how long should a short response essay be

Choose Your Test

• Search Blogs By Category
• College Admissions
• AP and IB Exams
• GPA and Coursework

The Best College Essay Length: How Long Should It Be?

College Essays

Figuring out your college essay can be one of the most difficult parts of applying to college. Even once you've read the prompt and picked a topic, you might wonder: if you write too much or too little, will you blow your chance of admission? How long should a college essay be?

Whether you're a terse writer or a loquacious one, we can advise you on college essay length. In this guide, we'll cover what the standard college essay length is, how much word limits matter, and what to do if you aren't sure how long a specific essay should be.

How Long Is a College Essay? First, Check the Word Limit

You might be used to turning in your writing assignments on a page-limit basis (for example, a 10-page paper). While some colleges provide page limits for their college essays, most use a word limit instead. This makes sure there's a standard length for all the essays that a college receives, regardless of formatting or font.

In the simplest terms, your college essay should be pretty close to, but not exceeding, the word limit in length. Think within 50 words as the lower bound, with the word limit as the upper bound. So for a 500-word limit essay, try to get somewhere between 450-500 words. If they give you a range, stay within that range.

College essay prompts usually provide the word limit right in the prompt or in the instructions.

For example, the University of Illinois says :

"You'll answer two to three prompts as part of your application. The questions you'll answer will depend on whether you're applying to a major or to our undeclared program , and if you've selected a second choice . Each response should be approximately 150 words."

As exemplified by the University of Illinois, the shortest word limits for college essays are usually around 150 words (less than half a single-spaced page). Rarely will you see a word limit higher than around 650 words (over one single-spaced page). College essays are usually pretty short: between 150 and 650 words. Admissions officers have to read a lot of them, after all!

Weigh your words carefully, because they are limited!

How Flexible Is the Word Limit?

But how flexible is the word limit? What if your poignant anecdote is just 10 words too long—or 100 too short?

Can I Go Over the Word Limit?

If you are attaching a document and you need one or two extra words, you can probably get away with exceeding the word limit by such a small amount. Some colleges will actually tell you that exceeding the word limit by 1-2 words is fine. However, I advise against exceeding the word limit unless it's explicitly allowed for a few reasons:

First, you might not be able to. If you have to copy-paste it into a text box, your essay might get cut off and you'll have to trim it down anyway.

If you exceed the word limit in a noticeable way, the admissions counselor may just stop reading your essay past that point. This is not good for you.

Following directions is actually a very important part of the college application process. You need to follow directions to get your letters of recommendation, upload your essays, send supplemental materials, get your test scores sent, and so on and so forth. So it's just a good general rule to follow whatever instructions you've been given by the institution. Better safe than sorry!

Can I Go Under the Word Limit?

If you can truly get your point across well beneath the word limit, it's probably fine. Brevity is not necessarily a bad thing in writing just so long as you are clear, cogent, and communicate what you want to.

However, most college essays have pretty tight word limits anyways. So if you're writing 300 words for an essay with a 500-word limit, ask yourself: is there anything more you could say to elaborate on or support your points? Consult with a parent, friend, or teacher on where you could elaborate with more detail or expand your points.

Also, if the college gives you a word range, you absolutely need to at least hit the bottom end of the range. So if you get a range from the institution, like 400-500 words, you need to write at least 400 words. If you write less, it will come across like you have nothing to say, which is not an impression you want to give.

What If There Is No Word Limit?

Some colleges don't give you a word limit for one or more of your essay prompts. This can be a little stressful, but the prompts generally fall into a few categories:

Writing Sample

Some colleges don't provide a hard-and-fast word limit because they want a writing sample from one of your classes. In this case, a word limit would be very limiting to you in terms of which assignments you could select from.

For an example of this kind of prompt, check out essay Option B at Amherst :

"Submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. We are particularly interested in your ability to construct a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological or historical evidence. You should NOT submit a laboratory report, journal entry, creative writing sample or in-class essay."

While there is usually no word limit per se, colleges sometimes provide a general page guideline for writing samples. In the FAQ for Option B , Amherst clarifies, "There is no hard-and-fast rule for official page limit. Typically, we anticipate a paper of 4-5 pages will provide adequate length to demonstrate your analytical abilities. Somewhat longer papers can also be submitted, but in most cases should not exceed 8-10 pages."

So even though there's no word limit, they'd like somewhere in the 4-10 pages range. High school students are not usually writing papers that are longer than 10 pages anyways, so that isn't very limiting.

Implicit Length Guideline

Sometimes, while there's no word (or even page) limit, there's still an implicit length guideline. What do I mean by this?

See, for example, this Western Washington University prompt :

“Describe one or more activities you have been involved in that have been particularly meaningful. What does your involvement say about the communities, identities or causes that are important to you?”

While there’s no page or word limit listed here, further down on page the ‘essay tips’ section explains that “ most essay responses are about 500 words, ” though “this is only a recommendation, not a firm limit.” This gives you an idea of what’s reasonable. A little longer or shorter than 500 words would be appropriate here. That’s what I mean by an “implicit” word limit—there is a reasonable length you could go to within the boundaries of the prompt.

But what's the proper coffee-to-paragraph ratio?

Treasure Hunt

There is also the classic "treasure hunt" prompt. No, it's not a prompt about a treasure hunt. It's a prompt where there are no length guidelines given, but if you hunt around on the rest of the website you can find length guidelines.

For example, the University of Chicago provides seven "Extended Essay" prompts . You must write an essay in response to one prompt of your choosing, but nowhere on the page is there any guidance about word count or page limit.

However, many colleges provide additional details about their expectations for application materials, including essays, on FAQ pages, which is true of the University of Chicago. On the school’s admissions Frequently Asked Questions page , they provide the following length guidelines for the supplemental essays: 

“We suggest that you note any word limits for Coalition or Common Application essays; however, there are no strict word limits on the UChicago Supplement essays. For the extended essay (where you choose one of several prompts), we suggest that you aim for around 650 words. While we won't, as a rule, stop reading after 650 words, we're only human and cannot promise that an overly wordy essay will hold our attention indefinitely. For the “Why UChicago?” essay, we suggest about 250-500 words. The ideas in your writing matter more than the exact number of words you use!”

So there you go! You want to be (loosely) in the realm of 650 for the extended essay, and 250-500 words for the “Why UChicago?” essay.

Help! There Really Is No Guidance on Length

If you really can't find any length guidelines anywhere on the admissions website and you're at a loss, I advise calling the admissions office. They may not be able to give you an exact number (in fact, they probably won't), but they will probably at least be able to tell you how long most of the essays they see are. (And keep you from writing a panicked, 20-page dissertation about your relationship with your dog).

In general, 500 words or so is pretty safe for a college essay. It's a fairly standard word limit length, in fact. (And if you're wondering, that's about a page and a half double-spaced.) 500 words is long enough to develop a basic idea while still getting a point across quickly—important when admissions counselors have thousands of essays to read!

"See? It says 500 words right there in tiny font!"

The Final Word: How Long Should a College Essay Be?

The best college essay length is usually pretty straightforward: you want to be right under or at the provided word limit. If you go substantially past the word limit, you risk having your essay cut off by an online application form or having the admissions officer just not finish it. And if you're too far under the word limit, you may not be elaborating enough.

What if there is no word limit? Then how long should a college essay be? In general, around 500 words is a pretty safe approximate word amount for a college essay—it's one of the most common word limits, after all!

Here's guidance for special cases and hunting down word limits:

If it's a writing sample of your graded academic work, the length either doesn't matter or there should be some loose page guidelines.

There also may be implicit length guidelines. For example, if a prompt says to write three paragraphs, you'll know that writing six sentences is definitely too short, and two single-spaced pages is definitely too long.

You might not be able to find length guidelines in the prompt, but you could still hunt them up elsewhere on the website. Try checking FAQs or googling your chosen school name with "admissions essay word limit."

If there really is no word limit, you can call the school to try to get some guidance.

With this advice, you can be sure you've got the right college essay length on lockdown!

Hey, writing about yourself can even be fun!

What's Next?

Need to ask a teacher or friend for help with your essay? See our do's and dont's to getting college essay advice .

If you're lacking in essay inspiration, see our guide to brainstorming college essay ideas . And here's our guide to starting out your essay perfectly!

Looking for college essay examples? See 11 places to find college essay examples and 145 essay examples with analysis !

Trending Now

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Get Your Free

Find Your Target SAT Score

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing

How to Improve Your Low SAT Score

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing

Find Your Target ACT Score

Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

Get a 36 on ACT English

Get a 36 on ACT Math

Get a 36 on ACT Reading

Get a 36 on ACT Science

How to Improve Your Low ACT Score

Get a 24 on ACT English

Get a 24 on ACT Math

Get a 24 on ACT Reading

Get a 24 on ACT Science

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

What is a Short Response Essay?

essaypop short response 0

“Dear God, please grant me patience… P.S. Please hurry up.”  – A Prayer

Oftentimes your teacher will assign a quickie — a short response paper that might be assigned after a classroom discussion or after reading a short story, a poem or an article. Some teachers refer to these as essay paragraphs . In terms of length, a short response can range from a single paragraph composed of anywhere from 150 – 400 words to a couple of paragraphs with 250 – 500 words – even longer if you have a lot to say. These, of course, are estimates, but you get the idea. Sometimes these short essays are assigned in class and may even be timed — “You have 25 minutes to respond to the author’s argument in a 300-word essay. Ready? Go!” —  Sometimes these essays will be assigned as overnight homework.

One example of where short responses are required is on the University of California Freshman Personal Insight Questions. This application requires applicants to write four, short, personal essays, each of which can be no longer than 350 words in length. Applicants are actually penalized if they exceed this word count. The Common Application used by many private universities sets the range for their essay at 250 to 650 words. 

The fact is, you are not always going to be assigned a long-form, multiple-paragraph essay. The short responses are just as common, and, guess what, in terms of your grades, they add up. The problem is, inexperienced writers often believe that because the responses are short, they can just churn them out quickly with little regard for organization and structure. This is a mistake.  It is just as important to have a structured plan when approaching a short essay as it is when tackling a longer one.  

It should also be noted that many of the elements of the short response are also found in the longer, multiple-paragraph essay. Both types of essays have a hook and a thesis statement, for example.  They both present evidence and commentary as well. In fact, if you can master the short response, you will have learned most of the skills needed to produce a longer, multiple-paragraph essay.

The Basic Structure

Even though your response may be a single paragraph, it still needs to begin with some sort of introductory hook .  You need something to set a context for the writing. It also requires a clear statement that precisely asserts what the main idea of the response will be. We call this the thesis statement . It then needs to include some sort of researched information that you are discussing such as a statistic, a quote, a statement, a fact, a personal anecdote, etc… We call this the research detail (also known as concrete detail, evidence, text evidence and proof) .

The response also requires the voice of the essay writer in the form of commentary, explanation and an overall making sense of things . We call this part the interpretation (also known as analysis or explanation) . Finally, the response should have some sort of closing sentence or two at the end to wrap things up and give the reader the sense that the essay is finished. We call this the closer .

So, essentially, the most basic short response will have the following structure:

[ H + TS + RD +   INT + C ]

If any of these aspects are missing, the response will not be sufficient, and this will be reflected in your grade and in a look of confusion on your reader’s face. You need all of these parts. Of course, there are multiple variations to this structure. After the hook, some writers might opt to flip the script and compose their interpretation first, then follow that up with a relevant research detail. Or the essayist might choose to add a second interpretation because they have more to say and wish to elaborate. They may even want to add a second research detail. There is a lot of flexibility within the essaypop system as long as you have a structure that is organized and cohesive. 

The following models are short responses to various response-to-literature, persuasive, expository, and personal response prompts. The color-coding used above will be used to distinguish the various short-response elements.

This model represents the most basic form of short response. It is brief (234 words) and was written fairly quickly (just 20 minutes), but it has all of the elements that a basic response needs: a short hook , a clear thesis statement , some text-evidence ( research detail ), some explanation ( interpretation ) and a closing sentence ( closer ). This response does the job in the most efficient way possible.  

Type of essay: short response / response to literature The prompt: In Denise Levertov’s poem, “Moon Tiger”, what is the moon tiger really? Use textual evidence to justify your answer.

Template Formula: H + TS + RD +   INT + C ] Word count:  234 Time spent: 15-20 minutes

It seems that poets and authors take great delight in camouflaging their real themes and thoughts with strange symbols and figurative trickery. It becomes our task to analyze the sometimes inscrutable clues to get to the bottom of the writer’s real meaning. In her poem, “Moon Tiger”, Denise Levertov provides the reader with some some very subtle clues that, if looked at very carefully, reveal the true and literal identity of the work’s creeping tiger. Consider the following lines from the poem: “Look. Its white stripes/ In the light that slid/ Through the jalousies”. Levertov is inviting us to pay close attention to a very specific clue: the white stripes coming through the room’s blinds. It is a physical fact that moonlight becomes separated into lines that are projected onto the floor when they pass through louvered blinds (jalousies in this case). The speaker in the poem seems to be a child who observes these lines of moonlight slowly traveling across her room; she imagines that they are the stripes of a tiger “prowling sleekly” across the room. Everything else in the poem, the small head, the large feet, the prowling, the sniffing, is all imagined by the child. The moon “tiger” is, very simply, the creation of a child’s overactive imagination and nothing else. It’s amazing how poet’s often hide that which is obvious in plain sight, but few people seem to notice.

• Hook : This hook is just two sentences in length, which is about right for a short response. It adequately introduces the notion that poets and writers are often hiding things right beneath our noses.   
• Thesis statement : The thesis statement is direct and to the point; it echoes the prompt and promises to answer the question being asked.
• Research Detail : Beginning with the transitional-bridge phrase, “Consider the following”, this is a very conventional way to introduce a quote from a poem. This phrase was taken from the sentence starter menu. Notice that each line break is indicated with a forward slash mark.
• Interpretation : This interpretation is a healthy five-sentences long (essayop recommends that they be anywhere from 3-6 sentences each).  The writer defends his interpretation of the lines with reasoned thinking.
• Closer : One simple sentence that expresses the essay writer’s overall reaction to the solving of the mystery, making this short paragraph feel finished. All in all, the paragraph coherently addresses the prompt.

This model is simply an augmentation of Model 1. The essay writer either had a little extra time or just had a little more to say. Or, maybe the teacher just assigned a higher word count. The modification here is the addition of a second interpretation . This simple addition can add depth and length to your response, and is worth trying if your responses tend to be a bit short or your teacher asks you to elaborate.

Type of essay: short response / response to literature The prompt: In Denise Levertov’s poem, “Moon Tiger”, what is the moon tiger really?  Use textual evidence to justify your answer.

Template Formula:   H + TS + RD +   INT + INT2 + C ] Word count:  323 Time spent:  25-30 minutes

It seems that poets and authors take great delight in camouflaging their real themes and thoughts with strange symbols and figurative trickery. It becomes our task to analyze the sometimes inscrutable clues to get to the bottom of the writer’s real meaning. In her poem, “Moon Tiger”, Denise Levertov provides the reader with some some very interesting clues as to the the true and literal identity of the work’s creeping tiger. Consider the following  lines from the poem: “Look. Its white stripes/ In the light that slid/Through the jalousies”. Levertov is inviting us to pay close attention to a very specific clue: the white stripes coming through the room’s blinds. It is a physical fact that moonlight becomes separated into lines that are projected onto the floor when they pass through louvered blinds (jalousies in this case). The speaker in the poem seems to be a child who observes these lines of moonlight slowly traveling across her room; she imagines that they are the stripes of a tiger “prowling sleekly” across the room. Everything else in the poem, the small head, the large feet, the prowling , the sniffing, is all imagined by the child. The moon “tiger” is, very simply, the creation of a child’s overactive imagination and nothing else. When you think back to your own childhood, the experience that Levertov describes is not too far from the the way children experience the world. I remember working myself into a frenzy when I was four or five, imagining that every creak our old house made was a prowler creeping down the hall, or that the wind outside was the sound of winged beasts ready to sweep me away if I dared go outside. It’s amazing how poet’s often hide that which is obvious in plain sight, but few people seem to notice. In Levertov’s case, her little mystery does a pretty good job of portraying the incessantly imaginative minds of children.

