<p>If the instructions for a supplement is approximately 250 words, would 450 be too obnoxious? What do you guys think the most I could get away with is lol. If I can't get it down, would 450 be the end of the world? Thanks</p>
<p>I would say approximately would be anywhere from 251-275 maybe 300. 450 is way too many for that limit and while I don’t think anything would be the end of the world for your application besides leaving an essay completely blank or something, it probably would be annoying to the person reading it and probably hurt more than help. That’s just my opinion though.</p>
<p>Way too long…will hurt yourself and make them feel you are using a previously written essay</p>
<p>On the common app, for some colleges, if the suggested amount is 250, then it won’t allow more than 275 words in the text box.</p>
<p>What do we think about 347 (if common app. permits)?? Got it down to that and think I might go with it.
(One of my siblings wrote a 307 one and was accepted if that means anything to anyone lol).</p>
<p>I think 347 words is still *way *more than 275 words, which is already more than they asked for.</p>
<p>I have finished several apps and looked at others, and nowhere do i see “approximatelyXXX words”. They all give a hard limit on number of words. Does it say that on the Common App prompt or on the school’s website? Stanford, for instance, was vague with number of words in previous years, but the app is now a hard cutoff at 250. It’s website was recently changed to note that.</p>
<p>Hmm interesting @student1337. I’m going by the e-mail that the college sent me with the prompts, in which it does flat out say “approximately 250 words.” Perhaps that will change once they show up on the common app. Currently down to 315 lol</p>
<p>Generally, admissions officers will not just stop reading at 250 words. But if you have something more to say, it had better be worth it. In other words, it had better be a very interesting essay that, even though it is long, will not feel long to the admissions officer as he/she is reading it. That said, I believe my own essay a couple years ago was a couple hundred words over the limit, but that was the main essay for the Common App.</p>
<p>bhchamp–I did notice that Northwestern’s prompt came up yesterday and, although it gives a word limit, it does allow you to upload up to a 500kb pdf document. So, there might be exceptions out there! That was the first one I saw with a “upload document” button.</p>
<p>How do you think all these readers feel when everyone decides to be the exception to the rule and go over the word or character limit? It’s quite simple. Don’t do it. Don’t delude yourself that your writing is soooo much better than everyone else’s that you simply can’t contain your greatness in 250 words or less.</p>
what about 126 when they ask for approx. 100?
^No, but ask your school.