Hiya,
For the optional supplement (where we have to upload a .doc or .docx file ourselves), should that be single spaced or double spaced? I imagine that double spaced would be easier to read, but it would also mean an extra page for the adcom to go through… single spaced would be only one page but may wind up being harder to read… Thoughts?
Thanks!
Mine was single-spaced so that it fit onto one page! I also made sure to press enter twice between paragraphs. It ended up looking like this:
words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words wordswords words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words wordswords words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words
words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words wordswords words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words wordswords words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words
etc. etc.
I think as long as you don’t do huge paragraphs it shouldn’t be too hard to read— I don’t know if this is the “right” way but that’s what I did! Good luck!
Keep the supplement to one page, however you have to do it! That means single spacing with a space between paragraphs. Enlarge the margins if you must, get rid of the header and footer, reduce the font from 12 pt to 11 pt. Do anything to avoid a 2nd page!
Thank you! Also: any consensus on title vs. no title? And whether my name should be on it somewhere?
No title. (What’s the point of a title anyway, other than to take up another line of valuable space.)
Your name and Common Applications Number will be imprinted by the software at the bottom of the document, so there’s no need to include your name. Be sure to preview a pdf before submitting to make sure that any text hasn’t been accidently cut off.
@gibby my essay is 1.15 spaced at 11 point font. This is how it fits on one page. However i did not put spaces between my paragraphs? will it be a pain to read for adcoms? Should I put spaces between at 1 point font even though it does not look the most appealing??
Edit, edit, edit!
You should really think carefully about submitting what seems to be a longish essay, as Admissions will glance at a 1.15 spaced, 11 point font essay, with no spaces for paragraphs and their eyes will start to glaze over.
When I’ve looked at student essays in the past (please don’t send me your essay because I don’t have the time to look at it), too much time is spent on exposition. The essays often read much better by deleting the first two paragraphs and starting with the 3rd paragraph, or using a bit of dialogue to reduce the exposition.
Before submitting, I would really see what you can cut.
Given that any reader can view at any magnification he or she chooses (or can probably copy into a Word documents in 5 seconds and change the spacing, which is what I do when need be), I would not worry about the spacing – although I like #1’s solution above.