3.98 GPA, 1540 SAT History applicant accepted to Brown, Cal Poly, Cornell

"If your stats are competitive (grades, test scores) and your ECs are decent and relevant, your essays can be the selling point of your application. Essays are the only real opportunity to communicate your personality and passions. The applicant did not hire a college consultant due to costs and instead asked family and friends for help on edits and revisions."