<p>For the common application, my short answer and personal statement both go over the 150 and 500 word limit by a lot. (Short answer: 266, Personal Statement: 750)</p>
<p>I am still editing them both and plan on making them shorter if I can but I have a feeling they will still be over the word count by a hundred words or so. Should I shorten them both to make them fit the maximum word count?</p>
<p>There is no word limit on the personal statement this year. 750 should be acceptable.</p>
<p>I would suggest shortening the short answer, you are almost 80 percent over the limit.</p>
<p>I agree with Dad (Wow. That’s odd.) </p>
<p>But anyways, you’re way too much over the short answer question limit.</p>
<p>From Common App Help Desk - 2007</p>
<p>“Question - Is there a maximum word limit on the personal essay?
Answer -There is no maximum word limit on the personal essay, but a 250 word minimum.”</p>
<p>“Question - What is the word limit for the short answer essay and how do I figure in the character count?
Answer - Please only be concerned with the word limit of the essay. The character response is there as a guide but the requirement for the essay is 150 words or fewer. A character limit counts the letters in a block of text, as opposed to the number of words. Characters include letters, numbers, punctuation, spaces, and anything else you can type into a text area. When you enter text into a space that has a character limit in our system, you can check the character count by clicking the appropriate link below the text area.”</p>
<p>to quote</p>