<p>Yes, I have read the Yale FAQ and they say that they will read essays over 500 words. My essay started out originally 750+ words and I have reduced it to 519. This is still acceptable right? Has anybody that has been accepted to Yale exceeded the word limit by a little bit?</p>
<p>Yale will not physically count words. 519 is fine.</p>
<p>I didn’t know that the word limit applies to both essays, so my common app one was 700ish words. Yet I was accepted. If it’s a good essay, it won’t hurt you.</p>
<p>accepted SCEA, commonapp was nearer to 1 000, supp was 550. 519 is fine</p>
<p>500 is suggested because they don’t want people rambling on for fifteen pages. If you can make your point in 519 words, great. If it takes 750 words to make your point but you make it well, that’s also great.</p>
<p>Both my essays were much too long (800 each, seriously). You should be okay, don’t worry :)</p>
<p>The fact that people are admitted with longer essays doesn’t mean that others should ignore the suggested length.</p>
<p>But 519 is OK.</p>
<p>I’m a current sophomore at Yale. My main essay was around 1,100 words, and my supplement was somewhere in the realm of 480.</p>
<p>They won’t stop reading, and if the essay only works longer, I guess it can help. (My admissions counselor told me I had written “touching essays.”) Don’t push it, but if you’re around 600 words, I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.</p>
<p>^^ But it does mean that the penalties for having a too long essay are not unforgivable</p>
<p>Again, some people are accepted even though they exceed the word limit. But since Yale makes a clear recommendation, it’s just not a good idea to ignore it without a really good reason. And the idea that you’re special and just can’t say all that needs to be said in fewer words isn’t a really good reason.</p>