<p>Right, so the optional essay is pretty much a free for all in terms of content and length; however, I'm really stressing on how long it should be. Mine is currently 650 words (conveniently the common app maximum) and fits on two pages double spaced (anyone have any insights on how to format the upload while you're here?), but is that too much? Someone even told me to aim for 550-600 word count, and if consensus is that it's better for Harvard I'll do it but I don't want to lose too much of my flow. Help? Thanks in advance. </p>
<p>mistake</p>
<p>Careful editing and judicious pruning are always your friend. You’d be surprised how much you can cut or reword with a little bit of effort. Also, it is often the case that what you think is interesting or relevant, others may not. So always imagine reading it from their perspective. Good luck.! Btw, FWIW my daughter’s was 500 words and she was accepted (haha, her essay length and her acceptance probably had zero correlation but I love seeing other people post statements like that so I couldn’t resist).</p>