High-school students who are applying to Penn this admissions cycle have been asked to describe themselves in just 500 words. Last spring, the Common Application — the organization that provides the ...

Students have a perfect opportunity, through the Common App Essay, to share any “story” of their life. Other than the Activities section, which is tightly limited by word count, the essay is the only ...

After a four-year experiment in allowing applicants to write long essays, Common Application is going back to a 500-word limit this fall. Common Application’s board of directors recommended the limit ...