<p>Tip - shorten long pharses ... no need for extra poetics
"It was my ninth year at high school" --> "In the ninth grade"</p>
<p>i had about 700 and it went well</p>
<p>It was Blaise Pascal in 1656 who apologized for writing a long, prolix letter because he, claimed, he didn't have time to write a short one. </p>
<p>Writing a shorter essay is more difficult, and time consuming. But it shows your ability to think as well as write clearly, precisely and of course your ability to follow directions. </p>
<p>If you use your word processor's word count feature and edit, cut and refine you will certainly show yourself in a better light</p>
<p>Does anyone know where the common app cuts you off?</p>
<p>Mine's about 660 words. I could cut it down to 600, but any more than that and it feels like I'm cutting quality substance, not fluff.</p>
<p>As I said, as of winter 2004, the common app online cuts you off at exactly 500 words. This may be different now... anyone have a more recent experience?</p>
<p>Be concise. Don't just go around scratching sentences out of your essay, because it'll end up being a choppy, incoherent mess. I would suggest printing it out, reading it to get a feel for what you're trying to get out of the essay, making a few notes, and rewriting the whole thing in a fresh document. </p>
<p>Obviously, they won't sit down and count the number of words. But IMO, there's no reason to go above the upper limit. You can probably say it better in fewer words.</p>
<p>If you need a general guideline, then try to hit +- 50 words.</p>
<p>Those of you who have had personal positive experiences of successful longer essays have made good points, but I agree with those who are urging you to edit, cut and refine. Even if you can't get it down to 500 words, you would be surprised how much padding can be excised without affecting the content or even the style of your writing. It requires discipline, but learning to write effectively and persuasively within severe space/word restrictions is a hugely useful skill. I write a lot of grant proposals, mostly online applications, for tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, and most questions allow responses that count CHARACTERS AND SPACES! not just words. And most of those responses will end up being less than 500 words.</p>
<p>It's worth it to get to be best friends with your word processor's word count function.</p>
<p>I think Chevda nailed it..</p>
<p>Be brief. Have someone else read it and ask them if they think any aspect is too long-winded, because they'll probably be able to give you the most honest answer. (let's be honest, at least, when I write something I am usually too blinded to think any of it is so poor as to be omitted).</p>
<p>It shouldnt take a lot of space to write a creative yet pretty brief essay. That is what impresses them the most; the ability to articulate ideas clearly and effectively without reduncy and extra junk. Think of it this way, they are more likely to accept you if you write your essay nicely and creatively without wasting their time. A long descriptive essay is worse than a shorrt striking and charming essay on the same topic. "depth, not breadth" Try pouring your heart out in the least amout of words possible, that'll create a distict essay that will never be forgotten.</p>
<p>its all about how long it looks, and colleges will be able to tell the difference</p>
<p>Going a little over the limit is fine as long as it's tight and you have something to say. But don't waste the reader's time -- that can have dire consequences.</p>
<p>As long as you are "around" the max, you should be fine. "Around" is arbitrary, I know, but use common sense. For the common app. last year, I wrote 502 words for a 500 word essay, and hey, I got into Wesleyan. A couple words, even tens or words over is alright, but the more succinct you can be, the better.</p>
<p>According to the Common Application on-line, you won't be able to type in the box past 6,000 characters, which is a plenty of space past the 500 words limit. If you try to paste it all in and your essay is more than 6,000 characters (which is A LOT for a college application essay), you won't be able to paste it in. However, if this happens, you really need to trim your essay down considerably, because that would be 1,000+ words.</p>
<p>If your essay is good, a hundred word over the suggested limit shouldn't hurt. However, I remember reading somewhere that a long <em>bad</em> essay is much worse than a short bad essay. So, you know, write a short essay just in case, since nobody but the admission officer reading your essay will be able to tell for sure if it's a good or bad essay. =)</p>
<p>hen I applied last year, I suggested a length of 400-500 words. I thought that I could not express my argument in such few words and basically ignored the limit. I ended up with 2 pages (~1000 words). I reduced about 10% of the essay in the end but any more than that would diminish the paper's quality. Just make sure that it is not a vapid essay that the adcoms will have a difficult time reading. IN that case you might choose to go with a terse composition.</p>
<p>You might want to anonymously ask an admissions officer at the exact college your are applying.</p>
<p>Think about it this way: Do you really want to risk possibly getting penalized and hurting your chances for something as dumb as exceeding a word limit? I'd say stay on the safe side and try to cut it down as much as possible.</p>
<p>And if you're really worried, just contact the admissions office.</p>
<p>Since we are on the topic, this application that I am completing states that the essay should be about a page long and single-spaced. Could anyone tell me what font size is most adequate in this case?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Mark19, I just wrote an essay that was about 650 words, single spaced, size 12 font and it was almost exactly a page long.</p>
<p>i was reading on a college admission essay prep book that admissions officers actually count the words. They really want to know that you follow instructions well. A shorter essay shows them your ability to write well without using so much words. It also shows them well critical thinking.</p>