<p>Is it a must to adhere to the 500 word limit? I'm finding it hard to stick to it. They won't really mind something longer (2 pages max) will they?</p>
<p>I think it's polite to stay reasonably close to the 500 word limit, but you don't have to be a slave to it. If I recall, my daughter's main essay ended up being 650 words or so. She did format it so that it fit on one page.</p>
<p>My mom asked Swarthmore's admissions people when ew visited, and they told her that they wouldn't be counting words.
I would just suggest you keep it to one apge. My personal statement essay was around 630 words.</p>
<p>Anything that fits on one page in reasonable size font (at least 10) is fine if it is well written.</p>