<p>My D just wrote her Common App essay and it's 596 words. It posts on the upload section, but she doesn't want to seem like a "rule breaker" if it's not exactly 500. </p>
<p>Thanks for input.</p>
<p>Good grief. I forgot to ask, should she cut it and stick to 500, period?</p>
<p>kksmom, back when the Common App phrased their word limit as a suggestion rather than a rule, my main essay was over 800 words. Based on what the admission officers from two separate universities commented on my acceptance letters, the essay added so much to my app that, looking back, I don’t know if I would’ve been admitted without the essay. I think as long as your D’s essay is engaging to read and shortened to the point where no more words that can be taken out without sacrificing the content, being slightly over the limit doesn’t matter. </p>
<p>If it’s a good essay that deserves every single word, then the reader won’t even notice the slightly longer length.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your input! I appreciate your help. :0)</p>
<p>Doing a word count requires an extra motion. Seriously. These people are looking at hundreds of essay in a week, opening window after window and reading quickly. So the rule is: a badly written essay is always too long and a great essay is (almost) never too long. If you want additional info or links to info, PM me.</p>
<p>S</p>