• Thesis statement : The thesis statement is direct and to the point, it echoes the prompt and promises to answer the question being asked.
• Research Detail : The phrase, “Consider the following,” serves as a nice transition into the lines quoted from the poem, and is taken directly from the sentence-starter-pull-down menu located in the lower-center portion of the writing frame.
• Interpretation : This interpretation is a healthy five-sentences long (essaypop recommends that they be anywhere from 3-6 sentences each).  The writer defends his interpretation of the lines with reasoned thinking.
• Interpretation 2 : The response is lengthened with the addition a personal connection made by writer. The second interpretation personalizes the response and adds depth.
• Closer :  Two sentences are more appropriate here due to the addition of the second interpretation.  

This model is a subtle variation of Model 2. The difference is that the writer decided to write the interpretation directly following the thesis statement, and then bring in the research detail in the form of a quote. The rest is essentially the same. The point is, sometimes a writer may want to get directly into the explanation/interpretation part of the discourse. This is easily done by grabbing the writing frame handle and moving the desired frame to another location. No notes are included after this model because the elements are essentially the same as Model 2.

Template Formula:   H + TS + INT + RD + INT2 + C ] Word count: 323 Time spent: 25-30 minutes

It seems that poet’s and authors take great delight in camouflaging their real themes and thoughts with strange symbols and figurative trickery. It becomes our task to analyze the sometimes inscrutable clues to get to the bottom of the writer’s real meaning. In her poem, “Moon Tiger”, Denise Levertov provides the reader with some some very interesting clues as to the the true and literal identity of the work’s creeping tiger. Levertov invites us to pay close attention to a very specific clue: the white stripes coming through the room’s blinds. It is a physical fact that moonlight becomes separated into lines that are projected onto the floor when they pass through louvered blinds (jalousies in this case). When Levertov exclaims, “Look. Its white stripes/ In the light that slid/Through the jalousies” , she is speaking from the point of view of a child who observes these lines of moonlight slowly traveling across her room; she imagines that they are the stripes of a tiger “prowling sleekly” across the room.  Everything else in the poem, the small head, the large feet, the prowling, the sniffing, is all imagined by the child. The moon “tiger” is, very simply, the creation of a child’s overactive imagination and nothing else. When you think back to your own childhood, the experience that Levertov describes is not too far from the way children experience the world. I remember working myself into a frenzy when I was four or five, imagining that every creak our old house made was a prowler creeping down the hall, or that the wind outside was the sound of winged beasts ready to sweep me away if I dared go outside .   It’s amazing how poets often hide that which is obvious in plain sight, but few people seem to notice. In Levertov’s case, her little mystery does a pretty good job of portraying the incessantly imaginative minds of children.

Like model 1, this response uses just the basic template formula. It is a in-class, timed assignment.

Type of essay: Expository / Argument The prompt: We just read the Atlantic Monthly article, “How Two Common Medications Became One $455 Million Specialty Pill” by Marshall Allen. In a 300-500 word short essay, discuss whether you believe the Horizon Pharmaceutical Company is justified in selling the drug Vimovo at the price that they do.

Template Formula:   H + TS + RD +   INT + C ] Word count: 322 Time spent: 20-25 minutes

Isaac Asimov once said wisely, “I don’t prescribe to the thesis, ‘let the buyer beware’, I prefer the disregarded one that goes, ‘let the seller be honest’.” It seems as though every big company these days has discovered state-of-the-art ways to separate people from their hard-earned cash, and the pharmaceutical companies are certainly no exception. Marshall Allen’s Atlantic monthly article, “How Two Common Medications Became One $455 Million Specialty Pill” brings up two fairly balanced perspectives regarding the cost of their drug, Vimovo.  After careful consideration, however, it seems clear that there is no way to justify this company charging such exorbitant prices for this drug. According to this journalist, It seems that Horizon simply takes two very common medications, a pain reliever and a stomach-upset medicine, and combines them into one pill, because pain relievers cause some people stomach discomfort.  Not a bad idea I guess, but at what cost? “Of course I did the math”, says the Allen. “You can walk into your local drugstore and buy a month’s supply of Aleve and Nexium for about $40. For Vimovo, the pharmacy billed my insurance company $3,252.” This is a staggering markup in price. And what’s worse is they seem to be getting away with it. Vimovo, according to Allen, has netted the company $455 million since 2014 and shows no signs of slowing down.  They seem to be able to get away with this with a series of sales tricks and back-room deals with insurance companies that the doctors and patients prescribing and using the drugs are seldom aware of. And despite the company executives claiming that they only are charging what the market will bear, and that they receive few complaints about their pricing, well, that’s only because they’ve done such a good job of concealing their unethical tactics. I’m with Mr. Asimov, it’s too bad a company like Horizon can’t simply make their profits in an honest way.

• Hook : The quote by Isaac Asimov goes right to the heart of the topic of unscrupulous sellers. You’ll notice that the essay writer refers once again to Asimov in the closer. This is the proper way to use a quote as a hook in a short response. The hook then bridges seamlessly into the thesis statement.
• Thesis statement : The thesis statement specifically names the article and its author. It echoes the prompt and promises to answer the question being asked.
• Research Detail : The first part of the research detail is paraphrased information that provides context for a reader who may not know what this medicine is. The second part is a direct quote that provides a startling statistic.
• Interpretation : This interpretation goes into why Horizon’s business practices are unethical and unfair. Another research detail ($455 million since 2014) is embedded in the interpretation which is a common practice and fine. A brief mention of the companies justification is quickly rebutted here.
• Closer : Returning back to Asimov, this closer makes the short response feel like it’s come full circle, which is an impressive thing for a writer to do.

This model is a variation of model 4. In order to make the response lengthier and more substantive, the essay writer added an additional research detail . She also split her original interpretation in two, dropping interpretation 2 down to follow the second research detail. Finally, because the response was starting to feel lengthy, she broke the response into a second paragraph. By simply adding a paragraph break in a place that felt natural. No notes will follow this model.

Type of essay: Expository / Argument The prompt: We just read the Atlantic Monthly article, “How Two Common Medications Became One $455 Million Specialty Pill” by Marshall Allen. In a 300-400 word short essay, discuss whether you believe the Horizon Pharmaceutical Company is justified in selling the drug Vimovo at the price that they do.

Template Formula: H + TS + RD +   INT + RD2 + INT2 + C ] Word count: 377 Time spent: 25-30 minutes

Isaac Asimov once said wisely, “I don’t prescribe to the thesis, ‘let the buyer beware’, I prefer the disregarded one that goes, ‘let the seller be honest’.” It seems as though every big company these days has discovered state-of the-art ways to separate people from their hard-earned cash, and the pharmaceutical companies are certainly no exception. Marshall Allen’s Atlantic monthly article, “How Two Common Medications Became One $455 Million Specialty Pill” brings up two fairly balanced perspectives regarding the cost of their drug, Vimovo. After careful consideration, however, it seems clear that there is no way to justify this company charging such exorbitant prices for this drug. It seems that Horizon simply takes two very common medications, a pain reliever, and a stomach-upset medicine, and combines them into one pill because pain relievers cause some people stomach discomfort. Not a bad idea I guess, but at what cost? “Of course I did the math”, says the Allen. “You can walk into your local drugstore and buy a month’s supply of Aleve and Nexium for about $40. For Vimovo, the pharmacy billed my insurance company $3,252.” This is a staggering markup in price. And what’s worse is they seem to be getting away with it. Vimovo, according to Allen, has netted the company $455 million since 2014 and shows no signs of slowing down. They seem to be able to get away with this with a series of sales tricks and back-room deals with insurance companies that the doctors and patients prescribing and using the drugs are seldom aware of. And they don’t stop there.

Based on Allen’s research, Vimovo isn’t Horizon’s only such drug. It has brought in an additional $465 million in net sales from Duexis , a similar convenience drug that combines ibuprofen and famotidine, aka Advil and Pepcid. So, they’ve taken a successful, albeit questionable practice, and spun it into other profitable drugs.  And despite the company executives claiming that they only are charging what the market will bear, and that they receive few complaints about their pricing, well, that’s only because they’ve done such a good job of concealing their unethical tactics.   I’m with Mr. Asimov. It’s too bad a company like Horizon can’t simply make their profits in a more honest way.

This is response to an actual University of California application question. It extends the basic short response template with the addition of a second research detail. Keep in mind that the research details in this paper are the essay writer’s own experience. Research usually, but does not always, come from other sources. Sometimes it comes from your own life in the form of recollections and personal anecdotes.

Type of essay: University of California Application / Personal Insight Question / personal narrative. The prompt: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Limit: 350 words.

Template Formula:   H + TS + RD + RD2 +   INT + C ] Word count: 350 Time spent: 25-30 minutes

I have been the recipient of many a helping hand and kind gesture as a young Latino kid growing up in Los Angeles’s Boyle Heights area. My neighborhood was not an easy place to grow up, with poverty, unemployment and gang violence being a ubiquitous presence that affected everyone, especially kids. As I grew up, I took advantage of every club, team, and outreach program in my neighborhood and at my school that I came into contact with. And, believe me when I say, it helped. So, when I entered Eagle Rock High School as a freshman, I knew that joining a service organization would be a priority for me. More than any other endeavor in my life, my role in rejuvenating our school’s Bridges Mentorship Club has has allowed me to give back to my school in ways that have been both meaningful to others and personally satisfying. Eagle Rock serves grades seven through ten, and some of our most at-risk students are our middle-schoolers. Bridges matches these kids with upperclassmen who guide these students through the rigors of the secondary school experience. It was a club that was supported by a federal grant for many years, but that grant expired, and the club began to dwindle. Without a budget and a teacher-mentor, Bridges lost its way. My group searched for and found a mentor, developed a fundraising strategy, recruited upperclassmen mentors, and crafted lesson plans that would engage our at-risk, middle school population. We created a mentoring schedule that had to accommodate the calendars of teachers, administration and the mentees themselves. In time, we got the program up and running again, and even exceeded our own expectations in doing so. In bringing back Bridges, we brought back a support system for our most vulnerable students that was dearly missing from Eagle Rock. We recreated a program that has helped students in need find the support they need during one of their toughest, transitional times. Giving back what I received growing up has always been a priority for me.  Resurrecting Bridges has allowed me to achieve this goal.

• Hook : At five sentences in length, this is a longer hook than short responses usually feature. However, because this student’s backstory is so essential to this narrative, it makes sense to elaborate in this situation. It also transitions smoothly into the thesis statement as a good hook should.
• Thesis statement : The thesis statement is a single sentence and it directly answers the stated prompt.
• Research Detail 1 : The first research detail features pertinent information about the club’s purpose and demise due to lack of funding. The source of this “research” is the essay writer herself who is, as a founding club member, qualified to present factual information.  
• Research Detail 2 : The second research detail gets into the writer and her group’s specific accomplishments. Again, because this is a personal narrative, the research features her own recollections, which is perfectly acceptable for this type of writing.
• Interpretation : This interpretation in this particular response is quite short. It’s simply a commentary on the impact that the program is having on the school’s 7th and 8th graders.
• Closer : This closer wraps up the response by briefly restating the writer’s motivation and the thesis itself. Like any good closer, this element allows the response to feel finished.

Type of essay: expository/ argument The prompt: Based on the documents we reviewed in class today that assign blame for the Titanic tragedy to several different individuals, who, in your opinion, is most responsible for the sinking of the RMS Titanic and the deaths of over 1,500 passengers?

Template Formula: H + TS + RD +   INT + C ] Word Count: 330 Time spent: 25-30 minutes

The sinking of the Titanic was one of the great tragedies in history. In today’s dollars, the loss of the ship cost it’s investors more than half a billion dollars. But what is worse than the economic loss, of course, is the massive loss of life. 1,503 passengers and crew either drowned or froze to death in the icy waters of the North Atlantic ocean on the fateful April night in 1912. But who was responsible for the sinking of the great ship? Certainly, many people played a role in the tragedy, but one person seems more culpable than all the others. Based on the documents we have reviewed, it seems clear that Captain Edward J. Smith is the individual most responsible for the sinking of the Titanic and the deaths of all of those unfortunate passengers. Robert Ballard, who is considered one of the most-renowned Titanic experts, confirms this in his research. Consider the following evidence taken from Ballard’s “Exploring the Titanic”: “In all Captain Smith received seven ice warnings the afternoon and evening of the disaster.  Of those, only three were posted for anyone to see.” (367) Ignoring this many ice warnings just seems like a recipe for disaster. To use a car/driver analogy, this would be like a driver ignoring three stop signs, driving through two red lights and careening over the Metro track when the gate is down — such a driver would surely get into an accident sooner or later. It is surprising that a captain with 38 years of experience would be so reckless, and clearly had he heeded these warnings, the ship would have survived. It also makes one wonder if Captain Smith was caught up in the overconfidence and hubris of the moment. I mean, why worry about iceberg warnings if you’re sailing an “unsinkable” ship? Sure, the blame could be spread around in regards to this tragic event, but if one person must be held most responsible, it is the captain.

• Hook : This hook attempts to reel in the reader with a pair of startling facts. The first pertains to the huge economic toll the loss of the Titanic caused its company and investors. The second reveals the massive loss of human life that occurred during the fateful voyage. The hook ends with a rhetorical question that is sure to answered by the essayist.  
• Thesis statement : The thesis statement is two sentences in length. It adequately echoes the prompt and provides an answer to the rhetorical question that is asked in the hook.
• Research Detail : Some context regarding who Robert Ballard is is provided prior to the quote. The phrase, “Consider the following evidence” was taken from the sentence starter menu and helps to smoothly transition into the quote itself.  The quote is parenthetically cited in accordance with MLA citation requirements.
• Interpretation : This interpretation employs an analogy to help explain the significance of the quote. It brings in some of the essayists own opinion and, frankly, his judgement of the captain’s behavior. The interpretation concludes effectively with a rhetorical question.
• Closer : The response closes a single sentence that reiterates the prompt and the thesis sentence, making the response feel finished.

This model extends the basic short response template by having the two research details and interpretations alternate within the response. This technique is ideal for expository responses that feature additional evidence. It also creates a rhythm within the writing.

Type of essay: research/expository The prompt: We have reviewed a number of articles about the of the planet’s more interesting and unusual animals. In a text-evidence-based response (300-400 words), explain why you find one of these creatures to be the most intriguing. You have 35 minutes to complete this assignment.

Template Formula:   H + TS + RD +   INT + RD2  + INT2 + C ] Word Count:  327 Time spent: 25-30 minutes

Did you know that turtles are capable of breathing from their butts? Were you aware that penguins can go three months without food? Would it surprise you that rattlesnakes can “see” your heat signature? There certainly are a number of unusual creatures with some very strange abilities on this planet. If pressed to select the single animal that I find the most interesting, however, I would have to contend that jellyfish are quite simply one of the strangest and most unusual  creatures on the planet.   Scientists have discovered a number of examples of this fact.  According to the highly regarded marine biologist, Edwin Kantor, “The largest jellyfish species, the lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata), can have tentacles that extend longer than a blue whale, the largest mammal on Earth.” (67) It is difficult to fathom how large this really is. If you placed this fellow on the top of a ten-story building, the tips of his tentacles would still touch the sidewalk. Imagine how effectively a creature with such a “wingspan” could hunt. He certainly must be a fearsome predator. And the weirdness doesn’t stop there. Consider the following : “The immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) ages like Benjamin Button—when a crisis like starvation presents itself, the jellyfish’s cells transform and revert to their earliest form, a polyp, making this type of jellyfish potentially immortal.” (Simmons 254) Again, it is no surprise that folks look at this formless creature like an alien being from another universe. It’s one thing to be able to stretch out to the size of a sequoia redwood, but to possess the ability to live forever?– that’s truly unique, not to mention a skill that we humans would most likely want to emulate if we could ever figure out how. All in all, when you consider some of their unusual abilities and characteristics, jellyfish truly are some of the weirdest organisms on the planet, although that butt-breathing trick that turtles do is pretty unique.

