Quick assurance for the supplement

Colleges & Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>Is it okay if my essay is 550 words?</p>

2

<p>550 is the absolute max you should go. You could probably get it down to 525 by deleting unimportant words such as “and, but, or, if, when, then” etc</p>

3

<p>550 is absolutely fine, they don’t check the word count. Just make sure it’s approximately one page.</p>

4

<p>They ask that you keep it under 500. I would do my best to cut a few words.</p>

5

<p>@imrenj: before giving advice, you should understand how Yale reads applications. </p>

<p>[Frequently</a> Asked Questions | Yale College Admissions](<a href=“Frequently Asked Questions | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions”>Frequently Asked Questions | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions)
QUESTION: My essay is more than 500 words. Is that OK?</p>

<p>ANSWER: We ask that you respect the word limit we have set. Will we read the words beyond 500? Yes. But if your essay is much longer than 500 words, you will not have helped yourself by ignoring our request. Remember, concise and simple writing is often the best writing.</p>

6

<p>Will 50 more words really be THAT vexing? I’ve managed to cut it down to exactly 525 words, but I’m just afraid it might be bleeding a little too much.</p>

7

<p>It truly depends on the quality of your writing. I’ve read some essays that were 900 words that you just couldn’t put down because they were so good. On the other hand, I’ve read 300 word essays that were painful. </p>

<p>As a general rule, students start a college essay with too much exposition. I’ve read many essays where it’s better if you delete the first paragraph and start the essay with what was your 2nd paragraph. College essays sometimes read much better this way as it creates mystery, and grabs the reader’s attention, so they want to continue reading.</p>

<p>That said, this essay is 500 words and get’s the point across: <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/education/college-application-essay-as-haiku-for-some-500-words-isnt-enough.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/education/college-application-essay-as-haiku-for-some-500-words-isnt-enough.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If you feel 550 words is your absolute best version, then submit that.</p>