I think we'll just have to agree to disagree.
Here are two things I think almost everyone on here will agree on:
1) The adcom knows approximately what their word count should look like.
2) The adcom is not going to sit around counting words.
I'll stay just under the limit, mostly because of my constant state of paranoia
It probably doesn't matter if you're 5-10 words over - it's a sentence. But to be honest, I found trimming the drafts I've written was pretty easy. I found I was constantly using passive voice which was eating my word counts. I also used words like really quite often. Taking these things out actually allowed me to ADD to my essay. So I think you can trim the essays, you might just need to put some effort in. Heck, if you send me your essay, I will get rid of the extra twenty words for you.
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"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity." - Frank Leahy