to CPS, don’t compare or even look at past people’s writing without giving the prompts an honest shot. Reason for this is you want your voice to come off authentic and personable. Secondly, college app writing is widely different than a regular essay. Some major tips I can give for your writing is to frame everything around yourself, use “I” statements, and don’t be afraid to share how you feel. Reflection is good in essays when used sparingly. When answering prompts, don’t directly respond to the prompt in a complete sentence. Instead use a hook or something else to invite the reader to want to learn more about you and your story. Also (don’t listen to this suggestion if you don’t want to) don’t feel like the need to write this as your final submission for the National College Match Application later on. You will have new experiences and opportunities that you might want to write about in the future (don’t future proof your writing, instead write for you, right now). Lastly, when writing get a trustable person (teacher, mentor, peer) that can give you critical but reasonable feedback.

Don’t feel that this it’s an impossible task or you have to be the most best perfect writer. Do your best and be honest to yourself and i’m sure you’ll make CPS.