<p>so how many words should we keep it under? </p>
<p>250 - 500 right?</p>
<p>Around 500 yes.</p>
<p>will it hurt u big time if u have 800 but keep it under a page by adjusting the margins etc? cuz my 'why penn' essay is just so damn hard to cut short... (i've cut away 300-400 words alreadY)</p>
<p>If it's good, then it won't hurt you if it goes over by 300 word, I think.</p>
<p>It's not a word limit though... it specifically says limit to ONE PAGE.</p>
<p>But I know!!! It really sucks it is only one page. I started writing my why Penn essay yesterday... I finished at three pages lol.</p>
<p>But in the end, it will probably be more effective at one page anyways.</p>
<p>Yeah that's what I was trying to write lol. You can also change it to 1.5 spacing rather than double space, or even 1.3 spacing... hehe</p>
<p>where does it say it needs to be double spaced?</p>
<p>it just says 'should not exceed one page' but i guess we should folow instructions even if its not 'must not' i thought of making the widest margin, with single space, n u can fit almost 1k words in. but the admission officer will prob get ****ed off by tht.</p>
<p>if its only one page and it should be around 500 words than it definitly should be single-spaced.</p>
<p>exactly. I say 12 point, single spaced w/ regular margins. But if you have to fudge things a bit don't ruin your essay over 20 words...just shrink it, etc.</p>
<p>Brevity is a virtue.</p>
<p>I agree that 12 point, single spaced and regular margins is best.</p>
<p>if it is online, why would you even need to do that? or do you mean copy + paste into the online app?</p>
<p>I would prefer to read 10 point, 1.5 spaced, but that's just my preference I guess.</p>
<p>myopia- or upload from word or other supported word processing program. That way, the exact formatting and layout can be preserved, which was important for me due to what I was doing with 217.</p>
<p>i used 12 point, single spaced and regular margin and I got in.</p>
<p>Since we're on the topic of Penn's essays...how exactly do we answer the short answer which Penn professor we want to do research with?</p>
<p>Most of us don't know one. I assume they want us to research about them and just state someone and something?</p>
<p>They are looking for the depth of knowledge or interest really. You would be amazed at the number of students who will discuss a major that the school doesn't offer.....classic example if the undergrad applicant wanting to study journalism at Columbia.....right.</p>
<p>The easiest way to find out about professors is to google Penn's website. Once you get to a department's website you can read about any prof's work. </p>
<p>Also, they have a research website that you can read about research projects in simplified texts (no excessive jargons). These works' title are already made interesting, and it's easy to quote. I quoted some articles from this website when I wrote "why Penn" essay last year, although they didn't ask specifically.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn/%5B/url%5D">http://www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn/</a>
This is not only for science, but also for society and business research news.</p>
<p>hazmat: Didn't the main character of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days get her degree in Journalism from Columbia? :D</p>
<p>And you're proud that you like that movie?</p>