Sophomore Transfer to UW-Madison... how long of a statement do I need?

Question

Hey everyone, I've decided to make a school transfer from out of state to UW-Madison. The thing is, the statement I'm required to write doesn't have a suggested length at all. The question itself is,

"The University values an educational environment that provides all members of the campus community with opportunities to grow and develop intellectually, personally, culturally and socially. In order to give us a more complete picture of you as an individual, please tell us about the particular life experiences, perspectives, talents, commitments and/or interests you will bring to our campus. In other words, how will your presence enrich our community?"

Any suggestions on how long of a statement to write? At the moment, I just have a page double spaced, so not even that much.

Answer 1

I would think aiming for around 250-300 words would be fine, with 500 being the max. Also, the context may help you-- if it is asked at the end of the application, then they are probably expecting a full "application essay", if it's in between "What is your intended major?" and "Why are you interested in this school?", then they're probably looking for a shorter answer. If you're really worried about it, call the admissions office and ask.

However, only write as much as you need to in order to thoughtfully and succinctly answer the question... don't just expand it for the sake of a longer essay, and end up getting redundant. If you can say what you need to say in only 150 words, fine, leave it at that. Have someone (preferably an English instructor) proofread it and get their opinions before you submit it too.

Good luck.