After three long years of high school, you’ve finally made it: senior year. While this is your chance to try a fun, new elective or enjoy all the perks of being a senior, it’s also time to get serious about college.
Most students already know about the Common App personal statement. The stakes are high: You have to tell a complete story that’s authentic and showcases you as a competitive applicant to the admissions counselor.
Maybe you’re thinking, “That could take pages! I could write a whole book.”
Or, maybe you’re thinking the opposite: “There’s nothing interesting about me. How am I ever going to write an entire essay about myself?”
Either way, the Common App gives you a hard limit: 650 words. So, given the limit, how long should a college essay be?
How Long Should a College Essay Be?
The maximum word limit for the Common App personal statement is 650 words. Does that mean you have to meet the word maximum with your essay? Yes and no. We recommend writing essays around 500–650 words, or approximately 1–1.5 pages in length.
Can you go over the 650-word maximum? We wouldn’t recommend doing this, but the Common App website states:
“While we won’t as a rule stop reading after 650 words, we cannot promise that an overly wordy essay will hold our attention for as long as you’d hoped it would.”
Keep in mind that you will submit your Common App personal statement to a range of schools, some of which may have stricter rules about word count than others. It’s best to follow the rules. Following the guidelines shows admissions officers that you’re respectful of their time and taking the application seriously. If you’re looking to stand out, there are far more effective (and interesting) ways to do it than by going over the word count—we’ll get into those later.
How Do You Know When an Essay’s Done?
Your personal statement should tell a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end.
Does it have an enticing introduction that hooks the reader? Do the middle paragraphs flow naturally into each other? Are you providing interesting personal details while also being informative? What about the ending? It should leave the reader satisfied, yet still wanting more.
If your essay checks all of these boxes, your essay is in good shape, and you’re probably approaching the finish line. You might have hit all the right notes in just 500 words, or maybe it took 649 carefully chosen ones (after some thoughtful editing and fine-tuning with the help of a college essay coach). Either way, what matters most is that every word earns its place and helps tell a story that feels authentic and compelling.
Another indication that the essay is done is if you’ve said everything that needs to be said. Have you racked your brain for more interesting details or compelling plot points and come up empty? Chances are, your essay is done, or ready for editing and polishing.
A great essay doesn’t have to be 650 words. A strong essay is structurally sound with a beginning, middle, and end. It’s also personal, written in your own voice, with sensory details that make the story come alive. A strong personal statement doesn’t need superfluous words just to meet the maximum word count. Sometimes, less is more.
Yet, it is important to put in effort. While something is always better than nothing, a 200-word personal statement may indicate that you’re not taking the application process seriously. It’s also not likely to be very memorable.
Think of it this way: The Common App Personal Statement is your way of introducing yourself to the admissions counselor. While 650 words may not be enough to tell the full story of your life, it’s enough to make a great first impression.
How to Stand Out on Your College Essay in 650 Words
I know what you’re thinking: I’m not just any college applicant; I’m the college applicant—the one all these schools are looking for! Shouldn’t I push the limits of my Common App personal statement?
Your personal statement can be a way to stand out from other applicants, but submitting a five-page statement is not the way to go (unless you’re working on UChicago’s open-ended supplemental essays). One of the ways you can use your essay to stand out is to get creative with the form.
Experimenting with the form of the essay, like turning the essay into a recipe to show how much your grandmother’s dumplings mean to you, can be a way to tell a story while also spotlighting your creativity and authenticity. Your word count will depend on the form of the essay, but you should still try to write an essay that’s between 400–650 words.
Experimenting with the form of the essay can help you avoid the cliched 5-paragraph essay. While these essays are great for a book report, your Common App personal statement should stay away from anything too formulaic. It won’t feel authentic—and it won’t be too interesting to the admissions counselor, either.
If you’re looking to put an unconventional spin on your personal statement, we advise working with a trusted editor or essay coach to ensure you’re still hitting the mark. To learn more about how a HelloCollege expert can help your essays stand out from the crowd, schedule a free consultation with us today.
Tips for Staying within the Maximum Word Count
Fitting your story into 650 words can be a challenge. Here are a few helpful tips to keep your writing tight without cutting any of the good stuff:
- Start with a plan. Before you start writing, it’s best to map out your main points before writing. Working from even a rough outline will help you stay focused and on-theme.
- Allow yourself to overwrite. It’s called a rough draft for a reason. It’s completely fine (and often helpful!) to write more than the limit at first to get all your ideas out on paper. At HelloCollege, we often recommend writing roughly 20% over the word count with the understanding that we will go back and trim the excess.
- Use contractions. They might feel too casual or informal, but contractions are perfectly okay to use in your college essay and will save on space.
- Read it out loud. You’ll catch clunky or wordy parts more easily this way.
- Edit. Edit. Edit. Cut filler words, repetitive phrases, or anything that doesn’t add real value. Look for places to simplify language and combine thoughts. For my tips, check out How to Edit a College Essay.
Word limits aren’t there to make your life harder—they’re there to help you write with focus. A little editing goes a long way!
Conclusion
Bottom line: It’s important to submit a focused, personal story that fits comfortably within the 650-word limit. With the right approach and a few smart editing tips, you can write an essay that’s both powerful and to the point.
