<p>Sorry for the short reply, but I have come to realize that direct replies are the most helpful :D</p>
<p>Lol no problem, I needed a direct reply so that’s awesome. :D</p>
<p>I have the same issue. So, you email the admissions office only, right?
Btw, Dmouth has a sep email id where you can email them clarifications/extra info to do with the Common App.</p>
<p>Cobalt, who else would you email? :)</p>
<p>You should <em>never</em> hesitate to email the admissions office.</p>
<p>@tizil- haha 
I was wondering whether other colls had some special id for errors/extra info, like DM did 
Its so easy to miss out on stuff sometimes :(</p>
<p>Does everyone have their applications turned in or still waiting on the stroke of midnight?</p>
<p>^Princeton left. Rest all submitted.</p>
<p>Texas, I submitted 11/12 applications on the 15th. Lagged on Caltech till today :P</p>
<p>Why did they not stop me from exceeding the limit? All my essays are 115 words, 280 words, 430 words, etc :|</p>
<p>Woah :eek:
Did you preview it? Because it might have been cut (not to be the pessimist). Plus, if you go to the MIT admissions website, the third most recent post by a '00 alumni clearly states that the limit on the essays were perhaps a bit too “strict with some students finding that they could only fit 247 words in the essay with a limit of 250 words.”</p>
<p>Here’s the link [it’s a long post]: [Regular</a> Action Deadline Q & A | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/regular-action-deadline-q-a]Regular”>Regular Action Deadline Q & A | MIT Admissions)</p>
<p>@tizil- Even mine overshot and surprisingly they weren’t cut in the preview!</p>
<p>I read on the MIT thread of CC that even if the preview shows it, the adcoms receive words only upto that limit. So no over-shooting.</p>
<p>
Now I don’t want others to get paranoid, but I have read something para-phrased along the same lines. I could find the exact source, but I have a flight to catch 
In any case, I am thinking of posting my common app essay here for you to bare strip by the strong critiques :)</p>
<p>Who thinks it might be wise for me to blow my self-confidence to small bits? :P</p>
<p>^If you do it, I’ll do it too. And I really really want to read yours. My guess is that it will be legendary :D</p>
<p>I don’t think it is good idea to post essays on a public forum like this before the results are out. Just my unsolicited opinion.</p>
<p>@Karan: You’ll be sadly disappointed, my essay is sorely boring :P</p>
<p>@ChubbyCheeks: Isn’t Ron Paul a little too conservative? Anyways, why isn’t it ‘safe’ to post one’s essay after the submission deadline? I think it should be okay.</p>
<p>It’s absolutely safe.
Looking forward to reading Tizil’s and Karan’s essays.
And then posting my essays after that.</p>
<p>The next post(s) will contain my essay, with a few identifying details asterixed. Please go all out on me, identifying all errors. However, I will not be reading the opinions, for fear of them being negative and hence affecting my self-confidence 
Note, you might find my essay completely stupid, bold or outright crazy. I think my interpretation of the very term ‘essay’ is different from the general consensus. Another important thing you must note that it is on topic 1 of the common application topics.</p>
<p>Now, you might ask why I am blurring out personal details even though I have pretty much given away who I am on this forum. But it’s better to be cautious. Let the stalkers plow through >520 posts 
Also, in posting my essay here, I do it only for educational purposes of other applicants so that they might get an idea of how to got about the process of writing the common app essay. However, I reserve all rights to this essay. It is my own work and may not be used without my explicit permission and may not be reproduced in any way or re-used without giving me credit. Seriously, it’s for educational purposes.</p>
<h2>Topic: Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.</h2>
<p>Pressing the first key
School. Football. Homework. TV. Sleep. Week after week, I felt my life slipping into the monotonous routine of an automaton. I longed to do something. Coming back home one evening, as usual, I powered on my computer. Facing the familiar blue desktop, the events of the last few weeks flashed in my mind. Strangely enough, I did not find myself playing pinball. Instead, I looked at the starry night through the window and I knew what to do. I opened a word document and pressed the first key.</p>
<p>The Endless Spiral
My eyes alternated between the journals scattered around me and the unfinished word document. I had spent the last seventeen weeks typing reams of paper about stars in the night skies - only to tear them apart because of that odd grammatical blemish I might spot. The work seemed endless and a feeling of hopelessness crept in.</p>
<p>Editing the last page
The white text on the black background soothed my eyes from the bright glare of the computer screen. Though the publisher’s office was cold, I was sweating from sheer exasperation. It was my last day there. Reviewing the last sixty-something fancily illustrated pages instilled a sense of accomplishment in me. I hit the save button one last time. The door creaked open and in walked a man whose almost continuous stream of corrections over the past few weeks has made me wary of ever presenting my work to editors. I smiled at him. He nodded in response and I detected the slightest hint of satisfaction from his face. My book was complete.</p>
<p>A surprise gift
“Happy Birthday!” My salutations drowned in the frolic and laughter of the evening. My friend’s birthday had come to the most exciting part. No, not the cake. It was time to open the presents. As is custom, he opened his grandmother’s gift first and I found myself eagerly peeking over his shoulder, hoping to find my share of chocolates. I stumbled back in a shocked silence. There, beneath the ribbons and wrapping paper, staring back at me in that familiar white font were the words *** **** ** ****. Sharing my disbelief, all my friends slowly raised their bewildered eyes to match mine. I had more reason to celebrate that day than my friend.</p>
<p>Meeting the President</p>
<h2>“It’s an honor to meet you,” he said. The irony of the statement struck me after I relayed my thanks. My only excuse is that I was 14 years old. I was sitting in front of the President of India and all I could think was how huge the room we were sitting in was - straight out of The Great Gatsby. Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, the pioneer of India’s space and missile program, was reading my humble attempt at astronomy, and my only concern was to look confident enough to answer any question of his - a practice, I learned from school. Towards the end of our meeting he handed me his book, Ignited Minds. I saw it as an exchange of dreams, hopes and knowledge from one generation to another; that day, I walked away from the iconic Presidential House inspired to make a difference in the world.</h2>
<p>Some notes:
- *** **** ** **** is the name of my book; which I chose to asterisk for this board.
- The essay’s formatting is exactly how it is on the common application, including bold text for headings and underlined text for any book’s name.
- The essay is in the form of snippets of my memory of different events related by the underlying common task which I undertook (writing a book) which was a significant experience, achievement and risk combined in one action.
- Thank You for the honor of reading my essay and presenting your thoughts on it.</p>