Yup. It was a couple years ago, but I actually put a good deal of thought into it (probably had 20 drafts).

Despite the edits, it was not at all contrived. Nothing was made up, and it was based on an actual 270-mile hike I did.

Ended up doing pretty well for me too (lots of Ivy acceptances).

Total cost of my actual application process: $50 (for some registration fee).

Not really. Or, maybe not at all. But I am 49 and also had a medical crisis that involved taking a whole bunch of meds. So my memory is not what it used to be.

Yup. Wrote about a state-wide competition I participated in and how I approached it. Helps that I did well in it.

I do, because I have managed to not do one single thing that I wrote. Some I knew were half-truths when I wrote them, some I had to give up because my interests changed between applying and starting MS (which is an almost one-year gap, in the final year of your undergrad), and I changed specializations.