Well, most active and passive basses when you don't use EQ are very similar. After all, the front end of your head is basically an active preamp! An active bass merely moves part of that EQ circuit into the bass where it more convenient to adjust while you are playing.
In the Common Application, it says that the Personal Essay should be at least 250 words, and attached on a separate sheet (presumably, if you're submitting it online, you attach a one-page file).
The reading has to be done first, then the plan to make sure that you are actually answering the question (rather than writing 'all I know about this topic'). The essay itself could take me about 500 words a day.Then there is the editing process, put it away for 2 days and proof read. hours usually, 4 max. I've written them in 1 hour before but that was a little bit mental and there were wrong words everywhere. Usually I write about 2000 words so they're quite short really as essays go.