<p>What if the quote that we want to use is long, and cannot be effectively shortened. By "long" I mean a small paragraph or so. If it okay to include a small part and paraphrase the rest? I think it's probably better to just to use the whole quote, but will that count in the word count. When they say 500 words, 650 max, is that including the quote?</p>
<p>if you are using common app, you cannot go above 650 words- the website won’t let you. And yes, the quote counts.</p>