<p>a common essay prompt asking students to write about the reason why they decide major in certain subject and usually states approximately 250 words. However, 250 words i feel was far to few and my first draft went straight towards 450+ words...</p>
<p>Does it matter if i submit such a loooooong essay? </p>
<p>anyone have any good ideas or advice about this topic? i don't want it to be too trite so could you please offer some suggestions?</p>
<p>P.S. who can help me read my essay about this topic?...inform me</p>
<p>Approximately 250 words means exactly that. Unless every word contributes to the utterly amazing entirety of your essay, trim it down. Colleges want you to get to the point, learn to adapt. ;)</p>
<p>That’s actually not entirely true…
250 words is WAY too short to effectively portray yourself, unless you are an amazing, Shakespearean writer. My essay is 950 words, and every adult who has seen it (2 of which were former Princeton adcoms) have said it’s amazing and does not need to be trimmed. </p>
<p>What I’m getting at is that if your essay is 450 words, but has 200 words of “fluff”, then trim it down FOR SURE. But if it’s 800 words, and every word contributes to the impact of your essay, then you’re fine. Colleges don’t care about length, they care about quality.</p>
<p>"Colleges don’t care about length, they care about quality. "</p>
<p>Yeah right.</p>
<p>Some admissions officers view the “going over the limit” as failure to follow directions. No one who asks for a 250 word essay expects something that amazing. They are looking a great 250 word essay. Plus, they are reading 100s or 1000s of essays. Annoying them is not good. Do whatever you want but I guarantee you, admissions officers warn against going too far over the limit. Ten percent overage is fine. 50% is trouble or 400% is dooming.</p>
<p>If you submitted to me a 4-5 page resume for some entry level job that I was looking to fill, I don’t think I’d even read it. I’d think: “This person thinks way too highly of himself and can’t follow directions”</p>
<p>I usually write without restraint, then go back and take out everything I absolutely don’t need. In the end, my 250 word essay is a lot better than my 310 word essay. All you need to do is find a way to say what you did in a shorter, more striking manner. (And sometimes…that’s hard. haha. But just keep editing, cutting out, and rewriting until it just feels right!)</p>
<p>Wait guys before jumping the gun, I believe that golfer111 is taking about the normal Common App. prompts which say that there is a MINIMUM of 250 words. I am not aware of the prompt that wants around 250 words so don’t quote me on that. However, I do believe that you guys, golfer and t26e4, are talking about two different prompts. If not, don’t mind this message :), Galib2011.</p>
<p>golfer111, i think your comment is comical. a statement as long as 950 words needs to be trimmed down. anyone saying it doesn’t, is wrong and does not know what he or she is talking about, or in your case wants to spare your feelings. by all means, look for some better critique/feedback.</p>
<p>and not caring about length is not true. when an admissions officer reads 40-50 essays a day and hopes for the next one to be easily read and well-written, and then sees that the next one in the pile is a 950-word long monster, the immediate reaction is probably a long sigh.</p>