How Long Should a College Admissions Essay Be?

Student writing a college admissions essay

Throughout the process of applying to college, students must follow many steps and jump through what can feel like ten million hoops before (and even after!) hitting that submit button. But one part of the process looms large in the minds of students and parents alike: the college admissions essay. It feels so open-ended. How long should a college admissions essay be? What should you write about? How should your tone sound? How do you know if your reader will like what you wrote? 

A lot of these questions are subjective and personal, but one is much more clear-cut: essay length. In this post, we’ll go over how long your essay should be, how strict these guidelines are, and what to do if your writing doesn’t fall within the word limit provided.

How long should a college admissions essay be?

College admissions essays vary in length, but you’ll most likely be asked to write somewhere between 150 and 650 words per essay. That’s about a quarter of a page to one full page, double-spaced.

Sometimes, the word limit will be given to you right in the prompt. Take a look at this example from Villanova University:

“Why do you want to call Villanova your new home and become part of our community? Please respond in about 150 words.”

Often, the prompt itself may not state the word limit, but if you’re submitting your application through an online form like the Common App, the word limit will appear in tiny letters underneath the box where you’re supposed to paste your answer. Take a look at this screenshot from the Common App page for the University of Colorado Boulder.

As you can see, the maximum number of words the form will accept is 250, and it won’t allow you to submit fewer than 25 words, even if you want to.

Are college admissions essay word limits flexible?

So now you know how to find the word limits, but how closely do you have to stick to them? Is it okay to write less?

If a college gives you a range of words, your writing should definitely fall within that range. For example, Tufts University asks you to pick one of three topics and write between 200-250 words. In this case, you should write at least 200 words. In this case, writing fewer than 200 words could give the wrong impression for a couple of reasons.

  1. You may give the impression that you don’t have a lot to say. Since college is, after all, an educational venture, schools are looking for thoughtful applicants who like to mull over new ideas. If you write too little in what is already supposed to be a pretty short piece of writing, you’re not providing the college with evidence that you like to embrace your nerdy side!
  2. It might seem like you’re not good at following directions or feel that the rules don’t apply to you. Following directions is a significant part of the college application process, partly because there are just so many moving pieces and partly because you want to show that you’re a respectful applicant.

If the prompt only gives an upper limit, aim to write no fewer than 50 words under that limit. So, if the prompt asks you to write up to 450 words, try to write no fewer than 400 words. Again, this will help give the impression that you’re a thoughtful student who takes your time and considers your ideas carefully.

Remember: the point of your college application is to help your reader get to know you and to make a case for why you’d be an excellent fit for a given college or university. Readers already have so little to go on. You want to take every opportunity available to you to share with the reader more information and more evidence that you’re a great student!

What if you go over the word limit?

While some students may struggle to fill an essay, most students have the opposite problem, especially on first drafts; they blow that word limit out of the water!

It is totally, 100% acceptable to exceed that word limit, even by a lot, on your first draft. In fact, it’s crucial when drafting to take away those word limits and just let yourself write without any limits or judgment. That’s often how we, as writers, find our best ideas and figure out what we’re really trying to say.

However, it’s important not to exceed the given word limit on your finished product. For one thing, many colleges use a web-based form, often the Common Application, to collect applications. These forms will not allow you to submit more than the given number of words.

Even if you’re submitting your application in a format that does allow you to technically include as many words as you like, say, as a PDF or Word attachment, admissions readers may well stop reading after they hit the word limit.

Remember, admissions readers must read A LOT, usually under a stringent time limit. They may only have ten or fifteen minutes to read your entire file, including all your essays and letters of recommendation. And then they have to make some notes and repeat the whole exercise with someone else’s file, over and over, all day, for months. A pressed admissions officer simply doesn’t have the time to read the extra words you wrote!

Don’t worry, though, even if your first draft is significantly longer than it’s supposed to be. First drafts are often repetitive and wordy. Most students find that once they have a good idea of what they’re trying to say, it’s reasonably easy to cut words. 

