Exploring the minds of Yalies; Why Yale?

I have explored both websites and the minds of the diversely talented Yalies, and what they have all ceaselessly attested to has reinforced my decision to apply. The small classes taught by accessible and knowledgeable teachers who truly care for their undergraduates, the unique residential system that brings intimacy to such a major research university, the liberal curriculum that allows for a deep understanding of one's major and a broad understanding of the humanities, and the natural and social sciences all while improving my writing and quantitative skills, and the institutions like Dwight Hall which show that Yale is dedicated to broadening student's scope by immersing them in vast cultural, recreational, and academic opportunities have all been praised by the Yalies with whom I have spoken. These highly engaged students have shown me that Yale is not a one-track school. Rather, Yale cultivates well-rounded students who comprise a community that I not only want to contribute to, but also become a part of.

[I know I can't end with a preposition, but I can't seem to fix that last sentence]
[And yes, that honker in the middle is one big sentence, but it's not a run-on, I promise! Just obnoxious to read...]

Help! Please! I'm at 1027 characters of the allotted 500... oops.
I know it's not very personal, but I really don't have some spectacular story about overhearing a conversation on campus that made me know I have to apply.

I have pages and pages (literally, I created a whole document) of reasons why I want to apply to Yale and what makes it unique. Clearly this is not all of it, but it's about as condensed as I can make it.

Thoughts? Please!

My suggestion which worked for me is to print it out and highlight only the things that you HAVE to keep in the essay. Things that would make the essay meaningless without it. I typed most of my 300 character essays out to 300 words on accident so I feel your pain. Good Luck!

I hate character limits!! I feel your pain.
I felt the whole paragraph did its job in providing WHY YALE.
This is one suggestion. If you have like a particular interest or something like that, you could write how Yale will help you pursue your interest or achieve your goal.This might make it sound more personal.

The limited is too strict:(
But you did a very good job. Just don't describe them too specifically. The officers of admissions all know these programs. You should show you interests rather than these program.

I will be appreciated if you take a look on my common app essay.
Good luck!

I have a similar issue with the short, 1000 character limit, common app essay. Mine currently is about 2000 characters.

It's kind of crazy but you could consider saying something about the problem you are experiencing. For example, say you have pages and pages of reasons to attend Yale and the greatest of all is this connection you feel with the school or that it has always been a dream of yours to attend Yale. That's the crazy/risky route though.

My other suggestion is to pick the things out that you like about Yale that are also unique to Yale. For instance, many of the things you said I could also say about many other schools.

The things you said make Yale a great school but why are you applying to Yale and not Princeton, Harvard, MIT, etc?

Pretty much what I am trying to say is, use more proper nouns!

I agree with the previous posts:

Instead of listing several reasons (Yale classes, teachers, residential system, liberal curriculum, etc etc), try to pinpoint one area in particular you "not only want to contribute to, but also become a part of." Then, maybe try expanding and elaborating on that single aspect?

To make it more personal, you can always try their website! The Bulldogs' Blog has great, great posts written exclusively by current Yale students, so maybe you could find something that resonates with you personally and write about that!

***These are just my suggestions; it's really up to you in the end.
Best of luck :o)