How To Write Essays: Direct or Creative?

Hello everyone,

As I prepare for applications, was just wondering what the consensus is when it comes to writing essays, should they be more direct or should they be more creative? Here's my understanding of the difference:

Direct
- To the point
- Everything has a topic sentence
- No gimmicks like sudden openings, quotes, jokes, etc.

Reasoning:
- Essay readers just want to get it over with and are skimming for the key points

Example (Wharton's Create A Course Prompt):
I believe a class on government investors where students analyze successful strategies for interacting with the public sector would add tremendous value.

Creative
- More like telling a story
- More unstructured
- More "gimmicky" writing devices

Reasoning:
- You want to draw your essay reader in otherwise they'll just get bored

Example (Wharton's Create A Course Prompt From Admissionado):
A CEO usually pays very little attention when a government tells him that his corporate strategy conflicts with the government’s objectives. But what if the government owns part of his company? A typical MBA graduate dreams of becoming a CEO. When he finally slides into the big chair, his first move might be to cut costs by firing local employees and moving jobs to Vietnam. He presents this strategy which makes perfect business sense for a traditional shareholder, expecting praise for his initiative.

(The course isn't even mentioned until 3/4 of the way down the essay)

I've talked to a few different admissions consultants too and I feel like a lot of them think Direct is better while I don't think I've met a bigger proponent of Creative than Admissionado.