<p>I know most people complain that theirs is so long, but my problem is the opposite. I had a 700 word one that was good, but when I wrote a 350 word one for a non-Common App school, it was perfect. I want to adapt it for the Common App, but I could only only extend it to 480 words while still keeping its awesomness. Do you think that's too short? What would you say the minimum should be?</p>
<p>Common App says 250 is minimum. I think that anywhere between 500-700 is good. 500 is the average for most college essays. So you’re good. Or you could a bit more. I don’t think extending it a little more would be harmful. Just don’t make it very long like 1000 words.</p>
<p>480 is good. Don’t add anything more unless it truly adds to the meaning.</p>