<p>I'm not sure what the length of the Common App essay should be. Also, should I double-space it so it'll be easier for the reader?</p>
<p>Length should be around 500 words, but no word limit. You don’t have to double-space, but you’re welcome to. It doesn’t really matter at all.</p>
<p>There are a ton of threads about both of these issues.</p>
<p>Length of Common App essay:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/common-application/571389-how-long-most-peoples-commonapp-essays.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/common-application/571389-how-long-most-peoples-commonapp-essays.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/401260-how-long-your-commonapp-essay.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/401260-how-long-your-commonapp-essay.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/387361-common-app-essay-length-minimum-250-words-what-about-maximum.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/387361-common-app-essay-length-minimum-250-words-what-about-maximum.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/563860-yale-common-application-essay-length.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/563860-yale-common-application-essay-length.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/754213-what-maximum-length-common-app-essays.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/754213-what-maximum-length-common-app-essays.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/749713-no-word-limit-common-app-essay.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/749713-no-word-limit-common-app-essay.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/430651-essay-too-long-common-application.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/430651-essay-too-long-common-application.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/626639-1200-words-common-app-essay-too-long.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/626639-1200-words-common-app-essay-too-long.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/558293-common-app-essay-length.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/558293-common-app-essay-length.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/128981-1000-words-essay-common-app-too-long.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/128981-1000-words-essay-common-app-too-long.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/278548-common-app-essay-word-limit.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/278548-common-app-essay-word-limit.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/438858-common-app-main-essay.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/438858-common-app-main-essay.html</a></p>
<p>Double Spacing:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/281208-double-space-common-app-essay.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/281208-double-space-common-app-essay.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/common-application/591743-should-common-app-essay-double-spaced.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/common-application/591743-should-common-app-essay-double-spaced.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/401557-essays-do-we-double-space-single-space.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/401557-essays-do-we-double-space-single-space.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/599269-single-double-space-essays.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/599269-single-double-space-essays.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/common-application/629693-essay-supposed-double-spaced-single-spaced.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/common-application/629693-essay-supposed-double-spaced-single-spaced.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/438279-double-space-vs-single-space.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/438279-double-space-vs-single-space.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/common-application/578699-there-preferrable-essay-layout.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/common-application/578699-there-preferrable-essay-layout.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/414129-common-application-essay-format.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/414129-common-application-essay-format.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/421924-ahem-college-essays-supposed-double-spaced-correct.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/421924-ahem-college-essays-supposed-double-spaced-correct.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/common-application/599564-double-space-indent-essays.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/common-application/599564-double-space-indent-essays.html</a></p>
<p>Answer: succinct essay, spacing doesn’t matter unless otherwise specified.</p>
<p>Wow thanks for all those links! That really helped me a lot :)</p>
<p>mine is like 955 words right now 
</p>
<p>im trying to trim it a bit -_-</p>
<p>Mine is like 0 words right now. I’m guessing that isn’t going to fly.</p>
<p>Yeah, mine’s is around 780~800 ish and I’m not gonna cut it because it’ll just lose a lot of meaning.</p>
<p>Ok let me put it this way, my friend wrote a 1200 word common app and she still got into a bunch of good schools, including Chicago. So long as the essay flows and everything you put in it is meaningful, length shouldnt matter. in fact, it’s hard to say length because while some schools prefer a 250-500 word common app, other schools, like JHU (straight from the admission rep himself) say that the main essay is traditionally 750-1000 words. What’s important is writing a meaningful essay and conveying your point as clearly as possible. The problem with >1000 word essays is that they lose focus and tend to ramble. But if you need that kind of word count to get your point across, then go ahead. Colleges don’t do word counts when they read your essay.</p>