The Cornell supplement has a 650 word maximum, but this seems almost excessively long for what is essentially a “Why this school” essay. What word count should successful applicants aim for?
I should have included this in the first post. I’m applying to the College of Arts and Sciences, so the prompt is “Describe two or three of your current intellectual interests and why they are exciting to you. Why will Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences be the right environment in which to pursue your interests? (Please limit your response to 650 words.)”
I would suggest using as many words as you need to say what you want to say - and understand that if you come in at 500 instead of 650, that will be better than rambling to hit the 650. I suspect there is no way that whether you had some extra words (or not) in your essay will be the determining factor in whether you get admitted.
I think it signals that they think the question is very important and should be answered thoughtfully. I think my son’s answer was around 610 words.
Keep in mind you have to both
- Describe 2-3 of your interests
- Talk about why Cornell is right
So no, it’s not just a “Why [school]” essay- you have to do a good deal of writing about your own interests as well. So think of it this way: it’s really around 300 words of describing what you want, around 300 words of talking about the benefits of Cornell. Hope this helps, and best of luck.
TBH, I really don’t think the word count really matters. I was admitted early decision a few weeks ago, and my supplement for Arts and Sciences was only about 450 words. I think it’s more important to really get your message across rather than focusing how many words you’ll use.
BUT, it’s definitely important to elaborate enough about your passions and their relevance to the College itself as well.
my S’s essay required multiple passes of editing to get it under 650