You might be asking yourself, “Why do they need my essays?” The best letters are personal in nature because they can make you come to life to admissions officers. You want recommenders to speak to your character, as well as your hopes and dreams, achievements, and even how you overcame your failures. Recommenders who read your essays can integrate this in their letter, and learn more about you in the process. This will help put the ‘puzzle’ together and help you seem like an actual person, and not some faceless applicant.