First, review your draft and ensure you only present each idea once. Then, see if reorganizing the paragraphs would allow you to streamline your ideas to cut words. Finally, see if specific phrases can be replaced with shorter synonyms. You’ll see the words start to fall away pretty quickly.

So really, how long should a college admissions essay should be?

How long should a college admissions essay be? Most essay prompts will tell you either the range they’re looking for (e.g., “Respond in 200-250 words”) or the hard upper word limit. You’ll find this either written out right in the prompt or in little gray letters below the part of the application where you’re supposed to paste your answer.

If you don’t see a word limit anywhere on the prompt, don’t fret! Look around the college’s website for an FAQ section. If you still don’t see the answer you’re looking for, call the admissions office and ask!

It’s vital to stick fairly closely to the word limit given. Certainly, do not go over!

Need more advice on your college applications?

The team at Great College Advice has extensive experience in guiding students along the road from high school to college. We provide individually tailored, one-on-one advising to help young people achieve their educational ambitions. If you’d like more information about our services, contact us for a free consultation. Or just pick up the phone and call us at 720.279.7577.  We’d be happy to chat with you.

How Long do College Admissions Take?

How long do college admissions take?

It’s no secret that the college admissions process is a long and winding road. Most college-bound students (and their parents!) look at this process with apprehension, if not outright fear. But exactly how long do college admissions take? The answer to this question depends on many factors, not least of which is what you personally consider to be the official beginning to this process. 

Some students may think that the college admissions process begins in December of senior year, when stressed out procrastinators sit down to cram in their applications over winter break, while some farsighted parents might imagine that getting their four-year-old into the right preschool is the first step on the college journey. In this post, we’ll outline some of the key college milestones you’re likely to encounter during high school so that you have some idea of how long college admissions will take for you.

Ninth grade (freshman) college milestones

Your biggest focus in ninth grade is most likely going to be adapting to high school, and that is totally fine! It is important to focus on getting your footing in your first year, but there are a few future-focused items to consider.

Course selection

The classes you take throughout high school and the grades you earn are the single biggest factor that colleges will consider when they evaluate your application. Throughout high school, you want to make sure that you are taking the hardest classes that you can handle while still keeping up your grades and your mental health. This starts in ninth grade. If you feel confident in math, challenge yourself by taking honors. If you are a bookworm, try honors English. If you have the chance to take an AP class freshman year, give it a whirl (while some schools won’t allow you to take AP classes as a freshman, some put easier APs on the menu. AP Human Geography or AP World History are popular options for freshmen looking to get their AP feet wet). 

High school is also a low-stakes time to begin exploring your academic interests, so throughout high school, be on the lookout for elective or core courses that open your eyes to new subjects. For example, if you like drawing or are interested in architecture, perhaps you’ll have the chance to take a Computer Aided Design (CAD) course. If you think you might be interested in engineering, keep your eye peeled for Project Lead the Way or other early engineering courses.

Extracurricular activities

Colleges will be looking at the extracurricular activities you participated in throughout high school, not just junior or senior year. Rather than a variety of extracurriculars that you attended for an hour a month, colleges are looking for longstanding commitment to a more narrow band of activities. Freshman year is a great time to try out a few different activities, with the idea that you’ll narrow in and seek leadership positions in two or three of these activities, rather than sticking with all of them.

Summer opportunities

The summer after ninth grade is a great time to continue exploring your interests. Maybe Spanish class was exciting for you, so you seek out a five-day Spanish immersion program over the summer. Maybe you’re developing an interest in politics, so you intern for a local politician over the summer. Whatever it is, use the summer after ninth grade to have new experiences and gather more data about the world and yourself, without worrying too much about how these experiences will look to colleges.

Tenth grade (sophomore) milestones

In terms of college, sophomore year is going to be pretty similar to freshman year. Keep choosing the hardest courses you can handle, and keep using courses and summer opportunities to explore your interests. In terms of extracurricular activities, this is the time to let go of activities that aren’t interesting to you and to start committing more to the activities that are interesting to you. On top of these considerations, there’s one more thing to start thinking about….standardized tests!

