<p>Hi guys,
Do you think 1,293 words for the common app., personal statement is ok? </p>
<p>My essay has very vivid descriptions and tells an interesting story about my life in India and life in u.s and how I became an "ambassador" of th world. It is a three part essay. The more I try to edit it, the more I keep adding. What should I do? </p>
<p>I have given my essay to many teachers and friends, of what I heard they say that they essay was unpredictable and kept them hooked. So if I can tell a good story do think its ok to send a long one?</p>
<p>they simply will not read it. mine was 750 words and i was worried about it being too long. just cut out stuff, a myriad vivid descriptions aren’t necessary, especially if you are just trying to use esoteric words</p>
<p>Nope. Ad coms have too many to read. Surely you can tell a part of the story and keep it to 700 words or so. As I heard a college rep from Princeton said, “it is an an exercise in concision.”</p>
<p>That’s probably too much. No matter how interesting it is, I’m sure there are still a few details you can cut out. Remember, adcoms read a LOT of essays. You don’t want to be the one to tire them out even more quickly.</p>
<p>I’ll be optimistic and say if it’s intriguing, thought-provoking, and reads well, you’re okay. Mine is a little longer and no one has told me it’s too painful for its length.</p>
<p>One point of the essay is to see how you focus and the expectation is you can self-edit. 1000 is too long. You are not writing a short story. Readers are not interested in every single detail. Perhaps the topic is too all-encompassing and needs to be narrowed down.
Jmbates: no matter what they say, the expectation is you will know how to write a concise essay. Adcoms tend to answer many questions in an “its up to you” manner- that’s part of the “test.”</p>
<p>I think it’s too long. Mine’s 948 and I’m a little worried, but everyone who’s read it so far (including an ex-Princeton adcom) said it was great and read fast. </p>
<p>Pretty much, as long as your essay is captivating and READS FAST (try breaking your essay up into as many paragraphs as possible, I did that to mine (12) and it reads MUCH faster) then you’re set. But if it’s 4-5 paragraphs, it can get hard on the eyes, which the adcoms will not like.</p>
<p>Yeah, I pretty much agree that it’s WAY too long. 500-700 words should be sufficient. Unless you have a very captivating story, I doubt that admissions officers will even bother to read the whole thing.</p>
<p>1300 well written works are going to an easier read than 500 badly written words. Your essay should be well written and flow well. I think it would be better to get it below 1000 words.</p>
<p>Last year my daughter, in a class assignment, wrote as essay that was quite a bit longer than it should have been. The teacher commented on the length, and added that it was so interesting and well written than it seemed a lot shorter.</p>