<p>Hi. So I wrote the sole supplemental essay for Penn but could not get myself even close to writing within 250 words. My essay, in my opinion, is decent but is 924 words long. Were you guys having trouble with the word limit? If so, howd you deal with it? Could one of you guys maybe read my Penn essay and suggest how to shorten it? Thanks.</p>
<p>I’ll read it pm me it. Also do not, I mean do not, send an essay that far over the word limit… It’s alright if you go to maybe 300-350 but anymore is bad.</p>
<p>Son & I did the tour and info session at Penn last week. During the presentation the Admissions Officer told us that the average reader of applications has to get through 100 - 120 applications a day, reviewing the numbers, the recommendations and the essays. At a minimum that means the Common App Essay, the Short EC Essay and the “Why Penn” essay - 300 to 360 essays a day! I agree with UVAorBust, adding an essay 4X the recommended length has a good chance of backfiring on you. They also made clear that the point of the supplemental was to add or highlight something not mentioned in the other parts of the app; if you have to run long I’d do it in the “Why Penn” essay, but even then I wouldn’t blow past the target by too much.</p>
<p>i will read it as well. but dang, that is so long, you must really like penn lol.</p>
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<p>What do you mean? There are only 2 essays in the entire application - the Common app essay and the 250 word essay…</p>
<p>Like vinceh said, Penn adcoms read very man applications a day. So seeing such a long essay might not be the best thing to lighten up the mood. They’re looking for quality, not quantity. So, instead of thinking about all the different things you like about Penn, it’d probably be best to pick something you feel strongest about and expand on that. </p>
<p>That said, if you still need help or if you would like me to help you cut out stuff, feel free to PM me! =]</p>