I submitted a 1000-word essay. I admit that it’s pretty long, though it’s very, very unique. Will the admissions officers even bother to read the whole thing?
If they wouldn’t, could it hurt my chances for Harvard?
You need to follow directions better – you’re not a special case. Why should you get two pages and others get one? What you call your “essay’s uniqueness” is another person’s “grab for extra consideration”
- you can’t change it now – it IS FEB 20th. Don’t waste energy worrying about it
- your odds were terrible once you hit the “submit” button – just like everyone else’s
- Don’t repeat this if you plan on applying to grad schools. Some grad school admissions officers simply state they won’t read past the limit.
^^ While all the above is true, Harvard’s supplemental essay does not have a word count or page count. But, who’s to say if Admissions will do a close-reading of your essay, or a brief-skim. I suppose it all depends on whether Admissions thinks your essay is unique, and how interested they are in you from the rest of your file.
I typically don’t reply to these sorts of things, let alone anything on CC, but why do you think it’s unique in the first place?
EDIT: I’m not trying to say that skeptically, but just to know. If you’re simply going to tell us something is unique without why/how, and ask a question based on that to get some response out of the CC community, for anyone to confirm your own self-asserted views in a yes-fashion would be irresponsible, without asking first what it is that is certainly so “very, very” unique.
^ I am curious of that as well. As to the original question, no one can know what the admission officers will do or not do. Certainly, it will seem very long, but if it is indeed a good essay, ( and I mean a good essay in terms of writing because even the most unique story can be poorly written) it will probably make the reader want to go through with it. Has anyone else seen it? Have you got honest opinions from adults on it?
@jkim3265 No one actually knows whether his/her essay is unique or not “to the admissions officers.” When I wrote the essay, I didn’t think it was unique because that was just me being myself. Since many people including the principal and the college counselors at my school (I attend a pretty well-known private school that sends 1/3 of its students to Ivies and other prestigious colleges, so they know a thing or two about Ivies) proofread it and said it was very very unique, I just thought I would give you that information. They also said that they had never seen or thought of the topic I had chosen and that I would certainly be the only one writing on it. But maybe there are some people who are, or maybe the admissions officers think it’s lame. I’ve also shown it to the person who worked as a student aid when I attended summer school at one of the most prestigious colleges, and she said that I definitely had a chance with that essay because it’s the most unique and well-written essay she had ever read. I wasn’t saying “I” thought it was unique, but I apologize if I sounded like some random brat with “self-asserted” views. Thanks for your input. @BlairSt06
@T26E4 I agree with gabby; I don’t think Harvard’s optional essay has a limit. I was asking if that was too long even though they don’t have a word count. Thanks for your reply, though!
@gabby You’re right. I guess it’s all up to the admissions officers. I’ve been a bit stressed out while waiting for the decision 
I believe everyone is. Thank you for the reply!
So I also wrote a four page (double-spaced) essay, and I think it was a good decision. Harvard gets 25,000 apps every year. I assume many of those apps are from students who don’t meet the numerical requirements, and I am sure a lot of those applications are very thin. So anything you can do to to make your app a tad more interesting is worth it. If they like you, they’ll take the time to actually read it. My interviewer said getting into Harvard is a crapshoot. He said getting in means one day at a particular time one guy has to be in a good mood (maybe a couple of drinks of brandy in his system–his words not mine) and he has to just like you out of twenty other valedictorian ACT 30+ students. Anything you can put on your app to show more of your personality and give your reader a larger chance to like you, is worth it.
@corncobb1 Thank you for your reply, corncobb1! Quick questions: Does it have to be double spaced? Does it need to be in a special format? What about the font size (I used 12)? I wrote the title of the essay and my name on the top of the essay, and that was all. Was I supposed to put my Common App ID or anything like that?
You have already elaborated, but I was going to say it is likely okay as long as the length wasn’t due to lack of judicious editing. I wouldn’t normally advise to do that, though. Yes I think they will read it, you just have to hope they don’t resent you for it, lol.
