<p>Hey guys, it says the second essay may be shorter around 300 words. Does that mean it must be shorter mine is more like around 500 words but it reads well/fast and fits on to like 3/4 of a page</p>
<p>err to clarify im referring to princeton app not common app+supplement and responses would be appreciated since i hope to mail this out tomorrow</p>
<p>Try to cut it down to 300 words. The key is take out redundant ideas and unnecessary phrases. If you're a good writer and you have 300 words to say something in, people will expect you to get it within 300 words (it's like a good speaker with a 5-minute talk won't give a 10 or 15-minute talk, but a 5-minute talk).</p>
<p>jon's explanation has some merit</p>
<p>bidkid...i had the same question and called the admission office. They told me it is perfectly valid to interpret the MAY and to write two essays of about 500 words. They also told me that it is ok if you want to write more than the suggested amount of words: while they are looking for your ability to express yourself in a concise manner, the content is more important than the number of words...so don't worry, ; ) you're fine!</p>
<p>If it says 300 words, write 300 words. Unless the essay is amazing, they don't want people who blatantly disregard instructions.</p>
<p>While I agree that following instructions is quite important, the instructions for the essays do not explicitly define a 300 word limit. First they state that the essay should be ABOUT 300 words which leaves room for interpretation, and then on top of this, they state that the essay MAY be shorter, implying that it could also be longer...depending on what you have to say. When I asked the admission office this very question, they said that my interpretation of this is valid.</p>
<p>my first essay was about 480 words, and my second one was bout 360...its not that big a deal</p>
<p>lol mine were much longer</p>
<p>Same here...</p>
<p>496 and 306</p>
<p>mine are like 700 and 700</p>
<p>700 and 700? Is this not too long (especially for the essay of about 300 words)?? Which topics did you write on, and how can you be sure that this is okay?</p>
<p>I wrote two essays--one ~650 and the other ~700--for a school that I am applying to early (not pton). Do you guys think that it would be okay to send in these two, despite their lengths?</p>
<p>well the thing is, 500 is around one page. mine is that plus one paragraph (not extremely long) on the next page. none of it is redundant or unnecessary/boring, so it shouldnt be much of a problem</p>
<p>700 and 700 is a lot...</p>
<p>Mine were 640 and 300, so I think I'll be okay with that perspective.</p>
<p>Mine were about 600 and 350</p>
<p>my supplement is also 700+ : (
i guess its bad..</p>
<p>wooow 700 x 2 Mine are 640 and 540.</p>
<p>Mine are 680 and 450ish...a bit long, I know, but the first one was 900 at first, so I cut soooo much out!</p>