<p>Mine from last year was between 1,000 and 2,000, and I got into 5/6 schools from common app.</p>
<p>Mine is 931 words, kind of long but the idea isn't something that can be explained briefly.
it's kind of like a unification of 3 topics, actually, all which tie into the central theme.
does cornell read 3rd letters of rec (from, say, an applicant's boss)?</p>
<p>I submitted mine today. It was 504 words, I believe.</p>
<p>Mine was around 1100 words and I didn't have any issues</p>
<p>No more than two typed pages.
No less than two paragraphs.
That's my opinion...mine is about one single spaced typed page.</p>
<p>thanks hieronymus312 !! that was really helpful!!
:)</p>
<p>mine is ~600 words, fits on one page single-spaced nicely</p>
<p>Exactly, kwu. The only essay they suggest a word limit on is their supplementary essay. There is no suggested word limit on the CommonApp essay.</p>
<p>And nowhere does it say they "throw out" essays with word counts >500.</p>
<p>Mine is at 595 words right now, and one of my supplementary essays is at 454 words.</p>
<p>828....I was hoping to get it under 800, but I dont think it will happen. Well, maybe but if it doesn't it won't be too bad right?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Exactly, kwu. The only essay they suggest a word limit on is their supplementary essay. There is no suggested word limit on the CommonApp essay.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>are you saying that the Yale FAQ containing that question is meant only for the Yale supplement?</p>
<p>Exactly 599...5 paragraphs...1 page. </p>
<p>Is this too long or just right?</p>
<p>I've heard of a story where the essay question was something along the lines of "describe confidence and show an example of where confidence is displayed" and the applicant wrote nothing but a period on her essay to show that she has "confidence" to get into that college without even writing an essay. Apparently, she got accepted.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>and the fact that there is only ONE essay on the supplement, with no instruction by Yale to limit the Common App essay.</p>
<p>its possible that yale is very discreetly telling us to limit our common app essays...but i think its more probable that the above statement on its website was not modified to reflect the one essay in the supplement (as opposed to, perhaps, two required essays that the supplement had in the past). </p>
<p>take note of:
[quote]
What do you look for in the personal statement?
Because our essay questions are open-ended, some students say the hardest part in writing is knowing where to start...
[/quote]
right above the 500 word question on the yale website. yale only has one essay question. maybe instead of the possibility of two essays that were once on the yale supplement, this instead refers to the common app essay of old, where 500 words was explicitly stated as a limit. and thus yale can say "stay within the suggested limit!"</p>
<p>Mine is right around 700 words</p>
<p>I hardly think that Yale is only "discreetly" telling us to limit our CommonApp essays, since they didn't specifically refer to the Yale supplement essay. They're probably referring to both.</p>
<p>the common app personal statement section also suggests some "essay questions", so perhaps Yale was referring to both the CA essay and the Yale essay in BOTH of the FAQ answers.</p>
<p>anyway, what you or I think would not change what Yale thinks. Why don't you guys just email Yale and ask?</p>
<p>lol wouldn't that sound nice?</p>
<p>"ummm, hi, I'm just wondering whether it bother you terribly if my essay is a little longer or are you gonna just throw it away?"</p>
<p>honestly, I think some essays can't be shortened, and if the admissions officers don't understand that (which I'm sure they do - they are human after all), well, it's just one essay. As long as it's interesting and not over, say 700 words (mine are both around 650 ;-) ), then there shouldn't be a problem, even on the yale application.</p>
<p>lol, i think if you're really gonna succeed in life, you'll need to think harder of smarter and more tactful ways to ask questions.</p>
<p>and no, i was actually telling that guy to ask Yale to confirm which were the "essays" the FAQ was referring to.</p>
<p>yale's recommendation however discreet still represents the pervading notion that common app essays should be around 500 words, even if it no longer says that. so some people on here have suggested 500-600 words, which i think is fine. as long as you dont go noticeably over, yale, or any other college wont care.</p>
<p>EDIT: k, it seems like they want the Common App under 500.
[thread=565718]The Official Answer for the CommonApp Essay Words Limit from Yale University.[/thread]</p>
<p>^ Wrong .</p>