• Hook : This hook, like the example before it, attempts to reel in the reader with several startling facts that are presented in a series of rhetorical questions. All relate to animals that have been read about in the essay writers biology class. The hook ends with a declarative statement that will blend nicely with the thesis statement to come.  
• Thesis statement : The thesis statement adequately and clearly echoes the prompt. It uses the first person “I” which is appropriate given that this a personal response assignment.
• Research Details 1 and 2 : Both quotes are taken from marine scientists and gives the paper an air of  informed trustworthiness. The quotes are both parenthetically cited in accordance with MLA citation requirements.
• Interpretations 1 and 2 : Neither interpretation is overly long (both are just 3 sentences in length), which is appropriate for a timed assignment like this one.  
• Closer : The response reiterates the prompt and the thesis sentence, making the response feel finished. The added humor at the end is skirting the boundaries of what is considered appropriate for academic writing, but sometimes a writer needs to have some fun. The turtle-butt reference also is a reference to the hook which makes the writing feel like has come full-circle.

Like model 1, this response uses just the basic template formula which is appropriate for an in-class, timed assignment.

Type of essay: persuasive/ argument The prompt: Our school’s administration announced recently that they are considering instituting a school dress code at Marshall High School. Based on your understanding of the rights granted U.S. citizens in the Constitution, do you feel such a policy would is advisable, ethical, or even legal? Your response should be 250-350 words in length and contain some researched or factual evidence. You have 30 minutes to complete your response.

Template Formula:   H + TS + RD + INT + C ] Word Count:  259 Time spent:  25 minutes

I don’t know what’s gotten into today’s adults, but lately it seems that teachers and school administrators take more and more pleasure in squelching students’ individual creativity and their natural desire to want to express their own personal senses of style. This oppressive impulse is perfectly illustrated by the educational leaders of Marshall High School who would like its students to conform to certain, restrictive dress codes. I hate to break it to these conservative “crushers-of-young-folks’-spirits”, but a mandated dress code at our school is a flagrant violation of young people’s’ civil rights. Afterall, The First Amendment  of our United States Constitution states that “Congress cannot pass laws abridging the freedom of speech.” Our forefathers did not intend to have any American citizen’s right to reasonably express him or herself taken away by anybody at any time, no matter their age. This constitutional protection allows us to speak out against politicians who we disagree with. It allows us to write articles that might be controversial or even offensive to some. And it certainly extends to students who might want to wear some loose-fitting jeans or a punk-rock tee shirt. Expressing one’s style, politics or ideas with one’s choice of clothing is no different than doing so with words spoken aloud or written down on paper. So, if the adult leadership of our school is serious about forcing a dress code on us, then they might as well admit that they they are a willing party to the a crass violation of the basic constitutional rights of our school’s students.

• Hook : This hook expresses the essay writer’s belief that an injustice is being contemplated by the school’s adult leadership. The words used here are strong. Phrases such as, “squelching students’ individual creativity”, and, “This oppressive impulse”, suggest that a great wrong is happening and that this essayist is none too pleased about it.
• Thesis statement : The thesis statement oozes with the persecuted annoyance that began in the hook. It echoes the prompt and promises to answer the question being asked.
• Research Detail : The phrase “after all” is a nice transitional element that helps move smoothly into the evidence. The research detail itself is short and sweet, citing the first amendment of the Constitution, beginning with the sentence starter* “states that”. The source is not cited because the existent of this document is considered common knowledge.
• Interpretation : At six sentences long, the interpretation is a healthy length. It focuses on other areas where freedom of expression is protected by the 1st amendment, then reasons that choice of clothing at school should be similarly protected. The somewhat animated tone befits a persuasive response.
• Closer : The word “So” to begin the closer is taken from the sentence starter menu. The tone of the closer maintains the indignant tone that permeates this short response.

This model is a variation of model 9. In this model the “script is flipped” and the interpretation directly follows the thesis statement. This is easily done by grabbing the writing frame handle and moving the frame to its new location. Another difference is that a second research detail is added to this model, giving the response a bit more gravity.

Type of essay: persuasive/ argument The prompt: Our school’s administration announced recently that they are considering instituting a school dress code at Marshall High School. Based on your understanding of the rights granted U.S. citizens in the Constitution, do you feel such a policy would is advisable, ethical or even legal? Your response should be 250-350 words in length and contain some researched evidence. It is due at the start of class tomorrow.

Template Formula: H + TS + INT + RD + RD2 + C ] Word Count:  301 Time spent: 30-35 minutes (including research)

I don’t know what’s gotten into today’s adults, but lately, it seems that teachers and school administrators take more and more pleasure in squelching students’ individual creativity and their natural desire to want to express their own personal senses of style. This oppressive impulse is perfectly illustrated by the educational leaders of Marshall High School who would like its students to conform to certain, restrictive dress codes. I hate to break it to these conservative “crushers-of-young-folks’-spirits”, but a mandated dress code at our school is a flagrant violation of young people’s’ civil rights.   Our forefathers did not intend to have any American citizen’s right to reasonably express him or herself taken away by anybody at any time, no matter their age.  This constitutional protection allows us to speak out against politicians who we disagree with. It allows us to write articles that might be controversial or even offensive to some. And it certainly extends to students who might want to wear some loose-fitting jeans or a punk-rock tee shirt. Expressing one’s style, politics, or ideas with one’s choice of clothing is no different than doing so with words spoken aloud or written down on paper. After all, The First Amendment  of our United States Constitution states that “Congress cannot pass laws abridging the freedom of speech.” Additionally, Lee Rowland of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Nevada branch reminds us that “in conflict with the First Amendment, school uniform policies create instead an environment of sterilized uniformity scrubbed of the diversity so prized by our founding fathers. (238) So, if the adult leadership of our school is serious about forcing a dress code on us, then they might as well admit that they they are willing to be a party to a crass violation of the basic constitutional rights of our school’s students.

• Interpretation : At six sentences long, the interpretation is a healthy length. It focuses on other areas where freedom of expression is protected by the 1st amendment, then reasons that choice of clothing at school should be similarly protected. The somewhat animated tone befits a persuasive response by a person who feel her rights are being violated.
• Research Detail 1 : The phrase “after all” is a nice transitional element that helps move smoothly into the evidence. The research detail itself is short and sweet, citing the first amendment of the Constitution beginning with the sentence starter* “states that”. The source is not cited because the existent of this document is considered common knowledge.
• Research Detail 2 : The transitional word, “additionally” helps the writer move directly, but smoothly, into the second research detail.  Rowlands quote is relevant as it not only brings up the first amendment but mentions the “sterilized uniformity” that the essayist is speaking out against.

Type of essay: research/expository The prompt: Are rattlesnakes a bane or a benefit to mankind? Respond in a structured, evidence-based short constructed response that is 300-350 words in length.

Template Formula:   H + TS + + RD + INT + B + RD2 + INT + C ] Word Count: 327 Time spent: 30-35 minutes (including research)

The subject of deadly creatures, and especially those of the serpent variety make many people extremely uncomfortable.  In our area of Southern California, rattlesnakes are particularly reviled. And while these reptiles may seem unpleasant to many people, they actually are extraordinarily beneficial to the  environment in which we must live. In fact, without these snakes, our local environment would tumble out of balance. According to the Queensland Department of Environment, “The feeding habits of rattlesnakes act as a natural form of pest control. Snakes are predators and feed on a variety of creatures. Small snakes feed on many harmful bugs and insects. Larger ones eat mice, rats, and other small mammals that can destroy crops or damage personal property.” (Dept. of Environment) It is clear that if we were to eliminate rattlesnakes from our environment with the objective of making ourselves “safe”, we would inadvertently and ironically create the opposite effect. An increase in insects and rodents would most certainly lead to such adverse effects as bites, feces in food supplies and the diseases that accompany these conditions. So as you can see, these creatures do have some beneficial qualities. Recent research by other scientists supports this idea. In fact, “New research by a team of University of Maryland biologists shows the timber rattlesnake indirectly benefits humankind by keeping Lyme disease in check.”  (Kabay) Lyme disease is a very deadly illness that can incapacitate and even kill humans. Many people are infected by the disease every year, and it is spread by ticks that live on small creatures like rats and squirrels that are staples of the rattlesnake diet. The research clearly indicates that eliminating rattlesnakes from human environments would make the environment in which we live more dangerous not less dangerous. On the whole, rattlesnakes, despite their fearsome appearance, are quite effective allies in our fight against illness and disease. With this in mind, they should most definitely be regarded as friends and not foes.

• Hook : This is simple background hook revealing that rattlesnakes are indeed feared by a lot of people in Southern California.
• Thesis Statement: The thesis stands in opposition to the hook, stating that this response is going to elaborate on the beneficial aspects of rattlesnakes.
• Research Detail 1 :   The first research detail cites a solid scientific source. It is properly quoted and cited parenthetically. It also matches nicely with the research detail to come.
• Interpretation 1 : At two sentences long, the INT is a little shorter than the 3-6 sentences that we normally recommend, but it does focus on the research detail and will be elaborated upon in the second INT. It also leads smoothly into the next research detail.
• Bridge : This really is more of a mini-bridge that was connected to a research detail sentence starter*. This bridge allows the writing to flow smoothly to the next research detail.
• Research Detail 2 : Again, a solid scientific source is properly cited. It flows nicely from the previous writing, and the simple phrase, “In fact” (also taken from the sentence starter menu) adds emphasis to the significance of the evidence being presented.
• Interpretation 2 : At three sentences in length, this INT continues the assertion that rattlesnakes are beneficial to our human society. It maintains the paper’s focus of featuring a misunderstood animal and is in keeping with the original short response prompt.  
• Closer : This closer begins with the sentence starter “On the whole” which acts here as a kind of wrap-up statement. It adequately reinforces the main idea of the short response, reminding us that the prompt is being addressed.

Related Posts

Style Guide

Hooking Things Together With Bridges

Closer – Let’s Land This Thing!

Mastering the Short Response Hook

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Home ➔ Essay Length Questions ➔ How Long Is a Short Essay?

How Long Is a Short Essay?

If you’re wondering how long a short essay should be in words or pages, you probably don’t have a specific length requirement. The words “short,” “brief,” “concise,” or “succinct” here can imply two things — based on what you’re supposed to write. It can be a usual essay they give in schools or a supplemental admissions response to a prompt. Let’s discuss the first case — the school assignment.

According to Janet D. Stemwedel, a philosophy professor at San Jose State University, the answer is:

A short essay is 500 words long , which is about two pages with double spacing and one page with single spacing.

That number is based on the assumption that you use Times New Roman font (12pt) with standard margins. Various formatting styles have different requirements for those elements. Hence, always check if you must adhere to a particular set of instructions before writing.

Let’s consider another example. Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences provides some short essay samples that are personal statements and application essays written by students who wanted to apply for various programs. After looking through them (link in the references section), you can see that all of them are pretty much the same — about 500 words. Within that limit, the applicants had to explain why they wanted to pursue their educational careers in that college.

As for a common short essay, it has a traditional structure: an opening (hook, thesis, etc.), a body section, and a conclusion. In 500 words, you can develop and present an idea adequately, which means your paper will consist of 3–5 paragraphs. That’s generally ample to give background information, incorporate one central point, and wrap it up with a conclusion.

5-Paragraph Short Essay

Usually, five paragraphs are an unspoken minimum for a short essay to accomplish its objectives. This number of sections allows you to introduce your topic or claim, discuss or prove it, and provide the reader with a rational conclusion.

Note: To find out more about the five-paragraph structure, see our article — How to Structure an Essay .

20-60-20 is the best ratio for each main element. Your opening and closing paragraphs should be about the same length. And, the largest chunk should be taken by three body paragraphs.

What About a Short Answer Essay?

You will typically have to write this as a brief supplemental essay when applying to college. It should be smaller than a normal brief essay with an average length of 150–250 words.

Often, you won’t find any precise requirements for short answer essays (like a clearly stated word limit). But, if you’re sending it online, the system won’t let you exceed the recommended number — you just won’t be able to submit it.

One paragraph is a standard length for your answer, and whoever is examining it should be able to read it in about sixty seconds. That’s why you need to make the most out of every word. If your answer is lacking in length, it won’t be meaningful, and if it’s longer, they may even skip reading it.

A “short” essay doesn’t imply worse quality or less effort. Conversely, you need to make every word count and pay special attention to grammar, style, punctuation, and tone.

If you’re allowed to write a 250-word answer, it means the school wants to know more about your personality. Be sure to make your writing compelling for that overworked admissions board officer who has already read hundreds of these answers.

What’s the most suitable length for a brief answer essay? Well, aim for 125–150 words if the instructions don’t implicitly say to write more. This range is enough to elaborate on one of the extracurricular activities or your personal experience.

When composing it, don’t overthink what to tell the board about — be yourself. The foremost goal of this small essay is to show who you truly are and what values you have. It’s easy to see when a person is dishonest. A story about volunteering will not necessarily have a stronger effect than a piece about your science fair project.

Differences Between a Short Essay and a Short Answer

The table below summarizes and compares a regular short essay and an application answer to a question.

Final Tips on Succinct Essays

• Don’t overuse extensive quotes. First, such citations will take up lots of space in your essay, so might not have enough words left to write the actual piece. Express opinions of other people using your own words or use short quotes with further analysis.
• If you can pick the topic, don’t choose something that’s too broad — narrow it down so that you can write about adequately within the 500-word limit.
• Beware of plagiarism. Don’t disguise the viewpoints of others as your own. Besides getting a low grade, you also risk failing the entire course and being subjected to administrative penalties.

We hope now you have a better idea about short essays and their length. If you have more questions, try using our navigation or search bar.

A 5-paragraph structure would be the most common one for this word limit. Hence, to write a short essay, you can follow the guide we linked to earlier in the article. It describes in detail every step involved in essay writing, regardless of length.

It depends on your essay type. If you’re writing an admissions essay, they will give you one or several prompts. Otherwise, go for a topic the discussion of which can fit the word count.

When it comes to opinion pieces, the word “short” implies a broader range — somewhere between 200 and 2000 words. Some of the best short non-fiction essays are: “Phoning It In” by Stanley Bing, “Beer Can” by John Updike, “Of Revenge” by Francis Bacon, “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, “Assassins of The Mind” by Christopher Hitchens, “A Dog’s Eye View of Man” by James Thurber.

The list of references

• Short Essay Guidelines — by Professor Stemwedel
• Short Essay Samples — Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences

Was this article helpful?

How to Tackle Short Answer Questions on College Applications

Overview of Short Answer Questions

In general, short answer questions fit into two categories: those asking for more than a 100 word response; and those asking for fewer than 100 words. These questions, which are seen less often, are attempts to get to know you by asking about your favorite things or about your personality.  Longer response questions typically ask about your place within the college’s academic and campus community in order to assess whether you are a good fit for the college and the college is a good fit for you. Regardless of their length and purpose, short answer questions deserve as much care and attention as other parts of the application. 

Recommendations and Advice

The key to successfully answering any short answer question is to understand that less is more. Responses most likely to make a good impression are those that avoid redundancy and clichés and instead provide clear and concise answers that are candid, creative, and even humorous. It might seem unnecessary, but it’s always a good idea to brainstorm responses to a short answer question. Brainstorming will help you narrow down which topics highlight the range of your personality and interests outside of information that you have already presented in other parts of your application. It is also important to keep in mind that unlike academic essays and the longer admissions essay, short answers don’t need fancy introductions with hooks or anecdotes. A short answer response should follow this basic structure: a topic sentence that answers the question, evidence to support your answer, and a sentence or two of introspection.

