When I was working at a non-profit in Boston, I was often approached by high school seniors who wanted an informed and educated adult to look over their college essays.  I would take a look at what appeared to be a first draft and tell students that they should take a few more days to work on it.  However, students would tell me that they couldn’t because the application deadline was tomorrow or even that night at midnight!  I was shocked to learn that this behavior was common practice with many of the young people who came to the youth center.  The college essay was being treated like any other essay written for a school assignment.  Knowing how important these essays are, I helped to launch a mentoring program where students got started on their essays early and had a trusted member of the professional community assist them with the writing process.  College essays take time and then some.  Firstly, you have to figure out what it is that you want to write about that is true to you but also will make you stand out.  Aside from making sure that your content is coherent, you must not forget writing mechanics, including capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.   Missteps in mechanics can make the best writers appear careless.   Even the best writers can benefit from having an extra pair of eyes review their work.  Grades and S.A.T. scores are pretty straight forward.  Allow your personality to shine through in the essay and to impress those college admissions officers.  I’m pretty sure it worked for me.  Contact me for a free consultation, and I’ll share my personal story with you…