<p>Most colleges seem to say your essay should be about 300 words. What if your essay is significantly longer than that? Is this bad news?</p>
<p>Any thoughts, anyone?</p>
<p>DD had some applications where the field to put the essay in would not HOLD more than a certain number of letters.</p>
<p>Yes it’s bad. Show the adcoms that you know how to follow directions (about 300 words means 270-330. not 180 words or 500 words.) Show them you know how to edit. Show them you understand “brevity is the soul of wit” (William Shakespeare. Unless you are William Shakespeare, do not write an essay “significantly longer” than what they ask for.)</p>
<p>I’ve learned from experience, that almost anything can be made shorter, and that 90% of the time shorter is also better.</p>
<p>You’re basically trying to make a good impression, and an essay that’s significantly longer than it should be, not counting the fact that it’s probably verbose and could be edited to its benefit, will not give an admissions officer a very good impression.</p>
<p>The Common App has no max, but it has a 250 word minimum.</p>
<p>If an app requested “approximately” 300 words, I would do my darndest to keep it under 400 words. Admissions folks don’t want to read novels, they don’t have time.</p>
<p>If the essay topic can’t be shortened enough, then the topic needs to be further narrowed/focused.</p>