Here are some additional short answer do’s and don’ts:

• Do your homework. Some of the more common short answer questions ask applicants to explain some version of “Why us?” So know your audience. Go beyond citing a school’s elite engineering program or its wide range of extracurricular offerings. Mention if you visited the campus, spoke with admissions counselors, or met with professors, current students, or alumni. Help admissions see your genuine interest in the school. Show them how you will fit into the school and how the school complements your unique goals and talents.
• Do embrace variety and creativity. You have interests or experiences that are unique to you, so use them to stand out from the crowd. For example, if asked about how you use free time, instead of writing about community service work that you have already cited, share a quirky hobby like knitting. To describe yourself, avoid generic adjectives likely to appear on most applications or already appear on yours somewhere already (e.g. responsible, passionate, empathetic), and don’t repeat adjectives using synonyms (e.g. kind and considerate). 
• Do try to be as authentic as possible. While there are some things you may not want to share with admissions officers, it’s in your best interest to be candid about your struggles or any unique circumstances that have shaped you. When an answer sounds like someone crafting the persona of a “cool” or “perfect” candidate, the result is often cliché and bland. Likewise, avoid using pretentious vocabulary. Be yourself as much as possible or risk not making an impression.
• Do answer the question and be specific. Make sure your answers describe your personal growth or illustrate the “Why?” behind your choices and preferences. Use vivid details and examples to support your answers.
• Don’t repeat yourself. Whenever possible, do not answer a short answer question with information that can be found somewhere else in your application, including any anecdotes.
• Don’t forget the small stuff. Some schools may ask students to answer questions that require fewer than ten word responses (e.g. What 3-5 words best describe you? List five books you have read that intrigued you.). Most of the same advice applies to these questions, but there are some special considerations to keep in mind. The tiny word limit means your answers have to be even more bold and idiosyncratic. Don’t worry about sounding silly or perhaps even ruffling some feathers. The rest of your application should demonstrate your academic achievements and personal accomplishments, so see this as an opportunity to have some fun!

Looking Ahead

With so many aspects to the college application—especially written components like personal statements, supplements, and short answers—it can be so overwhelming that it becomes difficult to come up with and organize ideas or to know if what you have written hits the mark. This guide shares useful tips, but help from a tutor at A+ Test Prep and Tutoring can provide even more assistance. Take advantage of its editing and essay services , including two different packages designed to help students as they brainstorm, compose, and edit their college application written requirements. That way, you can make sure you have given your best answers to even the shortest of questions and have fully taken advantage of another opportunity to stand out from other applicants.

At A+ Test Prep and Tutoring, our practices are based on the latest developments in educational theory and research. We have an excellent team of tutors who can help you with standardized testing, executive functioning, or achievement in any other school subject. If you want to find out more about our services, our Client Service Directors Susan Ware and Joelle Faucette can be reached at 215-886-9188.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Submit Comment

Popular Topics

What they're saying.

(215) 886-9188

A+ test prep and tutoring -- philadelphia.

505 York Road, Suite 6, Jenkintown PA 19046

A+ Test Prep and Tutoring -- Montgomeryville

593-1 Bethlehem Pike, Unit #4, Montgomeryville PA 18936

[email protected]

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write the Common Application Essays 2024-2025 (With Examples)

The Common App essay is one of the most important parts of your application, but it can be extremely daunting if you’re not familiar with creative writing or what admissions officers are looking for.

In this blog post, we’ll provide advice on how to break down these prompts, organize your thoughts, and craft a strong, meaningful response that admissions officers will notice. If you’d like more free personalized help, you can get your essays reviewed and explore school-by-school essay help on CollegeVine.

Why the Common App Essay Matters

Admissions is a human process. While admissions committees look at grades, test scores, and extracurriculars, there are five students that have great qualifications in those areas for every spot in a university’s class. As an applicant, you need an admissions counselor to choose you over everyone else — to advocate specifically for you. 

This is where essays come in; they are an opportunity for you to turn an admissions counselor into an advocate for your application! Of your essays, the Common App is the most important since it is seen by most of the colleges to which you apply. It is also your longest essay, which gives you more space to craft a narrative and share your personality, feelings, and perspective.

It’s not hyperbole to say that getting the Common App essay right is the single most important thing you can do to improve your chances of admission as a senior. 

Overview of the Common App

The Common App essay is the best way for admissions committees to get to know you. While SAT scores, your past course load, and your grades provide a quantitative picture of you as a student, the Common App essay offers adcoms a refreshing glimpse into your identity and personality. For this reason, try to treat the essay as an opportunity to tell colleges why you are unique and what matters to you.

Since your Common App essay will be seen by numerous colleges, you will want to paint a portrait of yourself that is accessible to a breadth of institutions and admissions officers (for example, if you are only applying to engineering programs at some schools, don’t focus your Common App on STEM at the expense of your other applications — save that for your supplemental essays).

In short, be open and willing to write about a topic you love, whether it is sports, music, politics, food, or watching movies. The Common App essay is more of a conversation than a job interview.

What Makes a Great Common App Essay?

A great Common App essay is, first and foremost, deeply personal. You are relying on the admissions committee to choose you over someone else, which they are more likely to do if they feel a personal connection to you. In your essay, you should delve into your feelings, how you think about situations/problems, and how you make decisions.

Good essays also usually avoid cliche topics . A couple overdone themes include an immigrant’s journey (particularly if you’re Asian American), and a sports accomplishment or injury. It’s not that these topics are bad, but rather that many students write about these subjects, so they don’t stand out as much. Of course, some students are able to write a genuine and unique essay about one of these topics, but it’s hard to pull off. You’re better off writing about more nuanced aspects of your identity!

You should also, of course, pay close attention to your grammar and spelling, use varied sentence structure and word choice, and be consistent with your tone/writing style. Take full advantage of the available 650 words, as writing less tends to mean missed opportunities.

Finally, it’s a good practice to be aware of your audience – know who you are writing for! For example, admissions officers at BYU will probably be very religious, while those at Oberlin will be deeply committed to social justice.

See some examples of great Common App essays to get a better idea of what makes a strong essay.

How your Common App Essay Fits with Your Other Essays

The Common App is one part of a portfolio of essays that you send to colleges, along with supplemental essays at individual colleges. With all of your essays for a particular college, you want to create a narrative and tell different parts of your story. So, the topics you write about should be cohesive and complementary, but not repetitive or overlapping. 

Before jumping in to write your Common App essay, you should think about the other schools that you’re writing essays for and make sure that you have a strategy for your entire portfolio of essays and cover different topics for each. If you have strong qualifications on paper for the colleges you are targeting, the best narratives tend to humanize you. If you have weaker qualifications on paper for your colleges, the best narratives tend to draw out your passion for the topics or fields of study that are of interest to you and magnify your accomplishments. 

Strategy for Writing the Common App Essays

Because the Common App essay is 650 words long and has few formal directions, organizing a response might seem daunting. Fortunately, at CollegeVine, we’ve developed a straightforward approach to formulating strong, unique responses.

This section outlines how to: 1) Brainstorm , 2) Organize , and 3) Write a Common App essay.

Before reading the prompts, brainstorming is a critical exercise to develop high-level ideas. One way to construct a high-level idea would be to delve into a passion and focus on how you interact with the concept or activity. For example, using “creative writing” as a high-level idea, one could stress their love of world-building, conveying complex emotions, and depicting character interactions, emphasizing how writing stems from real-life experiences.

A different idea that doesn’t involve an activity would be to discuss how your personality has developed in relation to your family; maybe one sibling is hot-headed, the other quiet, and you’re in the middle as the voice of reason (or maybe you’re the hot-head). These are simply two examples of infinitely many ideas you could come up with.

To begin developing your own high-level ideas, you can address these Core Four questions that all good Common App essays should answer:

• “Who Am I?”
• “Why Am I Here?”
• “What is Unique About Me?”
• “What Matters to Me?”

The first question focuses on your personality traits — who you are. The second question targets your progression throughout high school (an arc or journey). The third question is more difficult to grasp, but it involves showing why your personality traits, methods of thinking, areas of interest, and tangible skills form a unique combination. The fourth question is a concluding point that can be answered simply, normally in the conclusion paragraph, i.e., “Running matters to me” or “Ethical fashion matters to me.”

You can brainstorm freeform or start with a specific prompt in mind.

Sometimes, it can be helpful to start by jotting down the 3-5 aspects of your personality or experiences you’ve had on a piece of paper. Play around with narratives that are constructed out of different combinations of these essential attributes before settling on a prompt. 

For example, you might note that you are fascinated by environmental justice, have had success in Model Congress, and are now working with a local politician to create a recycling program in your school district. You may also have tried previous initiatives that failed. These experiences could be constructed and applied to a number of Common App prompts. You could address a specific identity or interest you have associated with public advocacy, discuss what you learned from your failed initiatives, explore how you challenged the lack of recycling at your school, fantasize about solving waste management issues, etc. 

Selecting a prompt that you identify with

For example, consider the following prompt: The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Perhaps you had been a dedicated and active member of your school’s debate team until one of your parents lost their jobs, leaving you unable to afford the high membership and travel dues. You decided to help out by getting a job after school, and responded to your familial hardship with grace and understanding (as opposed to anger). A few months later, and after speaking with your former debate coach and your parents, you set up a system to save up for your own trips so that you could still participate in debate!

In general, the most common mistake CollegeVine sees with Common App essays is that they aren’t deeply personal. Your essay should be specific enough that it could be identified as yours even if your name wasn’t attached. 

If you get stuck, don’t worry! This is very common as the Common App is often the first personal essay college applicants have ever written. One way of getting unstuck if you feel like you aren’t getting creative or personal enough is to keep asking yourself “why”

For example: I love basketball…

• Because I like having to think on the fly and be creative while running our offense.

It can often help to work with someone and bounce ideas off them. Teachers are often a bad idea – they tend to think of essays in an academic sense, which is to say they often fail to apply the admissions context. Further, it is unlikely that they know you well enough to provide valuable insight. Friends in your own year can be a good idea because they know you, but you should be careful about competitive pressures applying within the same high school. Older friends, siblings, or neighbors who have successfully navigated the admissions process at your target universities (or good universities) strike that medium between no longer being competitive with you for admissions but still being able to help you brainstorm well because they know you.

Overall, there is no single “correct” topic. Your essay will be strong as long as you are comfortable and passionate about your idea and it answers the Core Four questions.

Common App essays are not traditional five-paragraph essays. You are free to be creative in structure, employ dialogue, and use vivid descriptions—and you should! Make sure that context and logic are inherent in your essay, however. From paragraph to paragraph, sentence to sentence, your ideas should be clear and flow naturally. Great ways to ensure this are using a story arc following a few major points, or focusing on cause and effect.

The traditional approach

This involves constructing a narrative out of your experiences and writing a classic personal essay. You are free to be creative in structure, employ dialogue, and use vivid descriptions—and you should! Make sure that context and logic are inherent in your essay, however. From paragraph to paragraph, sentence to sentence, your ideas should be clear and flow naturally. Great ways to ensure this are using a story arc following a few major points, or focusing on cause and effect.

The creative approach

Some students prefer to experiment with an entirely new approach to the personal essay. For example, a student who is passionate about programming could write their essay in alternating lines of Binary and English. A hopeful Literature major could reimagine a moment in their life as a chapter of War and Peace, adopting Tolstoy’s writing style. Or, you could write about a fight with your friend in the form of a third person sports recap to both highlight your interest in journalism and reveal a personal story. Creative essays are incredibly risky and difficult to pull off. However, a creative essay that is well executed may also have the potential for high reward.

Your Common App essay must display excellent writing in terms of grammar and sentence structure. The essay doesn’t need to be a Shakespearean masterpiece, but it should be well-written and clear.

A few tips to accomplish this are:

• Show, don’t tell
• Be specific
• Choose active voice, not passive voice
• Avoid clichés
• Write in a tone that aligns with your goals for the essay. For example, if you are a heavy STEM applicant hoping to use your Common App essay to humanize your application, you will be undermined by writing in a brusque, harsh tone.

“Show, don’t tell” is vital to writing an engaging essay, and this is the point students struggle with most.  Instead of saying, “I struggled to make friends when I transferred schools,” you can show your emotions by writing, “I scanned the bustling school cafeteria, feeling more and more forlorn with each unfamiliar face. I found an empty table and ate my lunch alone.”

In many cases, writing can include more specific word choice . For example, “As a kid, I always played basketball,” can be improved to be “Every day after school as a kid, I ran home, laced up my sneakers, and shot a basketball in my driveway until the sun went down and I could barely see.”

To use active voice over passive voice , be sure that your sentence’s subject performs the action indicated by the verb, rather than the action performing onto the subject. Instead of writing “this project was built by my own hands,” you would say “I built this project with my own hands.”

Finally, avoid clichés like adages, sayings, and quotes that do not bring value to your essay. Examples include phrases like “Be the change you wish to see in the world” (it’s also important to know that sayings like these are often seriously misquoted—Gandhi did not actually utter these words) and lavish claims like “it was the greatest experience of my life.”

A few tips for the writing (and re-writing!) process

• If you have enough time, write a 950 word version of your personal statement first and then cut it down to the official word limit of 650. In many cases, the extra writing you do for this draft will contain compelling content. Using this, you can carve out the various sections and information that allow you to tell your story best. 
• Revise your draft 3-5 times. Any more, you are probably overthinking and overanalyzing. Any less, you are not putting in the work necessary to optimize your Common App essay.
• It can be easy for you to get lost in your words after reading and rereading, writing and rewriting. It is best to have someone else do your final proofread to help you identify typos or sentences that are unclear.

Deciding on a Prompt

This section provides insights and examples for each of the 7 Common App essay prompts for the 2024-2025 cycle. Each of these prompts lends itself to distinct topics and strategies, so selecting the prompt that best aligns with your idea is essential to writing an effective Common App essay.

Here are this year’s prompts (click the link to jump to the specific prompt):

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. how did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience, reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. what prompted your thinking what was the outcome, reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. how has this gratitude affected or motivated you, discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others., describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. why does it captivate you what or who do you turn to when you want to learn more, share an essay on any topic of your choice. it can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design..

This prompt offers an opportunity to engage with your favorite extracurricular or academic subject, and it allows you to weave a narrative that displays personal growth in that area. An essay that displays your personality and a unique interest can be attention-grabbing, particularly if you have an unconventional passion, such as blogging about Chinese basketball or unicycling.

Don’t feel intimidated if you don’t have a passion that is immediately “unique,” however. Even an interest like “arctic scuba diving” will fail as an essay topic if it’s not written with insight and personality. Instead of attempting to impress the Admissions Officer by making up unusual or shocking things, think about how you spend your free time and ask yourself why you spend it that way. Also think about your upbringing, identity, and experiences and ask yourself, “What has impacted me in a meaningful way?”

Here Are A Few Response Examples:

Background – A person’s background includes experiences, training, education, and culture. You can discuss the experience of growing up, interacting with family, and how relationships have molded who you are. A background can include long-term interactions with arts, music, sciences, sports, writing, and many other learned skills. Background also includes your social environments and how they’ve influenced your perception. In addition, you can highlight intersections between multiple backgrounds and show how each is integral to you.

One student wrote about how growing up in a poor Vietnamese immigrant family inspired her to seize big opportunities, even if they were risky or challenging. She describes the emotional demand of opening and running a family grocery store. (Note: Names have been changed to protect the identity of the author and subjects in all the examples.)

The callouses on my mother’s hands formed during the years spent scaling fish at the  market in Go Noi, Vietnam. My mother never finished her formal education because she  labored on the streets to help six others survive. Her calloused hands not only scaled fish, they  also slaved over the stove, mustering a meal from the few items in the pantry. This image  resurfaces as I watch my mother’s calloused hands wipe her sweat-beaded forehead while she  manages the family business, compiling resources to provide for the family. 

Living in an impoverished region of Vietnam pushed my parents to emigrate. My two  year-old memory fails me, but my mother vividly recounts my frightened eyes staring up at her on my first plane ride. With life packed into a single suitcase, my mother’s heart, though,  trembled more than mine. Knowing only a few words of English, my mother embarked on a  journey shrouded in a haze of uncertainty. 

Our initial year in America bore an uncanny resemblance to Vietnam – from making one  meal last the entire day to wearing the same four shirts over and over again. Through thin walls, I  heard my parents debating their decision to come to the United States, a land where they knew  no one. My grandparents’ support came in half-hearted whispers cracking through long-distance  phone calls. My dad’s scanty income barely kept food on the table. We lived on soup and rice for  what seemed an interminable time. 

However, an opportunity knocked on my parents’ door: a grocery store in the town of  Decatur, Mississippi, was up for rent. My parents took the chance, risking all of their savings.  To help my parents, I spent most of my adolescent afternoons stocking shelves, mopping floors,  and even translating. My parents’ voices wavered when speaking English; through every attempt to communicate with their customers, a language barrier forged a palpable presence in each  transaction. My parents’ spirits faltered as customers grew impatient. A life of poverty awaited us in Vietnam if the business was not successful. 