PSAT and Pre-ACT

Many sophomores take the PSAT or the Pre-ACT through school. This will give you a good baseline idea of what your future SAT or ACT scores might be. You don’t need to stress about this test too much, but it’s a good idea to at least have some familiarity with the format and content of the test. And of course, the night before, be sure to get a good night’s sleep!

Eleventh grade (junior) milestones

This is where the process is going to start picking up. While it’s still not time to actually write your applications yet, this is the year to really lay the groundwork so that when you do write the application, the process is (relatively!) seamless. As always, you’ll want to continue doing your best work in the hardest classes you can manage. Now is also the time to begin seeking out leadership opportunities in your extracurriculars, and you can also begin using summers to demonstrate leadership in your community. On top of that, there are a few new milestones to keep in mind.

Test Prep

You’ll most likely take the SAT and/or ACT in the spring of your junior year. You may also decide that you want to retest the summer after junior year or even the fall of senior year. In any case, fall of junior year is the time to start prepping for these tests. You may have a baseline score from the PSAT or Pre-ACT. If not, find an official diagnostic test and take it under test conditions (meaning set a time for the proper amount of time for each section and take the sections all in a row, just like you would on test day). Look up the median ACT and SAT scores at a few of the schools you’re interested in. This will help you decide if you need to pursue ACT and SAT tutoring.

Letters of Recommendation

Most colleges require a letter of recommendation from your counselor and one or two letters of recommendation from your teachers. Because college applications are due relatively early senior year, your senior teachers won’t really have time to get to know you enough to write a robust letter. For that reason, you’ll most likely want to pick a teacher from your junior year (sophomore year is okay if you had a really strong relationship with a particular teacher, but you don’t want to go much younger than that; presumably you’ve matured a lot since freshman year, and you want a teacher who can speak to that growth).

Many teachers “fill up” on their letters of recommendation, and rightfully so! It’s a lot to expect one teacher to write dozens of letters of recommendation, so it’s understandable that they might only accept thirty or so requests per year. For that reason, it’s a good idea to approach teachers in the spring of your junior year, even though the letters aren’t due for months. That way, you’ll know early on if they have the capacity to write you a letter, or if you’ll need to ask someone else.

College Research

There are a LOT of colleges out there! It takes a long time to figure out what it is you’re looking for in a college and even longer to figure out which colleges have what you’re looking for. Junior year is an important time to begin doing this research. This means doing some soul searching. Talking to your parents, counselor, teachers, or other adults who know you well. They may have some important insight into what kind of college environment might be best for you. But most importantly, do some journaling yourself. What do you want? Where do you want to be for the next four years? Afterall, this is your education!

Once you have some idea of what you’re looking for, it’s time to go find it. This might mean doing official college visits. It might look like staying with a friend or relative who goes to a specific college. If travel isn’t the best option for you, you can gather a lot of information from virtual tours and information sessions. Keep notes so that you’re comparing apples to apples. In the end, you want a well-balanced list of somewhere between five and fifteen schools, depending on your goals.

Twelfth grade (senior) milestones

This is the big one! You want to think of senior year as starting the minute junior year ends – the summer before senior year is an important time to get a jump on the actual application process!

Finalizing the college list and creating your plan

You’ve done the research. You have a pretty good idea of what colleges you want to apply to. The summer before senior year is the time to sit down with your parents, advisors, or other trusted adults, and finalize which schools you plan to apply to. You also want to make a note of deadlines. Deadlines can range anywhere from mid-October to mid-March or even later, so you want to do your research and know when those applications are actually due. Now is also a good time to decide whether you’ll be applying anywhere early action or early decision.

Make note of all requirements and put this information into some sort of spreadsheet

By August or September, schools will have published their updated application requirements. This includes any supplemental essays as well as other requirements like interviews, auditions, or portfolios. Gather all of this information and put it in one place (like a Google sheet!) so that you know what you have to do.

