<p>How short are the short statements? How long was each of your responses roughly? Also, want counts as Independent Study work? How many people left that portion blank?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Q: If you could hold a world record, what would it be and why?</p>
<p>A: I would like to hold the world record for the most languages spoken. Communication is central to every other aspect of life. The more languages you can speak, the better able you are to communicate with the entire spectrum of humanity. Chris Eckels</p>
<p>Q: In the spirit of Northwesterns tradition of collaborative learning, please provide us with an original essay topic or short statement youd like to see on next years application.</p>
<p>A: In 1992 Vice President Dan Quayle led a campaign against Candice Bergens television character Murphy Brown because she was a single mother. If you had a bone to pick with a fictional character, who would it be and why? Mari Fagel
[/quote]
</p>
<p>About two sentences</p>
<p>if it's longer than that, will it hurt your chances???</p>
<p>There is a word count limit for the short answers (I believe it is 50 words). Say as much as you need to within that limit. Mine were all somewhere between 35-50 words. </p>
<p>As to the independant study bit: If you did an independant study of any kind, put it down...academic or not. If you spent months remodeling that old car and learning about the history of antique engines, if you've been studying magic for years and perform card tricks at your school talent shows, if you single-handedly musically directed your high school musical...then this is the place to go into detail about that.</p>
<p>If you didn't do anything that counts as independant study but still doesn't "fit" on your application, tack it on as a suppliment (for example, I applied as a theatre major, and I included a brief resume of roles and a list of theatre tech accomplishments). Maybe staple on a copy of that song you wrote or that award you won...whatever you feel would show another side of you.</p>
<p>Hey rocket, I do theater as well. Would it be alright if I sent in a short clip of me from different shows that I've been in?</p>
<p>I would confer with the admissions office...but my guess would be no. I think I remember reading somewhere that they don't want videotapes...however, a paper resume and letter of recommendation from your director would probably be a help, as EC theatre is huge here (and anyone with any major can be in shows).</p>
<p>WOW...so am i screwed if my answers are around 80 words???</p>
<p>btw...im doing paper app, not online.</p>
<p>Check the app to be sure...but if it says under 50 words, that means under 50 words. The limits are there for a reason...say what you need to say as succintly as possible.</p>
<p>i spent like twenty minutes trying to get a 52 word answer to a 50 word answer. it was already soooo concise i couldn't figure out what to take out. i was basically like, well i don't know how anal the reader may be, so i should probably be under 50 on the safe side. all of mine were 48-50 words.</p>
<p>where did u guys get this 50 word limit thing? I do not believe it was in the paper application...</p>
<p>there was probably no limit on the paper app since they just expected you to answer in the small space provided</p>
<p>Anybody can answer those 4 short statement questions. Answering them concisely, however, is a different level, and I think that's part of what the adcoms are looking for.</p>
<p>well, i decreased the font to size 11ish and then cut and pasted my answers onto my paper application...so you think it will hurt my chances???</p>
<p>can anyone answer please???</p>
<p>If you're that worried, stay within the word limit. They are "short" statements, so if you wrote like 80+words, your answers are probably verbose. I wrote 62 words for the second one and thought that was risky.</p>
<p>Look, none of us actually work in the admissions office, so we can only guesstimate...I would say simply stick as close to 50 words as possible and state what you need to as succintly as you can. Doing what they ask on the app can only help you...will going over dramatically kill your app? Not necessarily...but I would think you would want to make it as strong as possible, and that means following the directions on the application. </p>
<p>Like I said, they're there for a reason. The people reading and evaluating your application obviously don't want to sift through long answers on these questions, and if they come to yours after a couple hours of reading these things and it's way over the word limit, that might not reflect as well on you.</p>
<p>thanks a lot guys for your advise...I was quite confused because someone said I should fill up the space with as much writing as i can, while someone said I should stick to 50 word limit because that IS the limit on online app.</p>
<p>It's wonderful to hear that doing what they ask will only increase my chances...</p>
<p>Fill up the space with as much writing as you can?? That doesn't sound right. Quality over quantity.</p>
<p>So I definatly answered those all... in aroudn 250 words... scrapping those... darn you and your tricky app northwestern... why not common app I ask... give us students a bit of a break</p>