On the first day, the business brought in only twenty dollars. Twenty dollars. My mother and my father wept after they closed the shop. Seeing the business as a failure, my mom commenced her packing that night; returning to Vietnam seemed inevitable. 

The next business day, however, sales increased ten-fold. More and more customers  came each successive day. My mom’s tears turned into—well, more tears, but they were tears of  joy. My mother unpacked a bag each night. 

Fifteen years later, my parents now own Blue Bear Grocery. My parents work, work,  work to keep the shelves stocked and the customers coming. The grocery store holds a special  place in my heart: it is the catalyst for my success. My parents serve as my role-models, teaching  me a new lesson with every can placed on the shelf. One lesson that resurfaces is the importance  of pursuing a formal education, something that my parents never had the chance of. 

When the opportunity to attend the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science  (MSMS) presented itself, I took it and ran, as did my parents by leaving Vietnam and by buying  the store. Although I am not managing hundreds of products, I am managing hundreds of  assignments at MSMS – from Mu Alpha Theta tutoring to lab reports to student government to British literature. 

Had I not immigrated, my hands would be calloused from the tight grip of the knife  scaling fish rather than from the tight grip on my pencil. My hands would be calloused from scrubbing my clothes covered in fish scales rather than from long hours spent typing a research paper. 

Although the opportunities that my parents and I pursued are different, our journey is  essentially the same: we walk a road paved with uncertainty and doubt with the prospect of success fortified by our hearts and our hands.

Identity – this can mean racial identity, sexual orientation, gender, or simply one’s place within a specific community (even communities as unique as, say, players of World of Warcraft). With the topic of racial identity, it’s important to remember the audience (college admissions counselors often lean progressive politically), so this might not be the best place to make sweeping claims about today’s state of race relations. However, reflecting on how your culture has shaped your experiences can make for a compelling essay. Alternatively, focusing on a dominant personality trait can also make for a compelling theme. For example, if you’re extremely outgoing, you could explain how your adventurousness has allowed you to learn from a diverse group of friends and the random situations you find yourself in. One important thing to note: the topic of identity can easily lack originality if you cover a common experience such as feeling divided between cultures, or coming out. If such experiences are integral to who you are, you should still write about them, but be sure to show us your unique introspection and reflection.

One student detailed how growing up as an American in Germany led to feelings of displacement. Moving to America in high school only exacerbated her feelings of rootlessness. Her transcultural experiences, however, allowed her to relate to other “New Americans,” particularly refugees. Helping a young refugee girl settle into the US eventually helped the writer find home in America as well:

Growing up, I always wanted to eat, play, visit, watch, and be it all: sloppy joes and spaetzle, Beanie Babies and Steiff, Cape Cod and the Baltic Sea, football and fussball, American and German. 

My American parents relocated our young family to Berlin when I was three years old. My exposure to America was limited to holidays spent stateside and awfully dubbed Disney Channel broadcasts. As the few memories I had of living in the US faded, my affinity for Germany grew. I began to identify as “Germerican,” an ideal marriage of the two cultures. As a child, I viewed my biculturalism as a blessing. I possessed a native fluency in “Denglisch” and my family’s Halloween parties were legendary at a time when the holiday was just starting to gain popularity outside of the American Sector. 

Insidiously, the magic I once felt in loving two homes was replaced by a deep­rooted sense of rootlessness. I stopped feeling American when, while discussing World War II with my grandmother, I said “the US won.” She corrected me, insisting I use “we” when referring to the US’s actions. Before then, I hadn’t realized how directly people associated themselves with their countries. I stopped feeling German during the World Cup when my friends labeled me a “bandwagon fan” for rooting for Germany. Until that moment, my cheers had felt sincere. I wasn’t part of the “we” who won World Wars or World Cups. Caught in a twilight of foreign and familiar, I felt emotionally and psychologically disconnected from the two cultures most familiar to me. 

After moving from Berlin to New York state at age fifteen, my feelings of cultural homelessness thrived in my new environment. Looking and sounding American furthered my feelings of dislocation. Border patrol agents, teachers, classmates, neighbors, and relatives all “welcomed me home” to a land they could not understand was foreign to me. Americans confused me as I relied on Urban Dictionary to understand my peers, the Pledge of Allegiance seemed nationalistic, and the only thing familiar about Fahrenheit was the German after whom it was named. Too German for America and too American for Germany, I felt alienated from both. I wanted desperately to be a member of one, if not both, cultures. 

During my first weeks in Buffalo, I spent my free time googling “Berlin Family Seeks Teen” and “New Americans in Buffalo.” The latter search proved most fruitful: I discovered New Hope, a nonprofit that empowers resettled refugees, or “New Americans,” to thrive. I started volunteering with New Hope’s children’s programs, playing with and tutoring young refugees. 

It was there that I met Leila, a twelve-­year-­old Iraqi girl who lived next to Hopeprint. In between games and snacks, Leila would ask me questions about American life, touching on everything from Halloween to President Obama. Gradually, my confidence in my American identity grew as I recognized my ability to answer most of her questions. American culture was no longer completely foreign to me. I found myself especially qualified to work with young refugees; my experience growing up in a country other than that of my parents’ was similar enough to that of the refugee children New Hope served that I could empathize with them and offer advice. Together, we worked through conflicting allegiances, homesickness, and stretched belonging. 

Forging a special, personal bond with young refugees proved a cathartic outlet for my insecurities as it taught me to value my past. My transculturalism allowed me to help young refugees integrate into American life, and, in doing so, I was able to adjust myself. Now, I have an appreciation of myself that I never felt before. “Home” isn’t the digits in a passport or ZIP code but a sense of contentedness. By helping a young refugee find comfort, happiness, and home in America, I was finally able to find those same things for myself.

The above essay was written by Lydia Schooler, a graduate of Yale University and one of our CollegeVine advisors. If you enjoyed this essay and are looking for expert college essay and admissions advice, consider booking a session with Lydia .

Interests – Interest are basically synonymous to activities, but slightly broader (you could say that interests encompass activities); participation in an interest is often less organized than in an activity. For instance, you might consider cross country an activity, but cooking an interest. Writing about an interest is a way to highlight passions that may not come across in the rest of your application. If you’re a wrestler for example, writing about your interest in stand-up comedy would be a refreshing addition to your application. You should also feel free to use this topic to show what an important activity on your application really means to you. Keep in mind, however, that many schools will ask you to describe one of your activities in their supplemental essays (usually about 250 words), so choose strategically—you don’t want to write twice on the same thing.

Read a successful essay answering this prompt.

This prompt lends itself to consideration of what facets of your personality allow you to overcome adversity. While it’s okay to choose a relatively mundane “failure” such as not winning an award at a Model UN conference, another (perhaps more powerful) tactic is to write about a foundational failure and assess its impact on your development thereafter.

There are times in life when your foundation is uprooted. There are times when you experience failure and you want to give up since you don’t see a solution. This essay is about your response when you are destabilized and your actions when you don’t see an immediate answer.

For example, if you lost a friend due to an argument, you can analyze the positions from both sides, evaluate your decisions, and identify why you were wrong. The key is explaining your thought process and growth following the event to highlight how your thinking has changed. Did you ever admit your fault and seek to fix the problem? Have you treated others differently since then? How has the setback changed the way you view arguments and fights now? Framing the prompt in this way allows you to tackle heavier questions about ethics and demonstrate your self-awareness.

If you haven’t experienced a “big” failure, another angle to take would be to discuss smaller, repeated failures that are either linked or similar thematically. For example, if you used to stutter or get nervous in large social groups, you could discuss the steps you took to find a solution. Even if you don’t have a massive foundational challenge to write about, a recurring challenge can translate to a powerful essay topic, especially if the steps you took to overcome this repeated failure help expose your character.

One student described his ignorance of his brother’s challenges — the writer assumed that because his brother Sam was sociable, Sam  was adjusting fine to their family’s move. After an angry outburst from Sam  and a long late-night conversation, the writer realizes his need to develop greater sensitivity and empathy. He now strives to recognize and understand others’ struggles, even if they’re not immediately apparent.

“You ruined my life!” After months of quiet anger, my brother finally confronted me. To my shame, I had been appallingly ignorant of his pain.

Despite being twins, Max and I are profoundly different. Having intellectual interests from a young age that, well, interested very few of my peers, I often felt out of step in comparison with my highly-social brother. Everything appeared to come effortlessly for Max and, while we share an extremely tight bond, his frequent time away with friends left me feeling more and more alone as we grew older.

When my parents learned about The Green Academy, we hoped it would be an opportunity for me to find not only an academically challenging environment, but also – perhaps more importantly – a community. This meant transferring the family from Drumfield to Kingston. And while there was concern about Max, we all believed that given his sociable nature, moving would be far less impactful on him than staying put might be on me.

As it turned out, Green Academy was everything I’d hoped for. I was ecstatic to discover a group of students with whom I shared interests and could truly engage. Preoccupied with new friends and a rigorous course load, I failed to notice that the tables had turned. Max, lost in the fray and grappling with how to make connections in his enormous new high school, had become withdrawn and lonely. It took me until Christmas time – and a massive argument – to recognize how difficult the transition had been for my brother, let alone that he blamed me for it.

Through my own journey of searching for academic peers, in addition to coming out as gay when I was 12, I had developed deep empathy for those who had trouble fitting in. It was a pain I knew well and could easily relate to. Yet after Max’s outburst, my first response was to protest that our parents – not I – had chosen to move us here. In my heart, though, I knew that regardless of who had made the decision, we ended up in Kingston for my benefit. I was ashamed that, while I saw myself as genuinely compassionate, I had been oblivious to the heartache of the person closest to me. I could no longer ignore it – and I didn’t want to.

We stayed up half the night talking, and the conversation took an unexpected turn. Max opened up and shared that it wasn’t just about the move. He told me how challenging school had always been for him, due to his dyslexia, and that the ever-present comparison to me had only deepened his pain.

We had been in parallel battles the whole time and, yet, I only saw that Max was in distress once he experienced problems with which I directly identified. I’d long thought Max had it so easy – all because he had friends. The truth was, he didn’t need to experience my personal brand of sorrow in order for me to relate – he had felt plenty of his own.

My failure to recognize Max’s suffering brought home for me the profound universality and diversity of personal struggle; everyone has insecurities, everyone has woes, and everyone – most certainly – has pain. I am acutely grateful for the conversations he and I shared around all of this, because I believe our relationship has been fundamentally strengthened by a deeper understanding of one another. Further, this experience has reinforced the value of constantly striving for deeper sensitivity to the hidden struggles of those around me. I won’t make the mistake again of assuming that the surface of someone’s life reflects their underlying story.

This prompt is difficult to answer because most high schoolers haven’t participated in the types of iconoclastic protests against societal ills that lend themselves to an awe-inspiring response. A more tenable alternative here could be to discuss a time that you went against social norms, whether it was by becoming friends with someone who seemed like an outcast or by proudly showing off a geeky passion.

And if you ever participated in a situation in tandem with adults and found some success (i.e., by blogging, starting a tutoring organization, or participating in political campaigns), you could discuss your experiences as a young person without a college degree in professional circles. However, avoid sounding morally superior (as if you’re the only person who went against this convention, or that you’re better than your peers for doing so).

Another way to answer this prompt is to discuss a time when you noticed a need for change. For example, if you wondered why medical records are often handwritten, or why a doctor’s visit can be long and awkward, maybe you challenged the norm in healthcare by brainstorming an electronic-recording smartphone app or a telemedicine system. In a similar way, if you led a fundraiser and recognized that advertising on social media would be more effective than the traditional use of printed flyers, you could write about a topic along those lines as well. Focus on what action or experience caused you to recognize the need for change and follow with your actions and resulting outcome.

As a whole, this prompt lends itself to reflective writing, and more specifically, talking the reader through your thought processes. In many cases, the exploration of your thought processes and decision-making is more important than the actual outcome or concept in question. In short, this essay is very much about “thinking,” rumination, and inquisition. A good brainstorming exercise for this prompt would be to write your problem on a sheet of paper and then develop various solutions to the problem, including a brief reason for justification. The more thorough you are in justifying and explaining your solutions in the essay, the more compelling your response will be.

While this prompt may seem to be asking a simple question, your answer has the potential to provide deep insights about who you are to the admissions committee. Explaining what you are grateful for can show them your culture, your community, your philosophical outlook on the world, and what makes you tick. 

The first step to writing this essay is to think about the “something” and “someone” of your story. It is imperative to talk about a unique moment in your life, as the prompt asks for gratitude that came about in a surprising way. You will want to write about a story that you are certain no one else would have. To brainstorm, ask yourself: “if I told a stranger that I was grateful for what happened to me without any context, would they be surprised?” 

Note that the most common answers to this prompt involve a family member, teacher, or sports coach giving the narrator an arduous task ─ which, by the end of the story, the narrator becomes grateful for because of the lessons they learned through their hard work. Try to avoid writing an essay along these lines unless you feel that your take on it will be truly original.

Begin your essay by telling a creative story about the “something” that your “someone” did that made you thankful. Paint a picture with words here ─ establish who you were in the context of your story and make the character development of your “someone” thorough. Show the admissions committee that you have a clear understanding of yourself and the details of your world. 

Keep in mind, however, that the essay is ultimately about you and your growth. While you should set the scene clearly, don’t spend too much time talking about the “something” and “someone.”

Your story should then transition into a part about your unexpected epiphany, e.g. “Six months after Leonard gave me that pogo stick, I started to be grateful for the silly thing…” Explain the why of your gratitude as thoroughly as you can before you begin to talk about how your gratitude affected or motivated you. Have a Socratic seminar with yourself in your head ─ ask yourself, “why am I grateful for the pogo stick?” and continue asking why until you arrive at a philosophical conclusion. Perhaps your reason could be that you eventually got used to the odd looks that people gave you as you were pogoing and gained more self-confidence. 

Finally, think about how learning to be grateful for something you would not expect to bring you joy and thankfulness has had a positive impact on your life. Gaining more self-confidence, for example, could motivate you to do an infinite number of things that you were not able to attempt in the past. Try to make a conclusion by connecting this part to your story from the beginning of the essay. You want to ultimately show that had [reference to a snippet of your introduction, ideally an absurd part] never have happened, you would not be who you are today.

Remember to express these lessons implicitly through the experiences in your essay, and not explicitly. Show us your growth through the changes in your life rather than simply stating that you gained confidence. For instance, maybe the pogo stick gift led you to start a pogo dance team at your school, and the team went on to perform at large venues to raise money for charity. But before your pogo days, you had crippling stage fright and hated even giving speeches in your English class. These are the kinds of details that make your essay more engaging. 

This prompt is expansive in that you can choose any accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked personal growth or new understanding.

One option is to discuss a formal accomplishment or event (whether it is a religious ritual or social rite of passage) that reflects personal growth. If you go this route, make sure to discuss why the ritual was meaningful and how specific aspects of said ritual contributed to your personal growth. An example of this could be the meaning of becoming an Eagle Scout to you, the accomplishment of being elected to Senior Leadership, or completing a Confirmation. In the case of religious topics, however, be sure to not get carried away with details, and focus on the nature of your personal growth and new understanding — know your audience.

Alternatively, a more relaxed way to address this prompt is using an informal event or realization, which would allow you to show more personality and creativity. An example of this could be learning how to bake with your mother, thus sparking a newfound connection with her, allowing you to learn about her past. Having a long discussion about life or philosophy with your father could also suffice, thus sparking more thoughts about your identity. You could write about a realization that caused you to join a new organization or quit an activity you did not think you would enjoy, as doing so would force you to grow out of your comfort zone to try new things.

The key to answering this prompt is clearly defining what it is that sparked your growth, and then describing in detail the nature of this growth and how it related to your perception of yourself and others. This part of the essay is crucial, as you must dedicate sufficient time to not undersell the description of how you grew instead of simply explaining the experience and then saying, “I grew.” This description of how you grew must be specific, in-depth, and it does not have to be simple. Your growth can also be left open-ended if you are still learning from your experiences today.

