<p>Three of the colleges I'm applying to are highly selective, but I feel that each one matches my needs, abilities, and personality very well. I think the fact that they are perfect fits for me is turning out to be kind of an issue because it's making my essays REALLY long. I've scoured each college's website and found so many things that I like and intend to get involved with in terms of academics and student life; incorporating all of them in the essay to explain why I want to transfer while sticking to one page of writing is virtually impossible.
I have like eight pages at the moment. Yeah, crazy. It's very rough, though. I started off with a page long introduction describing how I ended up at my current college, and a lot of the essay is superfluous; I could probably cut the whole thing down to four pages. But I don't think I could make it any shorter without omitting a lot of the littler reasons and specific facts behind my desire to transfer. Should I entirely get rid of the background and just discuss my two principal reasons for seeking the transfer instead of all five, thereby reducing the essay to two pages? Thanks.</p>
<p>Woah! Your essay really shouldn’t be much longer than 500 words, IMO. I think the super-super max should be about 700. Think about those poor admissions members who have to read hundreds or thousands of essays–make it enjoyable for them and be concise. Imagine having to read hundreds of 4-page essays; the committe would get very bored, very fast. They want a snapshot of “you,” not an autobiography.</p>
<p>I’m applying to transfer schools as well, and most suggest a 500 word limit though some have said, “limit to two well developed paragraphs” and another “limit your answer to 100 words.” Try focusing on the top two or three reasons you want to go to those schools and make them unique reasons (not, for example, “I want to go to a university” or “I want to live far away from home.”) that make the college an obvious fit for you, personally.</p>
<p>So, to answer your question, definitely focus on the two top reasons and keep the essay very short.</p>