How Long Should a College Application Essay Be?

shallow focus photography of pencil on book

Where you about to write your college application and wondered to yourself “How Long Should a College Application Essay Be?”

First, It’s always best to check if your institution provides an exact ballpark on its website.

But what If your intitution doesn’t provide an exact ball park? In this case, a typical college application essay should be around 400-650 words.

But I recommend writing no less than 500 just to stay in the longer college admissions essay format.

Word count is essential, but more aspects should be considered when writing your college essay.

Let me give you three simple tips you can implement to make your essay stand out among the hundreds of applications!

3 Tips to Make Your Application Stand out

Before we start with making your application stand out, you should understand What do Colleges Look for in Applicants. This article will help you with that.

But anyway, lets get into some key ways to make your application stand out.

1- Write About What's important to you

When students are having a hard time starting their essays, I always recommend writing about something they feel to be important.

This always results in crafting a better essay because it brings out your genuine passion and interest in the topic, making it more engaging and compelling for the reader.

Also, you are more likely to be knowledgeable and reflective about the subject, which can help you express your thoughts more clearly and make the process more enjoyable.

2- Start Early & Write Multiple Drafts

Trust me, you never want to be rushed when writing; start your college essay early and give yourself time to think about your topic, conduct thorough research, and organize your ideas.

Plus, it gives you time to Write multiple drafts to improve your writing structure and eliminate errors.

Take the time to make your writing more straightforward and your final essay well-developed, coherent, and persuasive.

3- Have at least one other person edit your essay

Let someone review your college essay before submitting it. They can give you a fresh first-time reader’s perspective and feedback.

Another person may identify weaknesses or areas that need clarification that you may have overlooked.

Also, a reader can assess whether your essay flows logically because you might skip some points when writing about a topic you know, thinking it’s common sense, but not.

Learn more about writing a great college essay here.

Conclusion

So, how long should a college essay be? A college essay should be around 400-650 words, but remember that word count is just one aspect of writing a good college essay.

There is also finding the right topic, editing, and writing several drafts. If you enjoyed reading this article and found it helpful, check out some of the articles below!

Become a College Stand Member!

Receive monthly newsletters about the latest student life advice!

Newsletter

Become a College Stand Member!

Receive monthly newsletters about the latest student life advice!

Newsletter

Featured Posts -------

--- Featured Posts ---

Can you be successful without college? Yes, you don’t have to go to college to be successful—but skipping college is...
Much of the popular advice given when asking "How to make friends in college as an introvert?" boils down to...
What Classes Need Notes in College? Why not ask how much notes do I need to take? This is what...
Is it good to go to college with friends? These are the 3 downsides that students usually don’t realize until...
Looking for the best notebooks for college? How would you choose the best that perfectly fits your needs? Here is...
Looking for the best side hustles for college students? Here are the top 10 ways to make extra cash while...