You say: “Since many people including the principal and the college counselors at my school (I attend a pretty well-known private school that sends 1/3 of its students to Ivies and other prestigious colleges, so they know a thing or two about Ivies) proofread it and said it was very very unique,… They also said that they had never seen or thought of the topic I had chosen and that I would certainly be the only one writing on it… I’ve also shown it to the person who worked as a student aid when I attended summer school at one of the most prestigious colleges, and she said that I definitely had a chance with that essay because it’s the most unique and well-written essay she had ever read”
OK, for starters, I can’t differentiate between “very, very unique”, “most unique” and plain old “unique.”
But, beyond that, all these people who have actually read your essay, and who seem to know what they’re doing, seem to think you’re OK.
I’m not sure what else the CC community can add to that without having actually read your essay.
As to the particulars of formatting, I’m sure the directions would have been clear. But in any event, it’s too late now–you’ve already hit “submit.”
@bjkmom People asked me why I thought my essay was unique, and that was merely my answer to that question. “I’m not sure what else the CC community can add to that without having actually read your essay”-- I’m not sure why you would think I was expecting the CC community to comment on the uniqueness of my essay. As you said, you all haven’t read my essay, and I don’t ask people who haven’t read my essay to give their opinions on it. I’m not even sure why the uniqueness of my essay has to be an issue here since I only asked if my essay was too long for the admissions officers to read. I wasn’t bragging about how unique my essay was, nor was I asking if my essay was good enough for Harvard. I really didn’t ask if my essay would increase my chance to be accepted, or if my essay was really unique and interesting.
As to the formatting, I’m sure there were no directions whatsoever. I’m very well aware of the fact that I already submitted my essay two months ago – but I believe it’s a place for open discussions. I am very worried even two months after I submitted my application to Harvard, and I just wanted to make sure if there was any mistake at all.
This is to all:
I don’t mean to be rude, but I just have to say this because so many people have asked me why I thought my essay was unique. So many people have also told me that they couldn’t comment on my essay unless they read it. Some people sent me messages and said they would like to read my essay. When people asked me why I called my essay “unique,” I answered that many who had read my essay thought it was unique. Yes, that’s the truth and that’s all I can say because I’m not even sure why they call it unique. I’m not at all a kind of person who would call my essay unique just because I think so. I don’t even think it’s that unique as I didn’t try to write a unique essay. But then when I said that, they all replied that I might not be so great. They are all saying the fact that the proofreaders liked my essay doesn’t necessarily mean my essay is good enough for the Ivies – okay, I didn’t say it was. I’m not a conceited person and know that my essay might not be good enough for any of the Ivies. I swear I have received so many messages from the people who would like me to prove THE UNIQUENESS of my essay. I think that is very much out of topic. I believe I didn’t post a thread to discuss the uniqueness of my essay.
I feel as if I’m being humiliated and attacked. Again, I’m not sure why I’m explaining all this… Maybe I should never have used the word “unique” when I started a thread. I wanted to talk to the people who are going through the same thing. I’ve recently learned this website exists. I think that was a few days ago.
Just to remind you all, the question was “I submitted a 1000-word essay. Will they even bother to read the whole thing?” But it has been answered, and I really appreciate your input. Thank you.
My apologies. I certainly never meant to make you feel attacked.
I guess my point was this: the people you mentioned, the people at school who apparently know their stuff-- they OK’ed your essay. They’re probably far more qualified than most of us here at CC to answer your question-- and they said your essay was OK.
So it’s probably OK.
As to whether or not they’ll actually read every word, it’s probably as much a function of who you get and what type of a day they’re having as anything else.
No, I never meant to say I felt as if you had meant to attack me in any way, @bjkmom! 
That was to all the people who have made those out of topic comments. I did mean to say those things in the first and second paragraphs, but I see that you didn’t mean what I thought you meant. So that’s okay. I should apologize. I didn’t mean to be rude or anything, so I hope I didn’t offend you with my writing!
And yes, I totally agree. Accepted students must have been very qualified, outstanding, strong in academics and extracurricular activities, but it is true that luck plays a part in the admissions process. Thank you for your reply!
Don’t share it.
The adcoms will do their best for you. You did what you could by running it past others. Best wishes.