Write your Common App Personal Statement and other essays

How long do you think it will take you to write your Common App Personal Statement and other essays? However long you’re thinking, multiply that by three. Then add another week or two for good measure. These essays take way longer than you’d expect! Start them over the summer to give yourself time to write high-quality essays well before the deadlines.

How long does the college admissions process take? Dive into the detailed timeline from ninth to twelfth grade. Learn, plan, and succeed with this informative guide.

Fill out your applications

Fall of senior year is the time to actually create your accounts for the Common App, the University of California system, or any other applications you’re planning to submit. Fill everything out and paste in your essays!

Fill out your financial aid forms

Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as well as any other financial aid forms that your schools request. These forms will require you to have your parents’ tax information. Like most other steps in this process, this will take longer than you think! So start early and communicate clearly with your parents or guardians!

Congratulate yourself (and monitor your inbox)

Once you’ve submitted your final application, give yourself a HUGE pat on the back! Whatever happens, you have just completed a very challenging process, and you deserve to feel good about that! While you’re congratulating yourself, be sure to keep an eye on your email inbox. Colleges will send important follow up instructions and information (like your application decision!).

How long do college admissions take? That depends on you! But the timelines above should give you a pretty good idea of what this process is going to look like. Good luck!

Need more advice on your college applications?

The team at Great College Advice has deep experience in guiding students along the road from high school college. We provide individually tailored, one-on-one advising to help young people achieve their educational ambitions. If you’d like more information about our services, contact us for a free consultation. Or just pick up the phone and call us at 720.279.7577.  We’d be happy to chat with you.

Why and How to Talk to a College Prep Advisor Online

Why and How to Talk to a College Prep Advisor Online

It’s no secret that the college admissions process is long and mind-bogglingly complicated. If you’ve decided to seek independent help to guide you through the process, you’re not alone! In today’s digital world, one great option is working with a college prep advisor online. Once you’ve decided to go this direction, you may be left wondering how to talk to a college prep advisor online. It’s normal to be a bit nervous! In this post, we’ll break down online college counseling so that you know what to expect and can feel calm and confident going into it.

How does online college counseling work?

The way that online college counseling works can vary slightly from counselor to counselor, but most counselors use similar core methods. Most of the time, you’ll meet with your counselor regularly one-on-one via video conferencing (FaceTime, Zoom, and Google Meets are all popular options). During these meetings, your counselor may walk you through questionnaires or a set curriculum to help you understand the college options as well as what you personally are looking for. Your counselor will most likely use this information to help you build a list of schools and to help you develop a timeline for completing your applications.

Once you have your application plan in place, it’s time to put your nose to the grindstone and get to work! Many college prep advisors will also help you brainstorm and write your essays. Sometimes a college prep advisor may refer you to an essay coach who specializes in essays. In either case, you will most likely meet with your essay coach via video conferencing. Most essay coaches will have you draft and edit your essays in Google Docs or a similar cloud-based word processor. Only once your essays are complete will you copy-paste the text into the Common App, the University of California application, or whatever other application platform you’re using.

 

How to find a college prep advisor online

There are many ways to find a college prep advisor online. Like any other service, it’s a good idea to ask around. Have your friends or parents’ friends used a counselor they liked? SAT and ACT tutors often are in contact with college prep advisors, so if you know any test prep tutors, it might be a good idea to ask them for a recommendation.

Another option is to read college prep blogs. Often, college prep advisors will keep blogs (like this one!) where they showcase their expertise and perspectives about the college process. When you find someone whose ideas align with yours, that’s a good indication that that counselor might be a good fit for you.

College prep advisors also have a couple professional organizations. There’s the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA). Both of these organizations keep lists of college prep advisors on their websites in order to help you find someone to work with.

What to ask your online college advisor

Once you find your online college advisor, it’s time to figure out what to talk about. If you’re nervous about this, relax! This may be your first time going through the college application process, but your counselor has done this dozens or even hundreds of times. Let them lead the conversation. They will probably ask you about your goals, experiences, credentials, and values. Be prepared to talk about the experiences you’ve had so far and what you think you’d like to get out of your college education. But if you don’t know that either, don’t worry! Part of their job is to help you figure out where you’re going.

