Is 1100 words too long for a personal statement?

[StarkDark1]

The program portal says it should be no fewer than 200 words, but not specify an exact limit.  This program only asks for a personal statement-- no diversity statement or statement of intent.  

[Sigaba]

The rule of thumb is that a double spaced page with one inch margins will contain about 250 words and take about two minutes to read aloud. Using this scale, 1,100 words would cover almost four and a half pages and take about ten minutes to read. Short reviews in academic journals run about 1,000 words.

I recommend that you aim for a document closer to 500 words (two pages). I would not get too creative with the fonts or the margins. You could start with the current version by figuring out which sentences and paragraphs are absolutely essential and deleting everything else. You take another pass at this type of parsing. Then you could move on to wordsmithing.

Make no mistake. This exercise is going to be painful. When it really hurts, remind yourself that someone out there is going to submit a tightly written personal statement that's closer to four hundred words than five hundred. Readers are going to look that document appreciatively. Then ask yourself "Why can't that statement be the one I write?" Then understand that it will be if you can endure the pain.

[munch22]

If it doesn’t soecify length, 2 pages/1000 words is generally what people consider the maximum (single spaced). Most political science PhD programs will specify that so I think it’s a good guide to go by if there is no listed maximum. I agree concise is better, but I disagree with the notion that shorter is always better. You need to be able to convey your research interests, fit, etc. Thats hard (if not impossible) to do in fewer than 500 words with a high level of detail. 

 

[terefere]

Mine was about 1000 words, +/- 50 dependending on the school. I would say this is the upper limit of how long a statement should be. I did have a bunch of things to say, though.

Try to cut yours by 200 words or so. Make sure you don't repeat stuff from your CV (unless you wanna highlight somethng), and do away with some very general sentetences that are not backed up by anything concrete and don't bring much - almost all SOPs will have plenty of those! 

[Theoryboi]

My vote would be to single-space it and just make sure you aren't over two pages. Page count seems more important as a guide for this sort of thing, rather than word count given that they aren't going to check wc.

[gradpumpkin]

Most of the suggested lengths for programs that I've seen have been about 1,000 words. I would trim it down and keep it to two pages like people have have previously replied. Good luck!

[uncle_socks]

Mine was 1260 words (2 pages single spaced, though I think I played with margins which is fair game) for every department that didn't have a hard word or page limit. I re-hashed things in my CV and my transcript a lot, but also talked about my research interests. I got in to most elite programs. I think sticking to 2 pages (doing whatever you want with spacing and margins) is the important point, though looking over my materials there were some that are 3/4 pages (the program probably demanded 1.5 or double spacing or something idk). 

[sophia7]

1100 words might be lengthy for a personal statement, the key is ensuring every word adds value. If the content is compelling, focused, and clearly communicates your experiences and goals, it can work. However, if guidelines suggest a shorter length, consider tightening your statement to keep it impactful and within recommended limits. Quality over quantity is crucial.