You want both. I have mentioned many different elements that belong in outstanding essay, but of course you can include them all and have a nonsensical hodge-podge. You need to have a point that you are trying to communicate with the specifics and insights that you bring to bear on the application. They reveal the writers' interest in their fields, explore how that interest developed, discuss their goals, and introduce a unique human being. Though covering a lot of ground each one is tied together by a theme, and that theme is critical to the essay's success.
Transitions are also key to moving successfully from topic to topic.
Make sure you take your reader with you in your writing. This concludes the presentation part of the chat. But for us here and now, I would like to open the chat to your questions. You haven't read some of the ones I have read. Sure, go ahead.