<p>If the essay had to go one way or the other: on the short side or on the long side, which one would be favorable?</p>
<p>I think on the short side. Too long may be because it is too wordy-too boring. Usually some of it can be cut without interfering with the integrity. Most colleges seem to want 250-500 words-they have enough of them to read, so if you can keep it on the shorter side and it gets its point across, I think that is better.</p>
<p>Like Audi said, don't make an essay longer unless you really need the extra length to get your message(s) accross. </p>
<p>However, contrary to Audi, i doubt admissions officers will instinctively prefer shorter essays to longer ones. Assuming of course the longer essay is of the same quality as its shorter counterpart. This is all just speculation though, i'm just an applicant.</p>