... Berk by extending my original essay with more specific "why Berk ... 'm just gonna keep my essay at two pages and then ... write a "why Berkeley" essay as well.
All good info here! In general, if you're above both 75ths, it's yours to lose. You don't need amazing softs or a killer essay, though you can definitely eliminate yourself with a terrible essay.
It's definitely better to write an excellent, tight, two-page essay than to write a loose, fluffy four-pager. If they had a minimum, they would say so.