<p>I was 250 words over 500. The text in that question was wayy ambiguous and I couldn’t justify cutting my essay any more in terms of the quality of writing. If Yale is dead-set on rejecting me on the basis that I didn’t “follow the instructions” or whatever (which, by the way, don’t exist; the only mention of that word limit for the Common App essay is in that FAQ), then so be it. I really don’t belong there.</p>