is my essay too long?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>it's 750 words but i can fit it on one page. it flows entirely...</p>

<p>"We prefer that you limit yourself to approximately 250-500 words (or 1-2 pages)."</p>

<p>1-2 pages? lol</p>

2

<p>Just use common sense. Don't waste space, that is. If you genuinely feel you need to use 750 words to describe yourself fully(a 500 word essay would leave out crucial details which are extremely relevant to your application), then submit the essay. If you think a 500 word essay can describe yourself perfectly, but the 250 words don't add anything significant, then trim the essay down to 500 words. From an adcoms perspective, they don't want to spend hours reading essays; keep it short, sweet, and simple.</p>

3

<p>Isn't their ambiguity annoying? 2 pages, even double spaced, can be so much more than 500 words.</p>

4

<p>
[quote]
is my essay too long?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yes</p>

<p>
[quote]
1-2 pages? lol

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Google Answers says that 250 words per page is a standard rule of thumb:</p>

<p>Google</a> Answers: Generally accepted number of words per page</p>

5

<p>My essay for other colleges, which I've used also for Columbia, are around 500 words. It is one page single-spaced and so 250 words per page double-spaced is a pretty accurate measurement.</p>