<p>so i just finished the first draft of my common app essay, but its like 5 pages long... is that too long? I really have no idea. So much for first generation being helpful in admissions. Help anyone?</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s definitely too long…what spacing are you using? My essay for U of M is 1.5 spaced, and a page and a half, and its 500 words, which is what they want. I’m guessing the common app wants something around the same length, so you have a lot to cut out. </p>
<p>Honestly, I’m a terrible writer, but I could never imagine writing something so long lol.</p>
<p>common app has no max, but my guidance counselor told me to keep it under 2 pages</p>
<p>Aim for 500-700 words.</p>
<p>Yeah, I would suggest 1.5 spacing, 1.5-2 pages.</p>
<p>I think 500 words is sufficient.</p>
<p>Mine’s ending up around 1000 words… it all depends on the point you’re trying to make… and your own writing style</p>
<p>I could have used 1,000 words, but I chose not to. They generally ask for 500, and 500 is what I’m giving. Frankly, it’s harder to write a shorter essay than a longer one. </p>
<p>“Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very”; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. … To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement. To condense the diffused light of a page of thought into the luminous flash of a single sentence, is worthy to rank as a prize composition just by itself…Anybody can have ideas–the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph… I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English - it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don’t let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don’t mean utterly, but kill most of them - then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice. … I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”</p>
<ul>
<li>Mark Twain</li>
</ul>
<p>it sounds long, but the question is: does it read long? if you wrote something that’s a page-turner, fives pages may be too short. to be practical, make sure your essay fits in the space provided in the application without the reader having to take out a magnifying glass. james</p>