One student wrote about how her single mother’s health crisis prompted her to quickly assume greater responsibility as a fourteen-year-old. This essay describes the new tasks she undertook, as well as how the writer now more greatly cherishes her time with her mother.

Tears streamed down my face and my mind was paralyzed with fear. Sirens blared, but the silent panic in my own head was deafening. I was muted by shock. A few hours earlier, I had anticipated a vacation in Washington, D.C., but unexpectedly, I was rushing to the hospital behind an ambulance carrying my mother. As a fourteen-year-old from a single mother household, without a driver’s license, and seven hours from home, I was distraught over the prospect of losing the only parent I had. My fear turned into action as I made some of the bravest decisions of my life. 

Three blood transfusions later, my mother’s condition was stable, but we were still states away from home, so I coordinated with my mother’s doctors in North Carolina to schedule the emergency operation that would save her life. Throughout her surgery, I anxiously awaited any word from her surgeon, but each time I asked, I was told that there had been another complication or delay. Relying on my faith and positive attitude, I remained optimistic that my mother would survive and that I could embrace new responsibilities.

My mother had been a source of strength for me, and now I would be strong for her through her long recovery ahead. As I started high school, everyone thought the crisis was over, but it had really just started to impact my life. My mother was often fatigued, so I assumed more responsibility, juggling family duties, school, athletics, and work. I made countless trips to the neighborhood pharmacy, cooked dinner, biked to the grocery store, supported my concerned sister, and provided the loving care my mother needed to recover. I didn’t know I was capable of such maturity and resourcefulness until it was called upon. Each day was a stage in my gradual transformation from dependence to relative independence.

Throughout my mother’s health crisis, I matured by learning to put others’ needs before my own. As I worried about my mother’s health, I took nothing for granted, cherished what I had, and used my daily activities as motivation to move forward. I now take ownership over small decisions such as scheduling daily appointments and managing my time but also over major decisions involving my future, including the college admissions process. Although I have become more independent, my mother and I are inseparably close, and the realization that I almost lost her affects me daily. Each morning, I wake up ten minutes early simply to eat breakfast with my mother and spend time with her before our busy days begin. I am aware of how quickly life can change. My mother remains a guiding force in my life, but the feeling of empowerment I discovered within myself is the ultimate form of my independence. Though I thought the summer before my freshman year would be a transition from middle school to high school, it was a transformation from childhood to adulthood.

This prompt allows you to expand and deepen a seemingly small or simple idea, topic, or concept. One example could be “stars,” in that you could describe stargazing as a child, counting them, recognizing constellations, and then transforming that initial captivation into a deeper appreciation of the cosmos as a whole, spurring a love of astronomy and physics.

Another example could be “language,” discussing how it has evolved and changed over the course of history, how it allows you to look deeper into different cultures, and how learning different languages stretches the mind. A tip for expanding on these topics and achieving specificity is to select particular details of the topic that you find intriguing and explain why.

For example, if you’re passionate about cooking or baking, you could use specific details by explaining, in depth, the intricate attention and artistry necessary to make a dish or dessert. You can delve into why certain spices or garnishes are superior in different situations, how flavors blend well together and can be mixed creatively, or even the chemistry differences between steaming, searing, and grilling.

Regardless of your topic, this prompt provides a great opportunity to display writing prowess through elegant, specific descriptions that leverage sensory details. Describing the beauty of the night sky, the rhythms and sounds of different languages, or the scent of a crème brûlée shows passion and captivation in a very direct, evocative way.

The key to writing this essay is answering the question of why something captivates you instead of simply ending with “I love surfing.” A tip would be to play off your senses (for applicable topics), think about what you see, feel, smell, hear, and taste.

In the case of surfing, the salty water, weightlessness of bobbing over the waves, and fresh air could cater to senses. Alternatively, for less physical topics, you can use a train of thought and descriptions to show how deeply and vividly your mind dwells on the topic.

Well-executed trains of thought or similar tactics are successful ways to convey passion for a certain topic. To answer what or who you turn to when you want to learn more, you can be authentic and honest—if it’s Wikipedia, a teacher, friend, YouTube Channel, etc., you simply have to show how you interact with the medium.

When brainstorming this particular essay, a tip would be to use a web diagram, placing the topic in the middle and thinking about branching characteristics, themes, or concepts related to the topic that are directly engaging and captivating to you. In doing so, you’ll be able to gauge the depth of the topic and whether it will suffice for this prompt.

In the following example, a student shares their journey as they learn to appreciate a piece of their culture’s cuisine.

As a wide-eyed, naive seven-year-old, I watched my grandmother’s rough, wrinkled hands pull and knead mercilessly at white dough until the countertop was dusted in flour. She steamed small buns in bamboo baskets, and a light sweetness lingered in the air. Although the mantou looked delicious, their papery, flat taste was always an unpleasant surprise. My grandmother scolded me for failing to finish even one, and when I complained about the lack of flavor she would simply say that I would find it as I grew older. How did my adult relatives seem to enjoy this Taiwanese culinary delight while I found it so plain?

During my journey to discover the essence of mantou, I began to see myself the same way I saw the steamed bun. I believed that my writing would never evolve beyond a hobby and that my quiet nature crippled my ambitions. Ultimately, I thought I had little to offer the world. In middle school, it was easy for me to hide behind the large personalities of my friends, blending into the background and keeping my thoughts company. Although writing had become my emotional outlet, no matter how well I wrote essays, poetry, or fiction, I could not stand out in a sea of talented students. When I finally gained the confidence to submit my poetry to literary journals but was promptly rejected, I stepped back from my work to begin reading from Whitman to Dickinson, Li-Young Lee to Ocean Vuong. It was then that I realized I had been holding back a crucial ingredient–my distinct voice. 

Over time, my taste buds began to mature, as did I. Mantou can be flavored with pork and eggplant, sweetened in condensed milk, and moistened or dried by the steam’s temperature. After I ate the mantou with each of these factors in mind, I noticed its environment enhanced a delicately woven strand of sweetness beneath the taste of side dishes: the sugar I had often watched my grandmother sift into the flour. The taste was nearly untraceable, but once I grasped it I could truly begin to cherish mantou. In the same way the taste had been lost to me for years, my writer’s voice had struggled to shine through because of my self-doubt and fear of vulnerability.

As I acquired a taste for mantou, I also began to strengthen my voice through my surrounding environment. With the support of my parents, peer poets, and the guidance of Amy Tan and the Brontё sisters, I worked tirelessly to uncover my voice: a subtle strand of sweetness. Once I stopped trying to fit into a publishing material mold and infused my uninhibited passion for my Taiwanese heritage into my writing, my poem was published in a literary journal. I wrote about the blatant racism Asians endured during coronavirus, and the editor of Skipping Stones Magazine was touched by both my poem and my heartfelt letter. I opened up about being ridiculed for bringing Asian food to school at Youth Leadership Forum, providing support to younger Asian-American students who reached out with the relief of finding someone they could relate to. I embraced writing as a way to convey my struggle with cultural identity. I joined the school’s creative writing club and read my pieces in front of an audience, honing my voice into one that flourishes out loud as well.

Now, I write and speak unapologetically, falling in love with a voice that I never knew I had. It inspires passion within my communities and imparts tenacity to Asian-American youth, rooting itself deeply into everything I write. Today, my grandmother would say that I have finally unearthed the taste of mantou as I savor every bite with a newfound appreciation. I can imagine her hands shaping the dough that has become my voice, and I am eager to share it with the world.

Your GPA and SAT don’t tell the full admissions story

We’ll let you know what your chances are at your dream schools!

This prompt allows you to express what you want to express if it doesn’t align directly with the other prompts. While this prompt is very open-ended, it doesn’t mean you can adapt any essay you’ve written and think it will suffice. Always refer back to the Strategy section of this article and make sure the topic and essay of your choice addresses the Core Four questions necessary for a good Common App essay.

This prompt, more than the others, poses a high risk but also a high-potential reward. Writing your own question allows you to demonstrate individuality and confidence. Here, you can craft an innovative essay that tackles a difficult topic (for example, whether to raise or lower taxes) or presents information with a unique format (such as a conversation with an historical figure).

We encourage you to try something unconventional for this prompt, like comparing your personality to a Picasso painting, using an extended philosophical metaphor to describe your four years of high school, or writing in a poetic style to display your love of poetry. If you are extremely passionate about a topic or an expert in a certain area, for example Renaissance technology or journalism during World War II, you can use this prompt to show your authority on a subject by discussing it at a high level.

Be careful to frame the essay in a way that is accessible to the average reader while still incorporating quality evidence and content that would qualify you as an expert. As always, exercise caution in writing about controversial social or political topics, and always make sure to consider your audience and what they’re looking for in a student.

Sometimes an unconventional essay can capture Admissions Officers’ attention and move them in a profound way; other times, the concept can fly completely over their heads. Be sure to execute the essay clearly and justify your decision by seeking high-quality feedback from reliable sources. As always, the essay should demonstrate something meaningful about you, whether it is your personality, thought process, or values.

Here’s what the experts have to say about this prompt…

This prompt, like the others, is really asking you to tell the story of who you are. Your essay should be personal and should talk about something significant that has shaped your identity.

Here are a few broad themes that can work well: academic interest; culture, values, and diversity; extracurricular interests; and your impact on the community. You should highlight one of these themes using creative, vividly descriptive narrative. Make sure to not fall into the common pitfall of talking about something else -- an extracurricular activity, for example -- more than yourself.

A student I advised had a great idea to respond to this prompt -- an essay about how they do their best thinking while sitting on a tree branch near their home. Not only was it unique and personal, but it allowed the student to show what they think about, dream about, and value. That's the main goal for any applicant responding to prompt 7.

Alex Oddo Advisor on CollegeVine

All of the Common App prompts are broad in scope, but this one really takes the cake! I typically advise using the first six prompts as guardrails for your brainstorm, but in doing so, you may come up with a topic that doesn’t cleanly fit with any of the first six prompts. That’s where this prompt can come in handy.

Or, you might have an idea that’s really out there (like writing about your love of sonnets as a series of sonnets). Essentially, this prompt is a good fit for essays that are anywhere from slightly unconventional to extremely atypical.

If this all feels a bit confusing - don’t worry! How you write your story is much more important than what prompt you end up choosing. At the end of the day, these are just guides to help you cultivate a topic and are not meant to stress you out.

Priya Desai Advisor on CollegeVine

Students who want to complete the CommonApp’s seventh prompt need to have already gone through the other prompts and determined that their story cannot fit with those. Thus, generally speaking, I advise my students to not use the final prompt unless it is absolutely necessary.

If an admission officer believes that your essay could have been used with one of the other prompts, this may lead them to have a perception about you as a student that might not be accurate.

Nevertheless, as my colleagues have pointed out, what matters is the essay the most and not necessarily the prompt. That being said, the test of whether or not you as a student can follow directions is part of the prompt selection and how well you answer it. If you choose the final prompt and yet your answer could work with another available prompt, this will not put you in your best light.

In conclusion, only use this prompt when absolutely necessary, and remember that the purpose of the personal statement is to give the admissions officers a glimpse into who you are as a person, so you want to use this space to showcase beautiful you.

Veronica Prout Advisor on CollegeVine

Where to get your common app essay edited.

At selective schools, your essays account for around 25% of your admissions decision. That’s more than grades (20%) and test scores (15%), and almost as much as extracurriculars (30%). Why is this? Most students applying to top schools will have stellar academics and extracurriculars. Your essays are your chance to stand out and humanize your application. That’s why it’s vital that your essays are engaging, and present you as someone who would enrich the campus community.

Before submitting your application, you should have someone else review your essays. That’s why we created our free  Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools.  Find the right advisor for you  to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Have a language expert improve your writing

Check your paper for plagiarism in 10 minutes, generate your apa citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• College essay

How Long Should a College Essay Be? | Word Count Tips

Published on September 29, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on June 1, 2023.

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit. If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

You should aim to stay under the specified limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely. However, if you write too little, it may seem like you are unwilling or unable to write a thoughtful and developed essay.

Table of contents

Word count guidelines for different application types, how to shorten your essay, how to expand your essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

Each university has a different suggested or required word count depending on which application portal it uses.

Some application portals will allow you to exceed the word count limit, but admissions officers have limited time and energy to read longer essays. Other application portals have a strict limit and will not allow you to exceed it.

For example, in the Common App , the portal will not allow you to submit more than 650 words. Some colleges using the Common App will allow you to submit less than 250 words, but this is too short for a well-developed essay.

For scholarship essays , diversity essays , and “Why this college?” essays , word count limits vary. Make sure to verify and respect each prompt’s limit.

Don’t worry too much about word count until the revision stage ; focusing on word count while writing may hinder your creativity. Once you have finished a draft, you can start shortening or expanding your essay if necessary.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

On some application portals, you can exceed the word limit, but there are good reasons to stay within it:

• To maintain the admissions officer’s attention
• To show you can follow directions
• To demonstrate you can write concisely

Here are some strategies for shortening your essay.

Stay on the main point

It’s good to use vivid imagery, but only include relevant details. Cut any sentences with tangents or unnecessary information.

My father taught me how to strategically hold the marshmallow pierced by a twig at a safe distance from the flames to make sure it didn’t get burned, ensuring a golden brown exterior.

Typically, my father is glued to his computer since he’s a software engineer at Microsoft. But that night, he was the marshmallow master. We waited together as the pillowy sugary goodness caramelized into gooey delight. Good example: Sticks to the point On our camping trip to Yosemite, my family spent time together, away from technology and routine responsibility.

My favorite part was roasting s’mores around the campfire. My father taught me how to hold the marshmallow at a safe distance from the flames, ensuring a golden brown exterior.

These college essay examples also demonstrate how you can cut your essay down to size.

Eliminate wordiness

Delete unnecessary words that clutter your essay. If a word doesn’t add value, cut it.

Here are some common examples of wordiness and how to fix them.

Use a paraphrasing tool

If you want to save time, you can make use of a paraphrasing tool . Within the tool you can select the “short” mode to rewrite your essay in less words. Just copy your text in the tool and within 1 click you’ll have shortened your essay.

If you’re significantly under the word count, you’re wasting the opportunity to show depth and authenticity in your essay. Admissions officers may see your short essay as a sign that you’re unable to write a detailed, insightful narrative about yourself.

Here are some strategies for expanding your essay.

Show detailed examples, and don’t tell generic stories

You should include detailed examples that can’t be replicated by another student. Use vivid imagery, the five senses, and specific objects to transport the reader into your story.

Reveal your feelings and insight

If your essay lacks vulnerability or self-reflection, share your feelings and the lessons you’ve learned.

Be creative with how you express your feelings; rather than simply writing “I’m happy,” use memorable images to help the reader clearly visualize your happiness. Similarly, for insight, include the follow-up actions from your lessons learned; instead of claiming “I became a hard worker,” explain what difficult tasks you accomplished as a result of what you learned.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit to write a developed and thoughtful essay.

You should aim to stay under the specified word count limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely. However, don’t write too little, as it may seem like you are unwilling or unable to write a detailed and insightful narrative about yourself.

If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

If you’re struggling to reach the word count for your college essay, add vivid personal stories or share your feelings and insight to give your essay more depth and authenticity.

If your college essay goes over the word count limit , cut any sentences with tangents or irrelevant details. Delete unnecessary words that clutter your essay.

You can speed up this process by shortening and smoothing your writing with a paraphrasing tool . After that, you can use the summarizer to shorten it even more.

There is no set number of paragraphs in a college admissions essay . College admissions essays can diverge from the traditional five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in English class. Just make sure to stay under the specified word count .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Courault, K. (2023, June 01). How Long Should a College Essay Be? | Word Count Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved August 19, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/college-essay/college-essay-length/

Is this article helpful?

Kirsten Courault

Other students also liked, college essay format & structure | example outlines, how to revise your college admissions essay | examples, how to apply for college | timeline, templates & checklist, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”

• +44 (0) 207 391 9032

Recent Posts

How long should a thesis statement be.

