<p>I've already written a few essays which I think would be pretty good. Problem is, I think I wrote too much - one's 900 words, and the other is 960. There's nothing I want to cut, but it still seems too long.</p>
<p>As mentioned in the Thread Title, this is for the CommonApp "Writing Samples" section, which has a minimum of 250 words, but no maximum.</p>
<p>I'd also like to address another of my concerns. My essays are sort of personal - one's a comparison of a community I used to live in and my current community. Another is a story of my first years with my little brother. I don't really brag about myself, or talk about my accomplishments. I just sort of tell a story - is that okay? I don't want to shamelessly tie-in, "This right he-ya demonstrates my dependability, so vote for me." Do essays have to be about your qualities as an applicant? Or what? I dunno if I even made my point.</p>
<p>This about YOU. You want to reveal things about YOU that aren't revealed elsewhere in the application. Make sure the comparison of the two communities would tell enough about you yourself; the "first years with my little brother" sounds much better in that respect.</p>
<p>I could just use some guidance on the length now. It's three pages double-spaced, and I know that's gotta be way too long. Is two reasonable? Hell...I dunno even know what I wanna cut.</p>
<p>I was worried about the same thing. Mine's 1050 words...but as I see it, they only give you a minimum...no maximum. So it's not like we're breaking any rules.</p>
<p>I wouldn't stress. If you can't cut anything, don't worry about it. I was going to cut mine until I realized I needed everything I already had for the full effect.</p>