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What size margins did you guys/gals use for your personal or diversity statement? I'm trying to fit them on 2 pages max.

I used Word default (1 inch margins) for all my documents (except my resume). I don't think any school mentions margins, but I wouldn't do anything outrageously noticeable (like adjusting them more than 1/4 of an inch) lest you look like you're trying to game the page limits.

Just print it out and make sure it doesn't look weird, like if you have something in the header it isn't bumping up against the first line.

I really doubt they care whether or not people "game the system" and get two or three more sentences in. It's probably more that having another page is annoying.

clee33 wrote:Just print it out and make sure it doesn't look weird, like if you have something in the header it isn't bumping up against the first line.

I really doubt they care whether or not people "game the system" and get two or three more sentences in. It's probably more that having another page is annoying.

This may be the case; I am a stickler and didn't want to give adcomms any reason to look askew at my documents. It probably wouldn't matter as long as the documents are readable.

Research shows that people enjoy reading things more when there is more white on the page. Don't go smaller than .75 on all sides.

1" margins are the standard, and what you should use.

Believe me, after looking at essays and resumes all day, it's easy to see who messed with the formatting. While it's not a huge deal, it's also not a huge deal to make your margins 1" and be a little more concise.