• How to Write a Character Analysis Essay
• Best Colours for Your PowerPoint Presentation: How to Choose
• How to Write a Nursing Essay
• Top 5 Essential Skills You Should Build As An International Student
• How Professional Editing Services Can Take Your Writing to the Next Level
• How to Write an Effective Essay Outline
• How to Write a Law Essay: A Comprehensive Guide with Examples
• What Are the Limitations of ChatGPT?
• How to Properly Write an Essay Outline Using ChatGpt
• Academic News
• Custom Essays
• Dissertation Writing
• Essay Marking
• Essay Writing
• Essay Writing Companies
• Model Essays
• Model Exam Answers
• Oxbridge Essays Updates
• PhD Writing
• Significant Academics
• Student News
• Study Skills
• University Applications
• University Essays
• University Life
• Writing Tips

How Long Should an Essay Be? A Guide for Different Types of Essays

(Last updated: 5 April 2024)

Since 2006, Oxbridge Essays has been the UK’s leading paid essay-writing and dissertation service

We have helped 10,000s of undergraduate, Masters and PhD students to maximise their grades in essays, dissertations, model-exam answers, applications and other materials. If you would like a free chat about your project with one of our UK staff, then please just reach out on one of the methods below.

For undergraduate students in the UK, grappling with the expectations surrounding essay length can be challenging. How long should your essays be? Does the brevity or verbosity of your essay impact your grade? Understanding the optimal length for various types of undergraduate essays can greatly assist in crafting well-rounded and effective academic papers. In this guide, we'll explore the appropriate lengths for different types of undergraduate essays to help you in your academic journey.

Understanding Essay Length Guidelines

Before delving into the specifics of essay lengths, it's crucial to recognise that guidelines may vary across disciplines, institutions, and even individual tutors. While most of the time your professors stipulate specific word counts or page requirements, in other cases, they may offer more leeway. Additionally, the complexity of the topic, the depth of analysis required, and the purpose of the assignment can all influence the suitable length of an essay.

Types of Undergraduate Essays

Short Answer Essays (300-500 words)

Short-answer essays typically demand concise responses to precise prompts or questions. They require clarity, brevity, and precision in your writing. Focus on directly addressing the main points without unnecessary elaboration. Each paragraph should contribute to effectively conveying your ideas within the limited word count.

Analytical Essays (800-1200 words)

Analytical essays entail an in-depth examination and interpretation of a particular topic, text, or issue. These essays necessitate a more substantial word count to explore complex ideas, provide evidence, and develop coherent arguments. Strive to present a clear thesis statement, support it with relevant evidence, and engage critically with the subject matter.

Literature Reviews (1000-1500 words)

Literature reviews involve summarising and synthesising existing scholarly sources on a specific research topic. While they may not necessitate original research, they demand a comprehensive understanding of the literature and the ability to analyse and evaluate various perspectives. Aim to organise your review thematically or chronologically, highlighting key findings and identifying gaps for future research.

Research Papers (1500-2500 words)

Research papers involve conducting original research to address a research question or problem. They require extensive background research, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Given the complexity of research papers, a higher word count allows for a more thorough exploration of the topic, detailed methodology description, and nuanced discussion of findings.

Tips for Meeting Length Requirements

• Plan and Outline : Before writing, outline your main points and arguments to ensure coherence and relevance. This helps prevent unnecessary digressions and keeps your essay focused.
• Revise and Edit : Review your essay multiple times to eliminate redundant phrases, clarify ambiguous sentences, and ensure consistency in tone and style.
• Be Concise : Use clear and concise language to convey your ideas effectively. Avoid unnecessary verbosity or repetition.
• Evoke Emotion or Intrigue : Tap into the emotional or intellectual curiosity of your readers by crafting a title that evokes emotion, prompts reflection, or poses a compelling question. Consider using provocative language, vivid imagery, or rhetorical devices to capture readers' attention.
• Engage with Sources : In analytical and research essays, engage critically with scholarly sources to provide context, support your arguments, and demonstrate intellectual rigour.

In conclusion, the appropriate length for an undergraduate essay depends on the type of assignment, the complexity of the topic, and the expectations of your professors. Remember, clarity, coherence, and relevance are paramount regardless of the word count. With diligent planning, research, and revision, you can effectively convey your ideas and contribute meaningfully to scholarly discourse.

Essay exams: how to answer ‘To what extent…’

How to write a master’s essay

Writing Services

• Essay Plans
• Critical Reviews
• Literature Reviews
• Presentations
• Dissertation Title Creation
• Dissertation Proposals
• Dissertation Chapters
• PhD Proposals
• Journal Publication
• CV Writing Service
• Business Proofreading Services

Editing Services

• Proofreading Service
• Editing Service
• Academic Editing Service

Additional Services

• Marking Services
• Consultation Calls
• Personal Statements
• Tutoring Services

Our Company

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Become a Writer

Terms & Policies

• Fair Use Policy
• Policy for Students in England
• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• [email protected]
• Contact Form

Payment Methods

Cryptocurrency payments.

Ideal College Application Essay Length

Can you go over the Common App length limit? How long should your essay be?

• Essay Samples & Tips
• College Admissions Process
• College Profiles
• College Rankings
• Choosing A College
• Application Tips
• Testing Graphs
• College Financial Aid
• Advanced Placement
• Homework Help
• Private School
• College Life
• Graduate School
• Business School
• Distance Learning
• Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania
• M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania
• B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT

The 2019-20 version of the  Common Application has an essay length limit of 650 words and a minimum length of 250 words. This limit has remained unchanged for the past several years. Learn how important this word limit is and how to make the most of your 650 words.

Key Takeaways: Common Application Essay Length

• Your Common Application essay must be between 250 words and 650 words.
• Don't assume shorter is better. A college requires an essay because they want to learn more about you.
• Never go over the limit. Show that you can follow instructions and that you know how to edit.

How Strict Is the Limit?

Many wonder whether they can go over the limit, even if only by a few words. What if you feel that you need more space to communicate all of your ideas clearly?

650 words is not a lot of space in which to convey your personality, passions, and writing ability to the people in admissions offices—and the title and any explanatory notes are also included in this limit. The holistic admissions processes of most schools prove that colleges really do want to get to know the person behind your test scores and grades . Since the essay is one of the best places for showcasing who you are, is it worth it to go over?

Most experts recommend adhering to the limit. The Common Application will even prompt its applicants if they exceed the word count to prevent them from going over. Most admissions officers have stated that, while they will read all essays in their entirety, they are less inclined to feel that essays over 650 accomplish what they set out to do. In short: any of the prompts can and should be answered in 650 words or fewer.

Choosing the Right Length

If everything from 250 to 650 words is fair game, what length is best? Some counselors advise students to keep their essays on the shorter end, but not all colleges place the most value in succinctness.

The personal essay is the most powerful tool at your disposal for showing readers your personality without meeting them. If you've chosen a focus that reveals something meaningful about you, you're probably going to need more than 250 words to create a thoughtful, introspective, and effective essay. However, it isn't essential to hit the 650 mark, either.

From the Admissions Desk

"There is no need to meet the full word count [650] if the essay captures what the student would like to share. Visually, you want to make sure the essay looks complete and robust. As a general rule, I would suggest the essay be between 500-650 words."

–Valerie Marchand Welsh Director of College Counseling, The Baldwin School Former Associate Dean of Admissions, University of Pennsylvania

Each of the Common App essay prompts creates different writing challenges, but no matter which option you choose, your essay should be detailed and analytical, and it should provide a window into some important dimension of your interests, values, or personality. Ask yourself: Will the admissions officers know me better after reading my essay? Chances are, an essay in the 500- to 650-word range will accomplish this task better than a shorter essay

In general, the length of an essay does not determine its effectiveness. If you have answered the prompt in its entirety and feel proud of your work, there is no need to stress about any particular word count. Do not pad your essay with filler content and tautologies to stretch it out, and on the flip side, don't leave important sections out in the interest of keeping the essay brief.

Why You Shouldn't Go Over the Essay Length Limit

Some colleges will allow you to exceed the limit set by the Common Application, but you should avoid writing more than 650 words in all cases for the following reasons:

• College students adhere to guidelines : If a professor assigns a five-page paper, they don't want a 10-page paper and you don't have 55 minutes to take 50-minute exams. The message that you send to a college when you write a powerful essay in 650 words or fewer, even when they accept longer submissions, is that you can succeed under any conditions.
• Essays that are too long can leave a negative impression: Essays over 650 may make you appear over-confident. The word counts have been established by experts for a reason and writing more than you are allowed might make it seem like you think what you have to say is more important than other applicants, who have to follow the rules. Avoid seeming self-important by stopping yourself from going overboard.
• Good writers know how to edit and cut : Any college writing professor would tell you that most essays become stronger when they are trimmed. There are almost always words, sentences, and even entire paragraphs that don't contribute to an essay and can be omitted. As you revise any essay you write, ask yourself which parts help you to make your point and which get in the way—everything else can go. Use these 9 style tips to tighten up your language.

College admissions officers will read essays that are too long but may consider them to be rambling, unfocused, or poorly-edited. Remember that your essay is one of many and your readers will wonder why yours is longer when it doesn't need to be.

• How Long Should Your Common Application Short Answer Essay Be?
• How to Write an Outstanding College Application Essay
• Addressing Diversity in a College Application Essay
• Tips for Writing a Winning College Transfer Essay
• College Application Essay - The Job I Should Have Quit
• Should an Application Essay Be Single-Spaced or Double-Spaced?
• Common Application Essay Option 2 Tips: Learning from Failure
• Bad Essay Topics for College Admissions
• The Length Requirements for the Common Application Essay in 2020-21
• How to Ace Your University of Wisconsin Personal Statements
• Common Supplemental Essay Mistakes
• Common Application Short Answer Tips
• Tips for Writing a Winning College Application Essay
• How to Write a Great College Application Essay Title
• Common Application Essay Option 4—Gratitude
• UC Essay Examples for the Personal Insight Questions

College Reality Check

How to Answer Short-Answer Questions in College Application

Short-answer questions specified in the Common App or Coalition App are answered with concise and specific responses that tackle the prompts without going beyond the word count limit. They are college-specific questions, which means that students applying to, say, Harvard University cannot provide the same answers to short-answer questions asked by, say, Carnegie Mellon University or Stanford University.

Read on if the colleges you are applying to require applicants to answer some short-answer questions.

In this post, we will talk about the reasons why some college admissions officers ask short-answer questions as well as how you are supposed to answer short-answer questions asked by some of the most popular institutions.

What are Short-Answer Questions?

Short-answer questions are prompts that require responses from college applicants using considerably fewer words than long-form essays, such as personal statements and supplemental essays. Some short answer essays have word limits ranging from 100 to 250, while others may specify exactly the number of words applicants may use, such as only 1 or 3.

Although requiring much fewer words than supplementals, short-answer questions are not any less difficult to answer since you will have to express yourself succinctly given that you have to stay within the word count limit.

What is the Primary Purpose of Short-Answer Questions?

The primary purpose of short-answer questions is for college admissions officers to gain additional insight into an applicant’s personality, experiences, interests and academic and career goals, which may not necessarily be covered by his or her application materials. It also allows them to see an applicant’s communication and writing skills.

In some instances, short-answer questions may serve as a tie-breaker when college admissions officers cannot decide which applicants with the same academic profiles they should admit.

Do All Colleges Require Short-Answer Questions?

Not all colleges and universities require short-answer questions. Some institutions that require them may no longer require long-form supplemental essays, while others may still do. Some schools may make it mandatory for applicants to answer short-answer questions, while others may present them as optional additions to their supplementals.

Here’s a resource by the College Board that provides you with guidance on what sort of writing questions you can expect within individual college questions — just click on the schools you are planning on applying to.

How to Answer Short-Answer Questions

When answering short-answer questions, understand each of the questions very well and determine what college admissions officers are looking for exactly. So, in other words, it’s important that you correctly address each and every prompt. It’s also a must that you answer short-answer questions without going beyond the word count limit.

Let’s talk about how to answer short-answer questions asked by some of the most popular colleges in the country:

Brown University

Brown’s short-answer questions can be very short — answers can range anywhere from a few words to a few sentences. For instance, the question “What 3 words best describe you?” should be answered in 3 words only, while the rest should be answered in no more than 100 words. There’s also a Brown short-answer question that should be answered in just 1 sentence.

The California Institute of Technology applicants are required to answer 3 short-answer questions. Topics range from STEM experiences, creativity and Caltech values that speak to them, and the word limit ranges from 100 to 400. There are 3 optional short-answer questions that let applicants show more of their personality plus 1 optional academic short-answer question.

Carnegie Mellon

Most colleges that accept the Common App and Coalition App require applicants to write a personal statement and some supplemental essays. Instead of writing a college-specific essay, Carnegie applicants are required to answer a series of short-answer questions to give everyone a chance to talk about their talents and interests.

Columbia University

As of this writing, there are 9 Columbia short-answer questions. Word limit can range from 100 to 150. Columbia asks short-answer questions to know about an applicant’s academic, extracurricular and intellectual interests. Of course, the Ivy League school also wants to learn about why an applicant feels that Columbia would be the perfect fit for his or her undergraduate education.

Cornell University

Other than the school-specific short-answer questions specified in the Common App and Coalition App, some applicants to Cornell may be given the opportunity to answer optional short-answer questions, depending on the college or department. The general consensus is that every opportunity for Cornell’s admissions officers to know the applicant more should be grabbed.

Duke University

Duke requires applicants to answer only 1 supplemental essay, which is just 250 words long. But there are 4 optional short-answer questions, whose maximum word count each is similar to that of the mandatory supplemental. Given that Duke has a low acceptance rate of 6%, it’s a good idea for applicants to shine by answering the optional short-answer questions.

Harvard University

Harvard itself says that your application to the Ivy League school isn’t complete without answering a series of short-answer questions. When answering Harvard short-answer questions, stick to the 200-word limit. Harvard advises applicants to reflect on how their experiences and extracurriculars have shaped them and how they will engage with others on campus.

Instead of asking applicants to answer some long-form essays in addition to the personal statement, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology requires them to answer several different short-answer questions. MIT advises applicants to talk about the things that inspire them and demonstrate that they are thoughtful individuals much like the institution’s attendees.

Princeton University

In addition to the 2 supplementals, Princeton applicants must also answer 3 short-answer questions, each with a 50-word limit. There are no wrong and right answers when it comes to short-answer questions. Applicants are also encouraged to be themselves given that short-answer questions are there to provide more insight into those who like to attend the Ivy League.

Rice University

After writing their personal statements, Rice applicants must also write additional school-specific essays — 1 long essay and 2 short-answer questions. The short-answer questions have a 150-word limit, and applicants should grab this opportunity to demonstrate their interest in attending for they are asked about the program of their choosing and the Rice experience they want.

Stanford University

Stanford applicants must answer a total of 5 short-answer questions, each with a 50-word limit. A couple of those ask applicants to specify a date and list 5 things. Rather than just mentioning an event and enumerating things, applicants are encouraged to elaborate to allow Stanford’s admissions officers to see aspects of themselves that their applications may have stifled.

Texas A&M University

It was only in 2020 when Texas A&M started requiring applicants to answer short-answer questions. Some programs, such as engineering, require applicants to answer additional short-answer questions. According to Texas A&M itself, applicants must also apply the same amount of thought and care when answering short-answer questions as supplemental essays.

UC Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley refers to short-answer questions as personal insight questions, and applicants’ answers to them are reviewed by both admissions and scholarships officers. According to UC Berkeley itself, it uses short-answer questions in the admissions process in many ways, including deciding between 2 applicants with very similar academic records.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has a unique approach to short-answer questions: instead of the applicants giving complete free-response answers, they are asked to fill in the blanks using 25 words or less. Some examples of these fill-in-the-blank types of short-answer questions include “The quality I most admire in myself” and “One protagonist I identify with”.

Yale University

The number of short-answer questions Yale applicants must answer can vary, depending on the application platform used. For instance, those who are using QuestBridge will have to answer 3, while those who are using the Common App or Coalition App will have to answer 7. All Yale short-answer questions are personal, and applicants are encouraged to reflect deeply.

Independent Education Consultant, Editor-in-chief. I have a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering and training in College Counseling. Member of American School Counselor Association (ASCA).

