PLEASE ANSWER <:)? Essay length?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hey guys, question about the CommonApp Essay.</p>

<p>How long can it be? </p>

<p>I've written up a rough draft of my essay, and it is 1200 words. I've asked a handful people to read it over, and boy did i get great reviews! (i worked pretty hard on this)</p>

<p>They say that it was actually enjoyable to read, and gave them a great insight at who i am! (evaluates as tramautic event in my life) But then again, they did read it in their free time.</p>

<p>Do you think the AdComs would mind the essay being this long?</p>

<p>PS I'm specifically hoping to get into Yale. (yeah long shot, i know) would yale put enough value in the essay that they wouldnt mind the length?</p>

<p>Thanks guys!</p>

2

<p>hmm well honestly, you should keep it under 800 words... maybe 900.</p>

<p>Think about how many they have to read...</p>

<p>If it is truely exceptional, you might get by... but do you want to take that chance?</p>

3

<p>This year there was no maximum word count for the Common App.</p>

<p>Yale wanted both essays to be 500 words or less. Here's their official thing about going over the word limit: Applying</a> to Yale College | Frequently Asked Questions | Office of Undergraduate Admissions</p>

4

<p>Do you think the AdComs would mind the essay being this long?</p>

<p>in one word: YES.</p>

<p>imagine reading hundreds of essays. maybe thousands, even. short and sweet does the trick. by your peers' reviews, you seem to be a good writer, so im sure you'll have no big problem shortening your essay</p>

5

<p>Wrote little under 700 for the main Common App one. </p>

<p>Wrote EXACTLY 500 words for the Yale supplement.</p>

<p>We all want to write longer... but the point is whether you can get your ideas across within the given parameters... An engineer doesn't build a machine bigger than requirements just because it can tentatively perform better...</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
Yale wanted both essays to be 500 words or less.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>no, just the supplement.</p>

<p>Personally, i think my common app was 700 ish and yale was 520 at the most...</p>

7

<p>^ <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061213604-post19.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061213604-post19.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

8

<p>its a matter if you want to take the risk. If you believe in your essay and truly think it must stay the way it is then take the risk and you will hopefully get rewarded. If you are unsure them i would suggest shortening it by a few hundred words. Why dont you post it here and we will take a look at it.</p>