Q & A

This month our questions focus on college application essays.

Q. The personal essay on the Common App states the essay should be 250-500 words. What happens if my essay is 600 words?

A. The Common App changed things a bit this year. The 250-500 word limit is a guideline. Students actually upload a document into the Common App, so technically the document can be very long. Just remember, if an essay is long, make every word count!

Q. Ok, that begs the question: what about the University of California (UC) application?

A. Ah ha! The UC app requires two personal statements which combine for 1000 words, with the minimum for each essay being 250 words. This is a hard cut off, so it’s better to be a couple of words under than risk going over.