<p>Olin has two essays, one on passion which is 300 words and the other on why Olin is a 'fit' for you, 500 words.</p>
<p>How far can we push these boundaries?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>The fuzzy answer is please don’t push the boundaries. The suggested word counts are there for a reason. Every essay will be read multiple times by someone involved with the school’s admission process. When you factor in that there are two essays for each of the 1000+ applications, that’s a lot of 500-word essays to read. Granted, this is my take on it from having worked in the Office of Admission for 4 years, and in no way should be taken as an official response.</p>
<p>With that said, focus on trying to make your essays compelling as well as really showing who you are.</p>
<p>Kevin Tostado
Olin '06</p>
<p>Tostie is right on, but I can assure you that we don’t sit around and do word-counts on every essay! 
If you need a few extra words to make your point, that’s perfectly fine. Just don’t go crazy - we want you to be thoughtful, articulate and concise in your essays so do try to stick to those guidelines/limits.</p>
<p>Happy writing,
Allison</p>