Mine is at 925 words right now. I know they suggest 650 words, but i’ve seen people like my sister get in with 1000+ word essays. Are these people just anomalies? Does the word count matter a whole lot? I think the content is good.
I’m not sure why anyone would ignore a suggestion made by the people who are evaluating your application.
If your sister was accepted even after not following instructions, it was in spite of her essay and not because of her essay.
If the instructions say 650 word max, follow the instructions.
If you are having extreme difficulty cutting words, here are a few suggestions…
First, read Strunk and White’s ‘The Elements of Style’. It is 75 pages long. You can read it in one hour. It will teach you brevity in language. A valuable lifelong skill. Then go back and edit your essay. If it is still too long, give it to your English teacher. They are usually experts at culling unnecessary words, sentences, and paragraphs.
Good luck!
^ Good advice. But are there hard limits on the length? I didn’t think so.
Maybe your sister was submitting her thesis. ;
@STEM2017 the instructions dont say that though. They say try to aim for 650 words, but dont hold yourself to it.
Ok. I understand. Then it’s your judgement, really. In my opinion, unless my essay was truly gripping and captivating beyond 650 words (in someone else’s opinion), I would try to cut it down to something closer to 650 words.
Good luck!
OP - If you were the admissions committee would you want to read thousands of essays that were nearly 300 words over the limit?
“Aiming for 650 words” to me means you can be plus or minus a max of 50 words. Beyond that, you are making more work for the committee and potentially giving them a negative impression that you can’t or won’t follow the instructions. IMO, that screams of the “rules don’t apply to me” type of thinking that makes me crazy.
Holy Selective Perception Batman.
Let’s see what they also say:
https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/contact/faq
From my own experience, more ≠ better. I’ve read very very few essays that could not have benefited from an edit. Perhaps yours is fine as it is. Regardless, I think you would be better served having an impartial adult (or two or three) read and critique your essay rather than relying on anonymous people to validate your hypothesis. Good luck.
For what it’s worth, I checked my accepted kid’s essays: the “why Chicago?” one was over 600 words and the other one (the “extended essay” with prompt choices) was about 1,700 words (4 pages). They were well-edited, critiqued by a few adults, and didn’t read as rambling or verbose at all. The rules might have changed in the last year or so, so please add your own judgement and information to what I’m reporting. I clearly remember that the longer essay was one of the best pieces of writing that came out of the whole college application process, though–and one of the most natural/enjoyable for my kid to write. Frankly, some of the shorter essays for other schools felt longer to read because they weren’t as interesting. There’s good cautionary advice posted here already, so I’ll go against the grain: provided everything is proofread and edited to be the best it can be, have some fun and just say what you want to say.
“If you want me to give you a two-hour presentation, I am ready today. If you want only a five-minute speech, it will take me two weeks to prepare.”
(attributed to Mark Twain)
And Winston Churchill,Abraham Lincoln, and Woodrow Wilson, among others. 
Quote investigator concludes quote is likely a folk saying circulating around, attribution anonymous https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/03/01/short-speech/
Don’t believe everything you read on the internet - Abe Lincoln
I’ve always thought that if they truly cared they would actually add a limit. Either way I’m just trying to decide if editing this 900 word essay to oblivion or actually writing my 3 umich supps is more worth my time at this point. I like uchicago infinitely more than mich, but I can’t not apply to Michigan lol. In a pickle
Add a fixed limit? When one of the things they vet for is a kid’s ability to get the point and use solid judgment? Or put another way, not assume every word he/she has to say is the most important use of a reader’s time?
First issue: some programs may cut off an essay after xxx words. Second, the ability to “self edit” is vital. I’ve seen adcoms bemoan when it’s missing. Third: you will compete against kids who can effectively collect- and corral- their thoughts.
High stakes game, it is.
In the Common Ap at least, you are able to attach a PDF. So you shouldn’t have to worry about a physical word limit.
Again, the people who grade the essay suggest you keep the length to 650 words. I have yet to see a good reason to ignore their suggestion.
Do so at your own peril.
I agree with this: “provided everything is proofread and edited to be the best it can be, have some fun and just say what you want to say”. There’s no magic about the number 650; a shorter essay can be poorly edited and uninteresting, and the opposite can be true of a longer essay. If it’s tightly edited and interesting, and especially if that is the case and you also don’t have time to start over (which, I’m guessing you don’t, since it’s just a few days until due date), it’s surely better to submit something really good that’s a little longer than Chicago’s general target length than to hack it into “oblivion”. Just be sure, though, that it really is edited to be the best it can be. And I agree that that might mean showing it to a couple of excellent writers you know; it’s hard to judge your own work. (From a mom whose class of 2021 DD’s very good uncommon essay was about the same length.)
As a communications professional, I’ll share a favorite piece of advice: “I’d have made it shorter, but I just didn’t have the time.” Moral of the story: edit ruthlessly.
Repeat: The Elements of Style
Read it, learn it, live it.