<p>How carefully must the writer abide by the word count? </p>
<p>I read an old post from a student that said she wrote as much as she wanted and got in?</p>
<p>If a school’s application states/asks for 500 words and the essay is 535 it seems to me that the admissions office may conclude that the author cant follow directions?</p>
<p>Its a guide, the word count is not set in stone. Just write as much as you want to, as long as you feel that it as concise as possible. At 530, it would not make any difference at all. They will not sit there and count how many words you used.</p>
<p>I highly doubt any admissions office will care about 5 words…I know I went way over on several of my applications and still got in to those colleges. 
The only real problem I had with lengths of essays was with computerized applications, since they often cut you off after a certain point.</p>
<p>A few college admissions people have said that it’s okay as long as you stay within 10% of the word limit. So for a 500-word essay, the preferred length would be anywhere from 450 to 550 words.</p>
<p>A question about essay length- I was just looking at a college application that stated the essay should be about a page. Is this double spaced or single spaced? I would hate to write an essay that is double the desired length, or half the desired length. Thanks!</p>