Common app essay length requirement

In order to produce a great final draft essay, your rough drafts should be even longer than words. But, these new questions are no joke; none of the essay prompts are easy, and all require a great deal of time, thought, and drafting before members of the Class of can confidently hit submit on their applications. Honestly, I miss the old questions.

Ideal College Application Essay Length

I would be surprised if many of the admissions officers could portray themselves accurately with these prompts. Choose the option below that best helps you write an essay of no more than words. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure.

Here's the Deal with College Admissions Essays...

How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea.

What the Real Story About College Applications and Essays?

What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma — anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.


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  • The Length Limit for the Common Application Essay!

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you?

Can you go over the Common App length limit? How long should your essay be?

Even if you take advantage of the full length available to you, keep in mind that words is not a long essay. It's roughly the equivalent of a two-page, double-spaced essay. It's about the same length as this article on essay length. As you plan your essay, you definitely want to keep the length requirement in mind.

Many applicants attempt to do too much with their essays and then struggle to edit them down to words. Realize the purpose of the personal statement is not to tell your life story or to give an exhaustive overview of all of your accomplishments. Let your list of extracurricular activities, academic record, letters of recommendation, and supplemental essays and materials show your range of accomplishments.

The personal statement is not the place for long lists or catalogs of achievement.

To write an engaging and effective word or shorter essay, you need to have a sharp focus. Narrate a single event, or illuminate a single passion or talent.

How Long Should Your College Application Essay Be?

Whichever essay prompt you choose, make sure you zero in on a specific example that you narrate in an engaging and thoughtful way. Allow enough space for self reflection so that whatever your topic is you spend at least some time talking about its significance to you. With the primary Common Application essay, you will need to come in at words or fewer.

However, you will find that most supplemental essays on the Common Application have different length guidelines, and colleges that don't use the Common Application will have differing length requirements. No matter what the circumstances, make sure you follow the guidelines. If an essay should be words, don't write Learn more about some of the issues related to essay length in this article: College Application Essay Length Limits.