How long is too long?

College Essays
1

<p>I have a ~700 word essay I'm pretty confident with. I wrote it for the commonapp prompt of 250 words or more, but I'd also like to use it for my Tulane personal statement (500 words) and possibly a few other schools' essays. Would going over the suggest limit by 200 words seriously hurt my chances, or is it worth keeping every word for the sake of quality? I really think I have a great essay and wouldn't even know where to begin if I had to cut 200 words.</p>

<p>By the way, if anyone wants to read it and suggest places for possible cutdowns, let me know. No 09ers please and thank you.</p>

2

<p>Who knows what an adcom will say to this question. It could vary by school, and it could even vary by different members of an admissions committee.</p>

<p>If it asks for “no more than 500 words” or “500 word limit”, then it is a clear indication that you wouldn’t earn brownie points for going over.</p>

<p>If it is a suggested word amount, you might have more leeway. I would err on the side of what the school asked of me as an applicant and not test their patience.</p>

3

<p>bumpitty bump</p>