If you do have specific questions, don’t be afraid to bring those up! You may be wondering whether you should submit your test scores, how to audition or submit a portfolio, or how to reach out to athletic coaches, among many other questions. Write your questions down ahead of time so that you don’t forget during your sessions. But if you do forget or get sidetracked, don’t worry! You can always follow your session up with an email to ask any lingering questions.

Why talk to an online college counselor

Talking to a college prep advisor is a great way to make sure you’re navigating the crazy world of college admissions to your best ability. Specifically, talking to someone online can have many benefits over talking with someone in person. For one thing, working online saves you the time and stress of having to commute to an in-person location. It’s also likely that an advisor who is used to operating in the online space will be more responsive to online follow up questions or communications.

Beyond the convenience, however, it’s important to remember that college admissions is very much a national game. Even if you’re planning to stay close to home for college, you still may be competing against kids from across the country. For that reason, you really want someone with a broad, national perspective. Counselors can only develop that type of insight by working with students from across the country and even around the world. And only counselors who work online are afforded that kind of opportunity. So choosing an online college prep advisor, rather than an in-person one, can have important benefits throughout the process.

If you’re worried about how to talk to an online college prep advisor, don’t be! A big part of the college prep advisor’s job is helping high school students feel comfortable. Your advisor is going to walk you through the process. All you have to do is keep an open mind and communicate as best you can!

Need more advice on your college applications?

The team at Great College Advice has deep experience in guiding students along the road from high school college. We provide individually tailored, one-on-one advising to help young people achieve their educational ambitions. If you’d like more information about our services, contact us for a free consultation. Or just pick up the phone and call us at 720.279.7577.  We’d be happy to chat with you.

College Counseling: How Much Does College Counseling Cost?

how much does college counseling cost

Private college counselors help students and families navigate the increasingly complicated and confusing process of preparing, selecting, and applying to colleges. But what do they really do? How much does college counseling cost? Is the price worth it? An admissions expert explains how college counseling can help your family and to understand the costs–and benefits–of hiring a professional.

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Top Questions to Ask a College Admissions Counselor

questions to ask a college admissions counselor

One of the best ways to learn about a college is to talk to a college admissions counselor. That person represents the college and is responsible for communicating everything about the college to you–the prospective applicant. How do you take best advantage of this opportunity? What are the questions to ask a college admissions counselor? An expert college advisor provides a comprehensive list of questions that will help you get the most out of the conversations.

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College Counseling for International Students

college counseling for international students

International students who want to do their undergraduate studies in the United States may need professional advice and guidance. The university admissions process in the US is quite different from that in most other countries. If you seek college counseling for international students, you will want to read this post about the kinds of advice you might receive, and to help you find the right advisor for you.

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Does Volunteer Work Matter for College Admissions?

does volunteer work matter for college admissions

College applicants everywhere want to know, does volunteer matter for college admissions? The answer is yes. But it isn’t about the number of hours or even the place where you volunteer. Rather, it’s about how dedicated you are to helping those whom you serve, as well as the impact you make in that volunteer position. It’s not so much what you do or where you do it. Instead, the college admissions officers care about how well you do something, and whether it had a lasting effect on the organization you served.

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How to Choose the Best College Counselor for Ivy League Schools

college admissions counseling for the Ivy League

Who would be the best college counselor for Ivy League schools?

The college application process gets more complicated and more stressful every year, especially for ambitious, Ivy-bound students. With such a high-stakes, complex decision looming, it’s no wonder more and more families are turning to independent college counselors for guidance through the process. But even that is not as simple as it seems! If your student is high-achieving and aiming for the top, do you find the best college counselor for Ivy League schools?

While there are many independent college counselors out there, the scope and quality of the services they offer vary widely. Especially if you’re looking for the best college counselor of Ivy League schools, it’s important to know what you’re looking for and do your research carefully. Here are some factors to consider when trying to find the best college counselor for Ivy League schools.

