So the Yale Application just officially opened up on Common App, and I had a few questions. First, are the word limits strict? I have ~105 in my Why Yale essay, and I was just wondering if this affects anything. Also, it seems like the boxes for short takes are limited by characters, which is strange considering Yale’s limit for them is 35 words. Does anyone have any solution to this, as I can’t fit my 35-word responses in the space provided. Lastly, I cannot seem to find the place to write the Optional Engineering Supplement. Is this done on Common App or on SlideRoom? Thanks in advance!
Yes, word limits are strict. If you copy and paste from a word doc into the Common App text boxes, the program will only accept the correct number of words or characters. In other words, your essay will be cut-off before the end. Try it and see for yourself. There is no work-around. Yale wants brief comments … and I’m sure you can edit it down.
@gibby Is that for all boxes? Specifically my Why Yale essay I was able to copy and paste 105 words, so it appears like that does not have a limit. In addition, I still find strange that the boxes for the short takes, which Yale limits by word, are limited by characters.
Yours is not to question why . . . Did you copy and paste the short answers in their text boxes? Did they fit? Your answers need only be a sentence long. For example, here are two of my son’s short takes from 5 years ago
FWIW: Before submitting your application, you should create a pdf preview to make sure your answers did not get cut off.
I just answered this question in another post. It specifically speaks to the short answer questions.