<p>Sorry if these posts are getting annoying, but I was wondering:
The embark app says the essay needs to be approx. 400-500 words. My essay, counting inferior words, [and, an, a, the, etc.] is 777. Lucky number, eh? I think if I delete too much of it [277 words], it will lose its impact, so I was wondering, do they count the “inferior” words in the word count? Also, how approximate are they getting? Would 550 be acceptable? Also, what is the penalty for going over?</p>
<p>On the online comon application you can’t go over 500 spaces, so its impossible to write >500. Thus, you’ll have to cut down some of your words.</p>
<p>But if you choose to upload your essay via MS Word or something like it, it will let you go over, doesn’t it?</p>
<p>The 500 spaces thing is for the personal statements. The essay (on the Common App at least) is uploaded, so it can be however long you want it to be, though I’ve heard the “unofficial” limit is 650 words.</p>
<p>I am using the Embark application.</p>
<p>preview the essay in pdf form in embark, if it’s more than 2-3 pages it’s too long.</p>