College & Workforce Readiness News in Brief

Common Application Sets Word Limit

By Caralee J. Adams — June 14, 2011 1 min read
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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 after advisory groups indicated that essays had become “far too long, less well-written, and ... often skimmed rather than read by admissions officers,” according to Executive Director Rob Killion. The not-for-profit has 463 members that accept the common college application.

A version of this article appeared in the June 15, 2011 edition of Education Week as Common Application Sets Word Limit

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