What Is a 650-Word Academic Essay?
What kind of impression an applicant makes on college admissions officers depends a lot on how long their writing is. About 250 to 650 words is the usual word limit for college writings. Many schools use the Common Application, which follows this standard. It gives you a range of options for essay length, from 250 to 650 words. So that students can say what they want and show that they can write clearly and briefly, the word limit is there.
Word limits may be suggested or enforced differently by different program platforms. For example, the Coalition Application, another popular college application tool, says you should keep your essay between 500 and 650 words.
Although the usual word limit for college application essays is between 250 and 650 words, there are times when universities or applications may ask for essays that are longer or shorter. These differences are often caused by the different needs of each school or the type of the essay questions.
What Are Some Examples of Topics For a 650 Word Essay?
Finding your way around the complicated rules for writing a college essay can be hard. This post goes into detail about how long a college essay should be.
For example, some colleges that use the ApplyTexas form let you write longer essays. For example, the University of Texas at Austin gives topics that call for essays of 500 to 700 words. This is a bit more than the upper limit that platforms like the Common Application usually recommend. Additionally, some colleges may ask for extra essays that can be much longer or much shorter based on the question being asked. As an example, the University of Southern California’s supplement has a number of short answer questions that need answers that are much shorter than the average college essay.
Moreover, schools like the University of Chicago are known for their creative and unique essay topics that don’t have a strict word limit. Students can choose how long their essays need to be to get their point across.
It is very important to adhere to word limits in college essays, both because it is part of the application process and because it shows that the applicant can follow directions and speak clearly within limits. Colleges set strict word limits to assess how well students can communicate their ideas in a short and clear way.
What Is Required Amount of Research for a 650-Word Essay?
Many schools also require students to write supplemental essays. Most supplemental essays will be shorter —usually 200-400 words as opposed to the Common App essay word limit of 650. You’ll submit these essays through the Common App. However, we don’t generally refer to these supplemental essays as “Common App essays.”
As you can tell, mastering your college applications is all about learning the nuances of the process. Take our quiz below to put your knowledge to the test!
How many paragraphs does an essay consist of?
The Common App essay, often called the personal statement, is sent to every college that accepts the Common Application. This essay will answer one of the Common App essay prompts to showcase something that makes you who you are. The Common App essay word limit is 650 words.
How long should a college admissions essay be?
Some popular majors like Computer Science will ask for a lengthier (400–650 words) supplement that explains the applicant’s academic goals, fit, and future research plans in the field. These college-specific application essays can even ask applicants to describe an extracurricular activity in depth (usually no more than 350 additional words) beyond the standard activities or experiences list.
Good length for college essays: what does 650 words look like?
The Common App essay word limit is 650 words maximum. However, according to the official Common App essay requirements, the lower stay Common App essay word limit is 250 words.
How long did it take you guys to write a 650 word Why Us essay?
Not following instructions and exceeding the word limit is one way to end up in the deny queue because it suggests you can’t write concisely. And, importantly, long essays will be cut off. It’s also a good idea to stick to standard formatting and font size (like Times New Roman 12).
How Many Pages Is 650 Words? - Capitalize My Title
The Common Application sets a 250-650 word limit for the length of your personal statement. It may feel like it’s impossible to say everything you need to say about yourself in 650 words or less, but complying with this rule is about more than just word counting. It’s a life lesson.