<p>Hi guys, I am just finishing up on my essays. One's around 700 words (1.25 page) and the other is 1000 words long (2 pages). Do you think they might be too long or should I just leave them as they are? I am clueless since the universities didn't specify a word limit!</p>
<p>Btw, I checked prev. threads - some people mentioned 500 words...does this apply to transfers as well?</p>
<p>What were the instructions (if any) re essay length from the particular schools where you are applying?</p>
<p>I will say this: essays can ALMOST ALWAYS be improved by shortening them. If you think they might be too long, they very likely are. Re-read them, take out wordiness, take out parts which do not support your key points. Tighten them up.</p>
<p>Good writers write, re-read, edit, re-read, edit and maybe repeat. Rarely does the editing involve lengthening.</p>
<p>Don't know if it helps, but my transfer essay was a little bit over 500 words.</p>
<p>i think 700's fine.. but 1000's a bit long.. you might want to shorten it by 200 or more..</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the admissions officers are reading thousands of these essays, you don't want it to be too long. I know most colleges set a limit. (Mine said no more than a page).</p>
<p>Yes, but the transfer essay is much different from the regular admissions essay. As a transfer, you need to communicate what your current school lacks, what makes the potential one a better fit all while selling yourself throughout. This is no easy task. Mine is around 1,000, but each section of the essay pertains to something specific and makes a strong point for my case. I really do not think there is much of a limit (over 2000 might be a bit excessive, however.) Just make sure you include everything that you want to tell the admissions staff and don't stress the lengthiness, be thorough.</p>
<p>My long essay was 1,300 and "short answers" ranging from 300 to 800, and I got into 4 out of 5 highly competitive schools that I applied to: WashU, Rice, Emory, and Northwestern, where I'm attending. I did not get into Cornell.</p>
<p>i know one kid whose Harvard essay was 4 pages long (single-spaced).He got in. </p>
<p>and his "stats" were mediocre.</p>
<p>thanks for all the responses. It's difficult to cut them down since my ideas wouldn't flow well. Yale's application deadline is tomorrow! - I am getting the jitters already....</p>
<p>Hey just to give you a head's up Mooncake, Yale extended the deadline to March 10th. Entomom confirmed it the other day. I didn't even realize it either. It's not well highlighted on the site, but it's there!</p>