<p>How strict are schools so far as the word limit issue goes? My Yale essay was 600 words instead of 500 words, but I thought it was good… and I got deferred. Not saying that it was the essay that kept me out, but, well… it’s the only potential hole in my applicaton. Then again, my friend that got into Harvard wrote two 630 word essays and got in, so… does it just depend on who it is reading your essays?</p>
<p>It wasn’t the essay length that did it…</p>
<p>At least that is what I think, since my essays were longer than that (700+) and I got into some great colleges and universities, including Top-10 schools.</p>
<p>The essay is your chance to shine, to reveal how you think by your use of topic, word choice, and tone. To an extent, the admissions officer(s) that read your essays make a judgement call on you, as shown through your writing. At Yale, I’m pretty sure that more than one person read your essays and looked at your application before defering you to the RD round. At this point, they recognize that you have the capability to succeed at Yale, you just did not stand out as much during the early round.</p>
<p>This is your opportunity to distinguish yourself from those that are applying RD. Keep the school updated, so that they know you want it.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>