Consider the counselor’s experience with Ivy League and other top schools

Many independent college counselors have worked in the admissions offices of Ivy League and other top schools. Counselors who have been “on the other side” have invaluable insight into how the inner workings of the admissions processes at these rarified institutions. They can help you understand just what goes on in admissions offices.

best college counselor for Ivy LeagueThere are many other types of experience an independent counselor might bring to the table: many attended top colleges and universities and may have worked at those institutions in capacities other than admissions. Some may have been professors, deans, or even vice presidents!

Some independent college counselors have been working with students and families for fifteen or twenty years. With so many admissions seasons under their belt, you can bet that these counselors have seen it all and will know how to guide your family through the process in the smoothest, least stressful, and most successful way possible.

Ask about the counselor’s record of admissions success, especially with Ivy League and other top schools

Working with a college counselor is about more than the admissions outcomes: it’s about the admissions process. Working with an independent college counselor can give your student the opportunity to engage in deep introspection about who they are and what they want at a critical inflection point in their development. It can also make the college application process less stressful and less conflict-prone for the whole family.

best college counselor for Ivy LeagueThat being said, the primary reason you’re going through this process is for the result! You want to maximize your student’s college options and put them on the path to choosing the right one. So it’s important to understand what kind of admissions success the counselor you’re considering has had.

Don’t be afraid to ask what percentage of the students they’ve worked with over the years have been accepted at Ivy League and other top colleges. But don’t be blinded by brand name: be sure to also ask what percent of that counselor’s students have been accepted at their personal top choices.

To find the best college counselor for Ivy League schools, ask about the type of scope of services the counselor offers

The application process for some colleges is more complicated than for others. For example, some colleges may only require a student’s transcript and nothing else. At the other end of the spectrum, some colleges may require five or more essays, an interview, and a video submission. Given the wide variety of admissions requirements, it’s not surprising that independent college counselors offer a wide variety of services.

College Admissions Counseling for Dartmouth AcceptanceIvy League and other top colleges are almost always the schools with the most involved application processes. For that reason, if your student is Ivy-bound, it’s important to ensure that the counselor you’re considering offers a robust suite of services. At the minimum, you’ll want to look for a counselor who offers help making and evaluating a college list and brainstorming and editing the essays your student will have to write. Beyond that, many counselors also help students explore different major options and think through how to maximize their time in high school in order to best support a competitive college application.

Make sure to factor in the cost of the services

The cost of working with an independent college counselor can vary widely, depending on numerous factors. Like many service-based businesses, independent college counselors may not post their prices on their website, so be sure to reach out and ask what they charge.

Ivy League and other top colleges and universities tend to have more extensive application requirements, so an independent college counselor may charge more to support applications to Ivy League schools. Keep in mind that college counseling can be expensive, but your child’s education is one of the biggest financial investments you are likely to ever make. If you feel like professional guidance would be helpful, don’t hesitate to seek that support.

Personality is very important when choosing a college counselor!

Especially for high-achieving students, the college application process can be rigorous, and your student will be working with their college counselor quite intensively. It’s important to find someone your child will connect with. You want someone who will keep your student accountable to deadlines and moving through the process but who will help make your student feel comfortable enough to open up and write personal essays.

When choosing a college counselor, be sure to ask for a meeting between your student and the counselor. The only way to know if someone is a good fit is for them to meet your student!

How to find the best college counselor for Ivy League schools

This is a big decision, and it’s important to take your time! Ask your personal network for referrals, read reviews, and ask the counselor you’re considering for references. Be sure to consider a counselor’s experience, educational background, services, track record, price, and personality. With these factors in mind, you’ll be well on your way to finding the best college counselor for Ivy League and other top colleges and universities.

Need more help on your college application? We have helped hundreds of kids just like you find the school of their dreams and stay sane while doing it! Fill out this form to schedule a free consultation with us.

And if you’d like to take a look at some of the video testimonials students have recorded for us, have a look at this YouTube playlist.