<p>Hey everyone, my common app essay is a whopping 1200 words and I am having trouble cutting it down. Would any one be willing to take a look at it??</p>
<p>Don't be afraid to delete entire paragraphs. Delete whatever seems overly wordy, tangential (unless it's truly humorous/poignant) or already stated. If you're reading over a paragraph and your attention span starts to waver, remove that paragraph.</p>
<p>ya, thanks, I've already trimmed it to 970 words, and I'm hoping to get it down to 750-800.</p>
<p>Mine was in that range, I think. No college is going to deny you if you're a few hundred words above the expected total.</p>