how many words should the standard essay be
One of the biggest changes to the Common Application in 2013 was the revamping of the essay section. Not only does the application have all new essay prompts, but the 500-word limit from 2011 and 2012 has been replaced by a 650-word limit. Before 2011, the length of the essay was set by the judgment of the applicant (and some applicants who wrote 1,200-word essays showed bad judgment).