<p>How strict are adcoms gonna b about the length of the essay. It says 250 - 500 words. My essay is about 535 right now. Is this going to be a big deal or should I try to shorten it?</p>
<p>No, it's fine. 50 extra words don't make a big difference, but 100 may do.</p>
<p>that's fine. I think it's best not to go over 600. BUT, there are many anecdotes floating around from people who say they have written 6xx or even 7xx worders who have been accepted to top schools. Obviously if you do something like this, those extra 100-200 words better be worth it for the adcom to read.</p>