I recently wrote a scholarship letter of recommendation for a kid who interned (electrical engineering) for me last year. He was bright, a hard worker, and did a great job of reorganizing and updating a large set of electrical digrams while he was here. But after I sent the letter, his parents forwarded a copy of the essay he wrote as part of the scholarship application. It was, to say the least, not written on a college level. The mispelling was overshadowed by the disorganized paragraphs, the poor grammar, and the incomplete thoughts. It was junior high school quality at best. The kid was in the upper ranks at his ostensibly top rated sububurban public high school.
On a positive note, he didn't say anything in his essay about wanting to join al Quaida or blow anything up. Unfortunately, that will probably cost him points with the scholarship board.