<p>The length is specified as 250-500 words, but mine is about 750... I can probably bring it down to 650 or so, maybe 600 at most, do you guys think that's fine?</p>
<p>Well, it also says 1-2 pages, so if you can fit it into 2 pages I’m sure it’s fine.</p>
<p>This question has been asked and answered, many times. My position, which will elicit contrary responses (like clockwork), is that the very folks who read your application are the folks who, over the course of many years, have attempted to craft the perfect college application. That application sets forth clearly that the essays should be 250-500 words. The “1-2 pages” reference is a parenthetical, seeking to provide some guidance, in lay terms, as to the page coverage of 250-500 words (double spaced, using standard sized fonts and margins). Feel free to ignore the explicit instructions; you may get accepted despite your conscious disregard of the very clear words promulgated by those who make the admissions decisions. If you are a non-traditional student (e.g., home-schooled, learning-disabled, homeless, etc.), I believe you should feel free to disregard this instruction; otherwise, do so at your own peril. I may be a bit jaded as an old guy who gets frustrated when others in my workplace ignore my instructions, but you don’t want to wonder after the fact whether you might have been accepted if only you had followed the instructions on the application.</p>
<p>i concur with pbr. my strong opinion is that it should be easy to read, anything over 2 pages is not easy to get through, the mind tires. so regardless of content, you can always trim, and trim in a way that makes the essence of your story appear strong, and that it impresses the reader. </p>
<p>i actually prefer the 1 pager (single spaced) as it allows the reader to scan the whole document on one page and not two.</p>
<p>Agreed. Either 1.5 or single-space it, it makes it seem a little shorter. Your goal is to create a captivating essay. It is daunting to a tired admissions officer to see a 3-page 900 word essay. That said, I have seen plenty of students with 800+ word essays get accepted. Mine personally was 460 words. It started at 700 but I chose to follow directions. It is up to your discretion. My humble advice is to not exceed 650 words.</p>
<p>Mine was 607 and fit on one page (with 0.5" margins) and I was accepted. The key is not to make it seem long and boring. If you write a great essay and it still fits on a page or page-and-a-half, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. They’re not actually going to count the words, since they receive the essay as a PDF attachment (which is usually printed out), not as a Word document.</p>
<p>pwoods and NWdivisionCHAMPS, I’m pleased you both were admitted, but I think it’s dangerous to advise others to ignore the rules on the basis that “I ignored the rules, but got in anyway.” For all we know, you were admitted DESPITE your unwillingness to follow the rules. (Stated differently, perhaps the rest of your application overcame the shortfall of your essay.) If Columbia wanted the essay limit to be 607 words, or 650 words, don’t you think it would say so? I appreciate that the PDF format allows one to hide the “bending of the rules,” but why do it?</p>
<p>I actually chose to follow the rules-- if you read my post again, I stated my essay was 460 words long. I simply saw others who had 600 word+ essays get in! Of course, I advise to follow the blatant rules Columbia gives you, and to simply make those <500 words unbelievably awesome, but that is just my opinion.</p>
<p>^I apologize for lumping your action with your advice. I suspect that your ability to express your message in 460 words, rather than 650, helped your application. In any event, if you love Columbia half as much as my son does, you will have made the right choice!</p>
<p>Anyone else want to chime in on how long their essay is? </p>
<p>Mine’s floating around 650 but easily fits in one page and flows nicely.</p>
<p>pbr, are you making your advice on past experience as an admissions officer or what? You have a lot of strong comments that I’ve seen in this post and others, and I don’t think you should be giving advice if your only a parent of a Columbia student. That it itself is not basis enough for a strong opinion.</p>
<p>jsweden - are you an applicant? well there are dozens of settings in which lay people can offer advice on this matter. particularly the fact that the art of writing for a judgmental audience is not the only domain of admissions. it is the same for cover letters, for essay award submissions, grant proposals, job memos, in fact the ‘art’ of writing a short succinct and illustrative essay is something that appears to be a needless task when you are doing it for college, but it will stay with you for many years. (when someone says send me your thoughts on this subject in one page and you send two, let me know if you get hired.)</p>
<p>i believe pbr has made it clear that he/she is well aware of the admissions process, knows of the process, and with great experience him/herself on matters has made a firm recommendation. in other posts pbr has fully explicated the reasoning why, it was a bit curt here, but that is far more the fault of the OP for asking a question that has been beaten to death.</p>
