Questions regarding rec letters, essays, etc

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm a rising senior, and i've got some questions about the application process.
First of all, how long in length should my essays usually be? typed or written?(obviously if i apply online, it would be typed, but should i type them if i mail in an application?)
how long should rec letters normally be? it's just for my personal info, i know that teachers would probably know how long to write them. </p>

<p>i visited university of pittsburgh & the admissions officer there said that he'd waive my application fee if i completed the main portion of the application (the personal info) on the spot. the essays, transcript, rec letters, etc would be sent in later. I was wondering how to let them know what my EC's are. there was no space on the main app to indicate my EC's and awards. should i mail in a separate resume of EC's & awards with my transcript, rec letters, & essays? if so, how do i organize it? a chart or paragraph?
i know it's a lot of questions, but please answer as many as possible.</p>

2

<p>I don’t know about length of essays, but always type them. You want to look as neat and professional as possible.</p>

3

<p>typed: always</p>

<p>length: depends on what the instructions say; do a Search for ‘length’ on the College Essays subforum.</p>

<p>resume for ECs & awards: do a Search for ‘resume’ on this forum.</p>

4

<p>The length of your essay depends on the instructions - usually each application/essay prompt tells you the approximate length it should be. If they don’t and it’s a normal essay (not a short answer) then make it no longer than 750 words. Try to keep as close to 500 as possible…any longer that that and you’re probably writing unnecessary stuff. Remember, adcoms are reading thousands of essays and you don’t want them to get bored.</p>