<p>So my dream college doesn't use Common App, so when I wrote my essay, I had wrote it with their word limit in mind, which is 650. I know I went over, but I've heard you have about a 50-100 word leniency on essays like that.</p>
<p>Now it just so happens that the prompt I wrote for is used exactly, almost verbatim on Common App, which I want to use to apply to a few more schools (in case I don't get in). I've spent weeks on this essay, trimming it down from almost 900 words. I can't shorten it anymore without sacrificing the flow/message of it, my AP Lit teacher agrees.</p>
<p>But will colleges that use Common App even look at my essay if it's that long?</p>
<p>The Common App may or may not have room for that much writing. My personal essay was just over 600 words, but it didn’t even fill up one page. (Since it was a narrative, I suspect my high word count was due to using the word “I” a lot.) You can upload your essay to your application and preview it without submitting if you’re worried about it getting cut off.</p>
<p>As far as colleges reading it though … 750 words is very long, and I wouldn’t risk it. I had similar problems shaving down my essay, and I still didn’t make it to 500. Perhaps, if it’s a story, you can start narrating at a later point in time? Readers often need less backstory than you think.</p>
<p>750 words is fine as long as it reads well. The admissions officers do not see the word count so it depends if your 750 words feels like 500 or 1000. If it’s a good essay, don’t worry about it at all.</p>