mpp2011

I'm working on a personal statement right now and the length requirement is 4 pages/1,000 words. Mine is not quite 4 full pages but it is 1,450 words according to MS Word. I'm using the default font, Calibri 11 point (this is the default in the latest version of Word). Is this acceptable or should I pare it down some more?

I spent my last two years of undergrad at an Ivy after attending a community college and a public university for my first three years. I've been out of school for six years and am applying to master's programs in public policy this fall. I'm currently determining whom I should get recommendations from. I need two academic recommendations and have one lined up. So I still need one more, and I could get one from another Ivy professor, but one of my community college instructors whom I've kept in touch with over the years has offered to write a recommendation as well. As you can probably imagine, it was much easier to make a lasting impression at the community college than it was at the Ivy, and I'm fairly certain that my CC instructor will write a stronger recommendation than my Ivy professor. So what should I do - get what would probably be a stronger, more insightful recommendation from the CC, or get a recommendation from a Ivy professor who had me as a student in a senior seminar?

Has anyone taken the free CAT on the Princeton Review website? I've had the same problem with my scores being all over the place. I've been studying for six weeks and my test date is in two weeks. I took both of the Powerprep exams and several from the Barron's book and CD. On Powerprep my highs were 630 verbal, 680 math. In Barron's I've ranged from 610-800 on the verbal and 480-630 on the math. I just took the Princeton Review CAT and got a 500 verbal, 530 math. Who else has had experiences with this test, and did you do better or worse on it than on other assessments?