<p>Hi,
I'm a Columbia RD applicant and I just wanted to ask you guys some questions..
I notice that the application process is very different from Common App... I have a feeling that they like everything very short!
So I was wondering whether I am allowed to attach a separate sheet for 'Please tell us what you find most appealing about Columbia and why' and 'Limiting yourself to only 3-5 you deem most meaningful, list and succinctly describe the honors and prizes you have been awarded in the last three years' because I don't think I have enough space.</p>
<p>the 600 character limit for the “why columbia” question is a challenge for you to be creative, impressive, and concise all at once. you can say a lot with a little, just remember to have good reasons. 600 characters is enough. and the answer to your question is NO, they would not appreciate giving yourself an unfair advantage by adding a whole new paper/document. i mean, it’s okay if you go 100 words over the limit for your essay, but the “why columbia” directions are pretty clear.</p>
<p>as for the awards, you don’t really have to describe them if they are self-explanatory. i found more than enough space to list 3 and describe the last 2 in a few words. work around it, there’s no other way.</p>
<p>Wow thx for the quick reply u guys are AWESOME
I just have another quick Q, does the word count for the personal essay have to be within the range of 250-500? It says ‘or 1-2 pages’ in brackets so I was wondering whether I am allowed to write more than 500? Ugh I am having some issues cutting it down down to 500…</p>
<p>columni: Yea I’ll only be entering in Fall 2011. Gotta fulfill my country’s military service obligations (sucks, I know). But I can’t wait to start!!! Oh to change your location, just go to ‘My Control Panel’ and edit your details (the arrow and all are self-added). =)</p>
<p>I don’t think they’ll mind if it’s a couple of words over. I was admitted with a 750-word essay though. However, general consensus on this board is that you should stick to the 500-word guideline.</p>
<p>My friend told me that at a Columbia infosession he heard they “didn’t want a word over 500 words”. After speaking to students, though, I learned most were around 600. My first draft was 900 (!) but I was able to whittle it down to 607. I also shortened the margins to 0.5 in so it would all fit on one page.</p>
<p>As for the supplementary questions, I’m convinced (like columni) that the character limits are intended to force you to be concise and creative. It took some tweaks, but I think I was able to get a great 299-character “most meaningful EC’s” and 596-character “Why Columbia?” Another piece of advice: be as specific as possible for “Why Columbia?” I think that’s a big part of why I was accepted.</p>
<p>I have about 750… maybe it’s too long? I am trying to shorten it… I wish they would allow us to write two essays like other colleges (common app essay + supplementary essay)!</p>
<p>I really wish the word limit was simply ‘no more than a page’ like some schools have. It makes things so much easier. My essay is about 700 words and there is no way to trim it down without making it worse, so I’m just sticking with my 700-word-page-long essay and hope that it doesn’t annoy them too much haha</p>