<p>How strict are the admission committees on essays that are way over the word limit? One of mine is 560 for 500, and the other is 320 for 300. Is this enough to reject?</p>
<p>They aren't going to reject you solely because you went over the word limit. It depends on the college, but I don't think they'll be too harsh. I would try to edit it down though (there's always some place that can be made more concise).</p>