"Please respond in just a few words (no more than 50 characters) to each of the questions below: "
If I type a 60-character response, will it be cut off?
Yup. You won’t be able to type past 50
Thanks @Kasami !
The response box allows for 60 characters though. After that, you can’t possibly type any more characters (it won’t let you).
Would that cutoff still be 50, or would it be 60 then?
If the question says “no more than 50 characters”, you should type no more than 50 characters. Even if the last 10 of 60 aren’t cut off (which I highly doubt), you should still follow the rules.
Trust me, it isn’t that difficult to fit those responses in 50 characters. Yale isn’t asking you to go in-depth and write something extraordinary. Keep the answers short and sweet.
Thanks, aposnova! 
I guess I’m the only one with the 60 character quirk… Keepin’ it at 50 though!
Or it may just be a test to see how well you follow instructions 