<p>On the common application it doesnt exactly say it has to be under 500 words, although I understand that this is generally the norm. It just tells you to make it over 250 words. So would a 700 word essay technically be okay?</p>
<p>Cut cut cut. Your 200 words is forty percent over suggested targets. Why harm your chances?</p>
<p>Okay, so even though the Common app doesnt have a suggested limit...we should still keep to 500?</p>
<p>Someone also lent me this book of successful Harvard application essays, and the majority if these essays are much longer than the required 500 words. So it leads me to wonder how much a longer essay will really hurt you...=S</p>
<p>isnt it alright for a 550-650 range?</p>
<p>if it is a good essay, im sure its alright. my essay is 858 words. i was at first worried about it because there isnt anything in it that i could cut, so i showed it to my college counselor and asked her for advice. she worked in admissions for wellesley and princeton and she told me it was fine. you just have to make sure its good.</p>
<p>akiiriah, ohio_mom wrote a thread on essay editing that's well worth a read.</p>
<p>Editing</a> Your College Essays</p>
<p>700 words may not be too much if trimming your essay would seriously weaken it, although trimming would be preferable if possible.</p>
<p>Quoting directly from Yale's admissions site:</p>
<p>"Q: My essays are more than 500 words each. Is that OK?</p>
<p>A: We ask that you respect the word limits we suggest. Will we read the words beyond 500? Yes. But if your essays are much longer than 500 words, understand that you will not help yourself by seeming to have ignored our request."</p>
<p>Read again: "understand that you will not help yourself..."</p>
<p>cecils: while your single anecdote may make you feel good, my advice would be "why take the chance with a cranky reader?" You're at almost two whole pages when the norm is one....</p>
<p>T26E4, that quote is completely irrelevant. The OP didn't say (s)he was applying to Yale. </p>
<p>500 words is a guideline, but most schools don't mandate essay length. Chicago essays can run 900-1000 words.</p>
<p>"cecils: while your single anecdote may make you feel good, my advice would be "why take the chance with a cranky reader?" You're at almost two whole pages when the norm is one...."</p>
<p>i am not at almost two whole pages, far from it as a matter of fact, and personally i would rather trust someone who has been "a cranky reader" than some random person on the internet.</p>
<p>warblersrule86: good point -- didn't know that about Chgo. I guess the best advice would be to check to see what the individual schools desire. However, if they state a preference, I think an applicant would be best served by holding to it. </p>
<p>Good luck to all of you.</p>
<p>should we double space our essay or single space??? what do you guys think is the right way to go?</p>