<p>So, what is the avergage length of the common app. Mine is going to be about 17 pages long (I'm including a project report in the additional information section). Is that too long? Well admissions not like it?</p>
<p>WOAH! How long is that project report?! No one wants to read all that!</p>
<p>Yes, it’s too long. The old phrase in admissions goes: the thicker the folder, the thicker the student. If you’re going to put them through reading seventeen pages of material in the short time they have to look over it, they’re not going to have good feelings about you from the start (hey, they’re only human). Mine was about 12 pages last year and I considered that way over on the long end of the spectrum. </p>
<p>What was the project report? Was it a science research paper that you did? Was it significant (publication, etc)? If it was a research paper, most colleges only want an abstract and you can attach that elsewhere (on supplement, email, send it in). If it wasn’t significant, then there’s no point in sending it.</p>
<p>Think about the numbers: an adcom at selective schools is responsible for reading 2,000 applications in roughly 2 months. That works out to 10 minutes per application on average if they spend their full eight hours per day reading. It doesn’t include meeting times, phone time or other responsibilities. Thus, I would argue that an average of no more than 5 minutes per application is more realistic.</p>
<p>I believe your full 17 pages would get read, based on my confidence in the integrity of the process. However, I would imagine that the adcom reading it would be miffed that you were forcing him to greatly exceed your allotted time. I would also doubt that it would be read with the level of interest that you are hoping for.</p>
<p>My recommendation: figure out what the adcom needs to know about you and put it in your application using half your current number of pages.</p>
<p>Are you guys including the teacher evaluations and school reports in this length count? If not, I don’t see how GetExcited’s application could be 17 pages long, unless the project report is like 10 pages long.</p>
<p>Yes, I’m including everything. I’m assuming 3 pages for recs, 2 for essays, the rest of the application, and the additional information.</p>
<p>So how long is the additional information?</p>