<p>How long is too long?
Mine's about 850, and I fear shortening it would cut crucial elements. Any insight?</p>
<p>Many colleges who don’t use the common app have a maximum length of about 500-600 words. So, yours is probably a bit long as far as admissions essays go, but it most certainly won’t be the longest they read. If you will seriously undermine the quality of the essay by cutting it, then send it as is. Someone once told me a good essay is like a girls skirt: short enough to keep things interesting but long enough to cover the important bits.</p>