<p>How strict are colleges with the word requirements on essays?? Mine is 555 words but is supposed to be 500, is this drastically too much? Its about 6-7 lines short of one page..help please!!</p>
<p>I wish someone on an adcom would answer this question. I’ve asked the same question and have received diametrically different answers. Some say, “Adcoms dount count words, so don’t worry about going over the limit.” Other say, “If you go over the limit, adcoms will think you’re either cocky or can’t follow instructions.” Some say, “It depends how much you’re over. If you’re over a little bit, you’re fine. If you go over a lot, you’re in trouble.” It’s very confusing to me.</p>
<p>I have been following admissions quite awhile now and have never known anyone to suffer over the essay being a little over the word count – especially with a high quality essay. </p>
<p>What I have seen is some applicants completely abusing grace and needlessly going way beyond reasonable length. Those applicants definitely don’t win over the adcoms. </p>
<p>However, I really don’t think going over 55 words will hurt you one bit. But make sure you need all the words. Word economy is a good skill to have.</p>
<p>just brought it down to 544</p>