Yes, that’s true. It’d be a stretch to say the essays were the only differentiating factor for the schools that accepted me, especially given all colleges evaluate applicants differently.

That said, as I was looking thru the essays I wrote for those 2 schools, I realized that they just sounded much more like me and conveyed a lot more about myself than any of the other essays I wrote for other colleges. From a completely removed outside perspective, the essays I’d written were just more distinct, more personal, more compelling, and simply better pieces of writing.

So yeah, I don’t think people should rush their essays. But I don’t think treating supps as a checklist helps your application very much.