<p>How Important is the Word Count? It says 250-500 words, but is that single or double spaced? 2 pages single-spaced is roughly 1000 words. 2 pages double-spaced is roughly 600 words. I don't see how I can write 2 pages without it being well over the limit? Also, does a word count need to be included? Finally, if I were to write say, 600-700 words, would that hurt my application a lot? I have yet to write my essay, but I'm worried about this happening..</p>
<p>is this the app for admission your speaking of?</p>
<p>Yes. Sorry, I should have specified lol.</p>
<p>How about this…Try writing your essay without thinking of the word count…Then check if you went over or under then revise depending on what you ended up with…
Hope the helped =)</p>
<p>The essay should be 1 page, single-spaced.</p>
<p>Yes dreamsofivy, I was thinking the same thing! I just finished the rough draft, and I wanted to write more, but with what I have its already almost 700 words! And I have room for one more paragraph on the second page. Writing just one page about any thing special in your life is definitely torture! Columbia mentioned that it should be 1-2 pages, so that’s what I’m going with, because that word count is ridiculous.</p>
<p>if your essay is REALLY good and REALLY reflective…shouldnt the adcom be happy to read it???</p>
<p>i’m in the process of writing mine…it’s currently 500 words and i’ve got about three or four more paragraphs to go.</p>
<p>hmm i feel like i’m covering too much material.</p>
<p>^yeah you are.</p>
<p>First of all, how are you so sure that your essay is REALLY good. By that token, a lot of people’s are. You are not the only one who put a lot of thought into your essays. I’d say that the majority of essays are well thought-out, well-composed; and only a very few stand on top and grab attention. And second of all, a long piece of writing, no matter how “good” (however you want to define that word), is more likely to lose the reader’s attention. A shorter work, if it achieves the same purpose and narrates the same amount of substance, is always preferable to the longer version. consider reading Strunk & White.</p>
<p>I may be misunderstanding your original question, but if your essay is 500 words, it doesn’t matter if it’s single or double-spaced. I’m not sure how this is an issue. Having read so many 500-word essays, adcoms are probably pretty good at spotting too short/too long essays. And it doesn’t matter if you submit it single or double-spaced. I submitted mine double-spaced because I was so used to writing double-spaced papers. It didn’t even strike me to give it a title until I’d already submitted the application.</p>
<p>It’s hard to edit your essays when it seems like everything is important, but it’s definitely possible. Consider taking a few days’ break away from your essay and then going back to it. You’ll probably be able to spot a lot of places that could use some revision.</p>
<p>If you submit your essay via the online Common App, how does line spacing apply?</p>
<p>For the last time, COLUMBIA DOES NOT USE THE COMMON APPLICATION.</p>
<p>thanks, i have read the elements of style.</p>
<p>it’s not that im repetitive or redundant in my writing…just that im covering too much.</p>
<p>i’ll probably rewrite it.</p>
<p>Well, wg90210, you’ll find that content is very important to a good piece of writing. Something that covers too much material, something that’s diffuse will appear unfocussed to the expert reader (adcom). Good literature is condensed; that’s what makes it powerful and persuasive. But I agree (and I’ve had similar problems): it’s impossible to make a novel into a short story. So selective the appropriate story to tell is crucial.</p>
<p>what are you even writing about that takes so much words? lol don’t get toooo wordy</p>
<p>it will be around a page and a paragraph single spaced.</p>
<p>i’m writing about my life.</p>
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<p>That’s not too bad. Shrink the margins and pronto!</p>
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<p>Oh, that’s why ;)</p>
<p>ah the margin trick…</p>
<p>I spoke to the Assistant director of Undergrad addmissions (funny guy lol) and he said that going over a couple of words would’nt hurt you, but when I told him that I was off 200 words, he gave me this strange face and was like “we read over 25,000 applications, so it would be helpful for you too stick to the word count” and said that they don’t penalize you for going over, just not too over where you are already on the third page. </p>
<p>So, 1.5-2 pgs is a safe bet, regardless of word count</p>