Common App essay words limitation

College Essays
1

<p>Hi. Common app specifically states that essay should be in between 250-500 words, but my essay is 690 words :P
Is this okay?</p>

2

<p>this may just be me... but i had a lot of my teachers who used to work on admissions for schools say that if it says 500 or less than the max should be 550. i also heard this from a admissions person at UVA.....so i mean, i don't think they will shun you for it, but i would definately try to cut some.</p>

3

<p>I'm in the same boat. I have 573. I don't know how much we can go over...and I still wish I had more words haha.</p>

4

<p>well, me too, same boat.
i think it's best to ask the college</p>

5

<p>mine was 860 words long :( crap!</p>

6

<p>Mine was 800+ and I was good for my colleges. I would not worry about it.</p>

7

<p>good for which colleges?</p>

8

<p>A couple of Ivies (Dartmouth and Yale) but mostly top tier LACs (Grinnell, Reed, Union, Oberlin, Carleton, and a few others) and two state schools with their own applications (UWisconsin and UWashington, which had limits I did not go over).</p>

9

<p>wow, u must had great essays then.
hmm. i'm thinking about going over the limit too. but i'm not sure if my essay is good enough.
thanks isleboy</p>

10

<p>Just make sure the extra length is necessary to the essay. That without the additional stuff, the essay would lose something.</p>

11

<p>a recent thread on this topic:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=270527%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=270527&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>here's what the FAQ page of the Common App has to say:</p>

<p>"The 250-500 word limit is a guideline, and colleges do not count words. They do not mind if it is slightly longer/shorter, and value quality over quantity.....College admissions officers are far more concerned that the essay is well written, proofread (not just spell-checked), well thought-out, etc. Do not get caught up in the “micro” (words, spacing, font size, color of ink). They are looking for the “macro”: does the student write well and what can they learn about this person from his/her essay? "</p>

12

<p>its fine as long as your essay doesn't become too long. </p>

<p>I guess colleges want to see students who can convey the same message/story in a concise manner. </p>

<p>When I was writing my essays, I was recommended to take into consideration how many essays adcoms actually have to view. </p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>