<p>As the clock winds down, I have a couple of last minute questions.</p>
<p>Is it standard to double space the personal essay? I have several friends who have done this.</p>
<p>Would going over the 500 word limit annoy admissions officers? My essay is ~750 and I could reduce the wordcount, but my editors have told me that its fairly compelling and interesting to read as it is. What should I do?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>"Fairly compelling and interesting" doesn't convince me; you know you can reduce the word count and you aren't saying you absolutely need the 750 words. And your editors sound like they aren't doing their job; any good editor should be able to slash some stuff. 50% more words is substantially missing the point; it's okay to be a little over.</p>
<p>Ok, thanks for the advice.</p>
<p>the word count isn't set in stone. definitely don't go over two pages double spaced but there's some breathing room for sure. i agree with C02 that there is probably stuff that can be cut...but i know how hard it is to part with what you've written</p>
<p>From my "How To Get Into the Top Colleges":</p>
<p>'Going over our limits by one-half is generally okay. After that, an essay is really too long.' -Lee Stetson, Penn.</p>
<p>'Our stated 500-word limit doesn't really matter. We would never, ever count words, and we don't care if a student writes more than we ask for. They can write as much as they want!' -Marilee Jones, MIT.</p>
<p>'When a college application sets page limits, it is asking you to choose your words carefully. It's a good exercise, and the limits should be respected.' -Daniel J. Saracino, Notre Dame</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I don't have a quote from a Columbia admissions officer. But in general I would shoot for limit + 10%, or, at most, limit x 1.5. My essay is about 650 words and I'm willing to push the limit a little in order to preserve the punch of the writing. What you do is your call. But I definitely would not go over 750.</p>