<p>Right now I’m applying to Columbia, which doesn’t have a strict requirement on personal essay length but specified that they prefer a length of around 250-500 words… But my dilemma is that, even after editing and cutting down, my personal essay is/will be around 800-900 words. It’s a personal story, and cutting it down further would ruin the necessary details - but the people who read it (including my AP English Lit teacher) were very impressed… So should I run the risk of submitting it at around its present length anyways?</p>
<p>I might PM it to whoever is interested… although I’m still worried about plagiarism :p</p>
<p>I have no interest whatsoever in Columbia and I have already written my essays, so I can take a look at it, though I generally would say no more than 700 words.</p>
<p>I’ve heard the 500 rule thing being an unspoken guideline, but your school puts a guideline. I’d personally be more concerned about butchering your essay trying to shorten it.</p>
<p>If your story really impressed several English teachers, I wouldn’t cut it down unless it’s a hard and fast rule. I’ve only critiqued one Common App essay before on height (I’ll openly admit I’m an HS senior), but the OP threesixmafia did post his thanks. Anyhow, if you want to send your essay over, PM me and I’ll be happy to take a closer look.</p>
<p>EDIT: I’m not applying to Columbia either, if that helps your decision in whether or not you want to PM me.</p>