<p>i too offer my own firm recommendation both as a successful applicant, but far more, now, as someone who has read grant applications and as part of a scholarship review committee and a few dozen other experiences on top of speaking with adcoms on this subject. does that mean i know 100% what people might be thinking, no, but i know what i know, and can make an educated guess on the rest.</p>
<p>only 44 men have been president of the US, but it doesn’t prevent the rest of us from having strong opinions on the matter.</p>
<p>jsweden, I offer my advice with affection for those going through this process, as I’ve gone through it vicariously with my two college sons. My comments may seem strong or curt, in large part because as a 53 year-old management professional, “short and direct” is the way I communicate in writing. I try to offer advice only where I think my many years can help, and studiously avoid topics where I can’t help (e.g., “Chances” threads). I can assure you that learning how to follow instructions is a simple skill that seems to be missing among many applicants on this forum, and I may be a bit abrupt in addressing issues relating to ignoring clear instructions on the application. In the workplace, blatant disregard of clear instructions is a major career-limiting move. I want all y’all to learn that lesson sooner rather than later.</p>
<p>admissionsgeek & pbr, Clearly I understand that people can give advice on a topic without actually being complete experts on said topic, and obviously not everyone on here advising is an adcom (just as not all of us are presidents but still have opinions on the presidency). But I do see too many people on here giving advice that has absolutely no basis, possibly meaning that they are giving false advice to applicants on important college matters, which could affect their chances. Knowing of the process from the end of “my son applied to college” does not, in my opinion, qualify as “extensive experience”. That would make every applicant an expert in applications, and they obviously are not. I do agree that too many people seem to ignore instructions, but isn’t that exactly what CC if for? To help others understand instructions and the extent to which they actually matter. Sometimes instructions are unclear, or are written in a way that can make an applicant wonder if they can be bent a little, and this is exactly the purpose of a forum. So before being so hard on the posters, ask yourself why you’re even in the forum to begin with.</p>
<p>Not to hijack but…
How’d you guys write your two summers bit? Straightforward or arty</p>
<p>straightforward, only 300 characters, totally summarized</p>
<p>hey jsweden, i get your earlier post. i just hope you know that i do know where i am coming from, and do know why i am on this forum (not to take up space, but because i want to add something here). </p>
<p>and the problem with students believing they can bend the rules is precisely because for 90-95% of students out there bending the rules is a bad idea (they don’t have the skill to make a 1000 word essay seem compelling) and frankly their best chance is to write something within the boundaries. sure we can give anecdotes of the guy who got in writing longer, but i would gather and experience affirms that those that follow instructions or more closely appear to follow instructions fair better than others. and that is something i learned the hard way being denied for going over, and have continued now that i am on the other side reading proposals. </p>
<p>so whereas the advise that we should be wary of our statements is of course important for all to read - in this case, i am quite comfortable and indeed i believe in the right in suggesting that students ‘consider their reader and reader’s attention’ when writing their essays. some may not follow the advice, but that’s why it is advice and not compulsion.</p>
<p>@jsweden
admissionsgeek is a Columbia alumnus who has worked in admissions and pbr went through the college admissions process twice. I think they’re at least as qualified to offer advice as an applicant who may or may not know what they’re doing. That’s why it’s a good thing this forum is not limited exclusively to current applicants.</p>
<p>does no one find it somewhat funny that the two succint lovers have the longest posts? </p>
<p>My essay was around 650 words and it fit on two pages, double-spaced, without any manipulation of margins. I also was deferred so I don’t know if anyone should follow my example. I really don’t believe that is the reason I was deferred and not accepted; I am sure there is something else because that is too minute to be a deciding factor in their admissions decision. I think that if they really, truly wanted it to be at most 500 words they should not have included the 1-2 pages part because it is misleading. I was assumed that the 250-500 words was their preferred length but that two pages was their limit.</p>
<p>^That was my impression as well; my essay was around 650 as well (I already submitted it :() and since it fit on 2 pages without any margin changes, size 12 times new roman double spaced, I assumed that it was alright…</p>