Question about length of common application personal essay

Hi. I was just curious. About how long should the common application personal essay be? There is not maximum given, so I wanted to know generally how much others write. Thanks.

most schools ask for a 400 or a 450 word limit response.

Really? ... I always thought that <500 was a little bit too short. Well, thanks anyways for the information.

It really varies according to the people involved. You could have a reader who values succinct communication, and that way you would make a good impression by writing it in < 500 words. You could have a reader who values the hard work it takes to write a longer one, and that way more would be better. However, if you write something that is truly inspired you will impress the reader no matter what! The reader can feel your inspiration and share in it while reading.

The best thing to do is give a call and ask this question to the admissions people at your top choice school.

Alright. A lot of my friends are talking about writing 5-page essays, which I though was excessive. But now I agree that it really depends on the writer and the topic. Thanks for the advice!