Similar Posts

Unlocking the Hidden Power of Supplemental Essays

10 Best Common App Essay Ideas

Can You Pay Someone to Write College Essay?

How to Close a College Essay (With 10 Examples)

Master the Art of Introductions: How to Start a Compelling Essay About Yourself

How to Write Best College Transfer Essay: Secrets, Tips and Tricks

• School Search
• Guided Tour

Writing samples are an important part of your application to any college. Your responses show how well you would fit with an institution; your ability to write clearly, concisely, and develop an argument; and your ability to do the work required of you should you be accepted. Use both short answer questions and personal essays to highlight your personality and what makes you unique while also showing off your academic talents.

Short Answer Questions

Short answer questions are almost harder to write than a personal essay, since you usually have a word limit. Often, this may be as short as 150 words (a paragraph). This means that your answers must be clear and concise without being so bare bones that you don’t seem to have a personality. In fact, it’s okay if you answer the question in less than the allotted space. Provided you avoid clichés and sarcasm and answer the question wholly, less can be more. Here are some tips to help you ace your short answers:

• Don’t repeat the question.
• Don’t use unnecessarily large words.  Not only will you come off as pretentious at best and ignorant at worst, but it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to keep the same tone throughout your response. After all, wouldn’t it be easier for you to read a paragraph that addresses “how to write concisely” rather than one about “how to circumvent the superfluous use of language?” Craft your response so that your reader can easily understand your point without resorting to a thesaurus.
• Answer honestly. If you are asked to discuss one of your favorite things, don’t feel ashamed to tell the truth. Colleges want to get to know you. A “cool” answer isn’t as interesting as your honest, unique one.
• Supplement your résumé. Talk about things that aren’t mentioned anywhere else in your application to show off a different side of your personality.
• Always use details to bring even a short story to life.
• Don’t be afraid of the word limit. Write out your answer without worrying about the length and then go back and delete any unnecessary information. Underline the stand-out points and trim the rest.
• Describe your personal growth. When discussing an activity or event in your life, ask yourself what you learned or took away from it. Colleges like to understand how you’ve been changed by your experiences and see that you possess self-awareness.
• Be specific about each institution. If asked why you want to attend a particular school, make sure to reference any times you visited the campus, met with admissions counselors, or spoke with current students or alumni. Talk about programs that interest you and how you think they will benefit you in the future. Tell your readers why the idea of being a student at their institution excites you. College admissions officers can spot generic answers, so do your research if you don’t know a lot about the school. Talk about each school as if it is your top choice, even if it’s not. Under no circumstances should you say that a particular school is your “safety.”

The Personal Essay

The majority of colleges will ask you to submit at least one personal essay as part of your application. (You can find the 2019–2020 application platform personal essay prompts here , but not all schools use an application platform. In such cases, you will find essay prompts on the school’s own application.) By reading your submission, college admissions officers become familiar with your personality and writing proficiency. Your essay, along with your other application materials, helps them determine if you would be a good fit for the school and if you would be able to keep up with the rigor of the course load. A well-written, insightful essay can set you apart from other applicants with identical grades and test scores. Likewise, a poorly constructed essay can be detrimental to your application.

To ensure that your essay is the best it can be, you will need to spend some time reviewing the essay prompt to understand the question. Not only will you need time to become familiar with the directions, but you will also want to take your time when constructing your essay. No one can sit down and write the perfect essay in one shot. These things take effort, brainpower, and a significant amount of patience. Consider these steps for producing a well-written, thoughtful response to any essay prompt:

• Get moving. The best way to activate your mind is to activate your body. The act of moving forward, whether you are on foot or on a bike, can help you work through the ideas that might feel stuck. Read the prompt thoroughly, and then see what comes to you as your move through your neighborhood.
• Write down your ideas . When you get home, write down the ideas that stood out. Simply put the pen to paper or your hands to the keys and write without worrying about sentence structure or grammar. There’s plenty of time to edit later on.
• Rule out ideas that won’t work. Use the resources in the section below to decide if you are being asked to write a personal, school, or creative/intellectual statement and read through the the corresponding tips. If any of your ideas don’t fall within our guidelines, find a different approach to answering the question or rule out the topic altogether.
• Construct an outline (or two). At most, you will be able to use 650 words to respond to the question, so every statement you make must serve your overall objective. To stay on topic and build your story or argument, it’s helpful to have a map to guide you. Choose a topic or two from you list and give yourself plenty of time to outline each idea. Use bullet points and separate each section by paragraph. You may realize that one topic is too broad and you need to narrow your focus. If you make two outlines, ask a trusted adult to help you decide which one is stronger than the other. Even if you're not a fan of outlines and prefer to write organically, writing down your ideas in a consecutive list and creating a pseudo-outline can still help you maintain organization and flow between ideas when you actually fill in the blanks.
• Fill in the details with positivity. You are now ready to begin your first draft of your essay. Staying positive in your writing, even if you choose to tackle a hard subject, will endear you to admissions officers while negativity, self-pity, and resentment aren’t going to make your case. Use vivid descriptions when telling your story, but don’t stray too far from your main topic as to become dishonest or exaggerated. Admissions officers are well versed in picking out the real from the fake and aren’t going to be impressed by a made-up story.
• Walk away. When you’ve finished your first draft, walk away for a while, even a day or two, and clear your mind. You’ll be able to look at it with fresh eyes later and make edits to strengthen your argument or main idea.
• Ask for the appropriate amount of help. While it is okay to have a parent or teacher read over your essay to make sure that the points you want to make are coming through or to offer minor suggestions, it is under no circumstances acceptable to allow anyone else to make significant changes, alter the voice or message, or write the essay for you. A dishonest application will be noticed and dismissed by admissions officers.
• Edit. For the initial proofreading, read your essay out loud or backwards, sentence by sentence. Reading it in a form that you haven’t gotten used to will make it easier for you to spot grammatical and spelling errors. Then, ask for one family member or friend to read the essay out loud to you. Together, you can listen for things you missed with your eyes.

The Three Types of Essay Questions

There are three types of personal essays: the personal statement, the school statement, and the creative or intellectual statement. These are described below.

The Personal Statement

• Goal: The personal statement should be a window into your inner life. It is a chance to show schools who you are beyond your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities. An honest, thoughtful reflection will help admissions officers understand your passions, goals, and relationships with family, friends, and other communities.
• Example: “Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.” – Common Application, 2015
• Don’t attempt to sum up your life in one statement. Instead, try to pick one significant experience to elaborate on. Use details to paint a picture for the reader. Talk about how you were affected and what changed about your perception of the world. How did the experience bring you to where you are today?
• Don’t reiterate your résumé. Let your résumé, transcripts, and test scores tell one story about you. Use your essay to tell a different one. Think of it not as a place to impress, but as a place to reflect.
• Don’t talk about an experience that isn’t unique. While almost anyone could say that they struggled with history in high school, few could describe the influence that their great-grandfather had on their understanding of U.S. history in the context of World War II. Picking an experience or topic that will set you apart from other applicants is key to catching the eye of the admissions team.
• Don’t write to impress. Schools don’t want you to write about what you think they want to hear. It’s easy for them to tell when you aren’t being genuine. Pick a topic that’s significant and meaningful to you even if it’s not “impressive.” Having personal awareness is impressive on its own.

The School Statement

• Goal: With your school statement, it should be clear that you have done your research on the school to which you are applying. Admissions counselors use the essay to assess your enthusiasm for the school and your commitment to discovering how the education will benefit you in the future. You want them to understand what you are drawn to so they can begin to envision you as a student on campus.
• Example: “Which aspects of Tufts’ curriculum or undergraduate experience prompted your application? In short: Why Tufts?” – Tufts University, 2015
• Don’t make general statements. It’s important to cite specifics instead of referencing the obvious. If a school is highly ranked and is known for its strong liberal arts curriculum, that’s dandy, but it’s common knowledge. Instead, talk about the teachers, programs, school traditions, clubs, and activities that put the school at the top of your list. If possible, reference any times you visited the campus, met with admissions counselors, or spoke with current students or alumni. Show them that you cared to do more than just a simple Google search.
• Don’t use the same essay for every school. It may be tempting to reuse the same essay for every school, but your essay should not be so general that you can sub out each school’s name as if it were a fill-in-the-blank answer. Sure, you may be able to recycle some content that applies to multiple schools on your list, but be sure to round off each essay with tangible information about the institution (references to buildings on campus, your interview, the mascot, an exciting lecture series, etc.). This proves that you aren’t applying to the school on a whim.
• Don’t overlook the facts. Verifying your statements about a school is essential. If you say that you are excited to become a theater major but the college did away with the program five years ago, admissions counselors may not take you seriously. Do yourself a favor and fact-check.

The Creative/Intellectual Statement

• Goal: Colleges ask students creative or intellectual questions to assess their ability to think critically, construct a cohesive argument, and use a nontraditional approach to solve a problem. In short, admissions counselors are looking for students who can think for themselves. They want to see that you are open to new ideas and can support your opinions with thoughtful explanations.
• Example: “What’s so odd about odd numbers?” – University of Chicago, 2014; “Design your own three-and-a-half-week course and describe what you would do.” – Colorado College, 2014
• Don’t tackle the world’s problems. There’s no need to impress colleges with your knowledge of Syria or the spread of Zika virus. Keep it simple.  Remember, colleges don’t expect you to be an expert in anything yet.
• Don’t use too many quotes . Your essay is not a collection of other people’s opinions. Back up your arguments, but be selective when using quotes. If you do paraphrase or quote someone’s work, make sure to cite your sources.
• Don’t make it abstract. In an attempt to be creative and original, it’s easy to cross over the line into absurdity, but it’s important to stay grounded.

Page last updated: 05/2019

Related topics:

Understanding application requirements, the common, coalition, and universal college applications explained, how to write your résumé for college applications, asking for letters of recommendation, gap years and college applications, the community college application, acing your college interview.

• [email protected]

How Long Should a Short Essay Be?

Unless you have a specific length requirement, you are unlikely to have a specific length requirement for a short essay in terms of words or pages. Depending on what you’re supposed to write, the words “short,” “brief,” “concise,” or “succinct” can mean two different things in this context. It could be a standard essay given to students in schools, or it could be a supplemental admissions response to a prompt. Let’s start with the first scenario, which is the school assignment.

What is the length of the short essay? In this day and age, everything is relative, and one man’s short might be another man’s long—so let’s put this to rest once and for all.

A short essay is 300-500 words long, which is approximately two pages with double spacing and one page when single-spaced. The 2-page length is based on the assumption that you will be using Times New Roman font (12pt) with standard margins throughout your document.

In high school, a short essay is 250-300 words long. The limit for a short essay can extend to 600 words depending on page length and seniority in grade.

A short essay will vary depending on academic level.

However, a range of 500-3000 words can fit the category. Anything above 3000 words, even for PhD students is a long essay.

Once a paper exceeds 750 words, it becomes a medium length essay. A long form essay is one that is above 2,900 words. If you’re studying for your masters or undergrad, these long essays are usually common.

How many paragraphs should a short essay be?

A short essay should comprise of approximately five paragraphs. The introduction should be very catchy because it will draw the reader’s attention and then they will be able to easily understand your point. It is best practice to include a thesis statement in the opening paragraph of your essay. The three paragraphs in the body of the paper should provide evidence to support the thesis.

Let’s take a look at this number from a different angle. Some short essay samples are available from the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, which include personal statements and application essays written by students who were attempting to gain admission to a number of programs. Locate any short essay samples and after reading through them, you’ll notice that they’re all about 500 words long and are all pretty much the same.

Within that time limit, the applicants were required to explain why they desired to continue their educational careers at that particular institution.

For the most part, short essays follow a traditional structure, which includes an introduction (hook, thesis statement, etc.), a body section, and a conclusion.

You can adequately develop and present an idea in 500 words, which means your paper will be composed of 3–5 paragraphs at the very most.

That’s usually enough time to provide background information, incorporate one central point, and conclude the piece with a final sentence.

Read: Recommended Length of a College Essay

How Long Does it Take to Write a Short Essay?

How long does it take to write a short essay? It takes 30 minutes to write a satisfactory short essay of 300 words. You may need an hour to complete a 500-word short essay due to proofreading, time spent formatting the essay, and the duration needed for citation.

Experts can complete short essays within only 10 minutes.

Other factors can also shape how long it will take you to complete the essay. For instance, if the content of the essay is on a topic you’re not familiar with, it might take some minutes more to come up with what to write up in the paper.

5-Paragraph Short Essay

It is generally accepted that a short essay must have at least five paragraphs to accomplish its goals in order to be considered successful. This number of sections enables you to incorporate your topic or claim, discuss or prove it, and give the reader with a logical conclusion in a structured manner.

The best ratio for each of the main elements of a 5-paragraph essay is 20-60-20. The first and last paragraphs of your essay should be approximately the same length. In addition, three body paragraphs should account for the majority of the text.

The five-paragraph short essay helps to maintain the short length of the essay while also adhering to the formalities of the essay structure—with an introduction, body, and conclusion—while still expressing yourself clearly. In your introduction, you will include one brief paragraph in which you will highlight your purpose or thesis.

This is followed by the body, which consists of three body paragraphs, each of which provides support for your thesis and each of which contains a unique topic sentence.

In the final section, you present your main point and the ways in which you supported it throughout the paper, using different words because you shouldn’t simply copy and paste whatever you had been writing earlier in the paper for your conclusion—it is not recommended.

How many words do you think this will take? Approximately 600—but you can go as high as 900 if you so desire. 900 words, or three pages, is sufficient time to write a five-paragraph short essay that is both safe and effective.

How to Write a 3 Paragraph Short Essay

The three-paragraph short essay is made up of three paragraphs: an introductory paragraph, a body paragraph, and a conclusion paragraph.

The very first paragraph of the essay is the point where you present the central idea, the second paragraph provides supporting evidence, and the third paragraph summarizes every point of the essay and concludes. That is, in essence, the formula for the three-paragraph short essay; however, because it is so brief, you can dispense with the introduction and conclusion entirely, and instead jump right into the main points.

Most of the time, this type of short essay is written with the intention of responding to an essay question provided by your professor, which allows you to get away with simply answering the question and skipping over the typical formalities of the finely-tuned essay.

But what distinguishes this type of short essay from a short answer, if anything? There isn’t much. If you’ve been assigned a short essay, it’s probably best to stick with the five-paragraph format for your writing to avoid confusion.

A Short Answer Question Essay

When writing your application to college, you will most likely be required to write a brief supplemental essay, such as this. It should be shorter than a typical brief essay, with a length of approximately 150–250 words on average.

Short answer essays frequently do not have specific requirements, which makes them difficult to write (like a clearly stated word limit). However, if you’re submitting it online, the system will not allow you to exceed the recommended number — you will simply be unable to submit your document.

In general, one paragraph should suffice for your response; the person who will read your response should have no trouble doing so within sixty seconds. You must make the most of each and every word to succeed in this endeavor. The length of your response will determine whether it is meaningful, and if it is too long, they may choose to skip over it entirely.

A “short” essay does not necessarily imply a lower level of quality or less effort. On the other hand, you must make every word count and pay close attention to grammar, style, punctuation, and tone throughout the document.

If you are permitted to write a 250-word response, this indicates that the school is interested in learning more about your personality. Don’t forget to make your writing interesting and compelling for that overloaded college admission board officer who’s already read hundreds of these responses.

When writing a brief response essay, what is the best length to use? If the instructions do not explicitly state that you must write more than 125–150 words, then aim for that number. This amount of space is sufficient to elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or a personal encounter.

When writing it, don’t overthink what you’re going to say to the board — just be yourself. The primary goal of this brief essay is to demonstrate who you truly are and what values you hold dear to your heart. When someone is being dishonest, it’s easy to tell. Even if a story about volunteering has a greater impact than a piece about your science fair project, the latter is not always the case.

How to Make Your Short Essay Interesting

Although it should be brief, it should be densely packed with information. You can decide to use headings as well as subheadings to break up crucial information and avoid confusing your reader. It is not necessary for the essay to be brief in order for it to contain complex words and eye-catching information. Even in short essays, the reader’s attention should be captured and maintained.