<p>I'm aware of the fact that there are a few threads on this topic, but they seemed to be for last year's application;
the Columbia essay this year sets a word limit of 250-500, but is it absolutely necessary that we fit the essay into the given word limit? My essay is currently about 650-700 words, but I feel that it would be impossible to keep the essence of it if I had to cut down on the words.</p>
<p>It's still only 2 pages double spaced. How important is length for the admission officers?</p>
<p>the amount of overrun should be proportional to the kickass-itude of the essay. i wouldn't go more than 20% over (600 words) unless it really is an extraordinary story or insight that you absolutely couldn't convey with fewer than your current set of points, lead-ins and elements.</p>
<p>It's harder to write a short essay than it is to write a long one, so anyone who can impress in FEWER than the allotted words will stand out.</p>
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My essay is currently about 650-700 words, but I feel that it would be impossible to keep the essence of it if I had to cut down on the words.
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<p>Impossible? I hightly doubt it. You've got to have 100 words in there that are redundant, verbose, irrelevant, boring, etc. Have someone else read it and take a big red pen through what they thought was the worst part.</p>