<p>I am currently working on my "Why Duke?" essay, and, like many colleges, they ask you to respond in 1-2 paragraphs. Are these guidelines set in stone or is it ok to write more, say, like a page in total?</p>
<p>^ There’s a very good rule for essay length: if the adcom is loving your essay, and really wants to keep reading, he will…no matter how long it is.</p>
<p>By contrast, if you’re boring and lame and he/she hates the essay, he probably won’t even read the whole thing (or if he does, he’ll skim it), even if it’s well under the limits.</p>
<p>Point: focus more on writing a GOOD essay than freaking out that it’s 501 words instead of 499.</p>
<p>being succinct is a sign of a good writer.</p>
<p>^ Meh. Not according to Tolstoy or Marcel Proust. :)</p>
<p>But I agree, in the essay genre, try to stay within the limits as best you can. My main CommonApp was like 800 words, and obviously it worked out fine for me :)</p>
<p>Be short, concise and memorable. (However, when there is a great essay you don’t get tired of reading it, but still try to keep within the constraints). I wrote 2 paragraphs but they were pretty big paragraphs, likewise my Common App essay was fairly lengthy, so the point is to simply write a great essay that is memorable, but its even better when its short and concise.</p>
<p>i wrote two very big paragraphs. each could have been broken up into two more paragraphs. i dont think it really matters. just right about why you want to go to duke specifically</p>