Essay Word Limits

Question

I have been working on my essays for a couple of schools.

Some of these schools have word limits on their admission essays. My question is "what happens if you go a little over the limit?"

For example, my last essay has a word limit of 300 words. I am at 313. I am afraid of cutting it down more because I do not want to cut good content.

Thanks for the help.

-David

whiplash2411 · Answer

I think the general rule of thumb that I read somewhere is 10% of the word limit or a cut off limit of 50 words, whichever is lower when it comes to extra words. I'd try to see if there was any stray words that you can cut. If not, I think that 10 words or so extra is usually acceptable. I'd still try to bring it down. If you absolutely cannot, then yeah, don't mess up the content by trying to get the word limits down.

rgupta83 · Answer

I would do research on each school. I know the information is not readily available, but it would be worth while. Some schools stop at the word count and others are flexible. Its best to try to know as much about each schools style as possible.

JoelCairo · Answer

Honestly, I'd just reach out to the school and ask. Call up admissions and explain the situation. I've heard some admissions reps say that they are very strict about the word count, and another one said "don't freak out about word counts. We'll notice if you write 800 when the limit is 400, but don't stress too much" (that's a direct quote I scrawled down at a Kaplan MBA Tour panel recently).

Another nice benefit of calling the admissions office is that you get to introduce yourself. Who knows, maybe the person who answers the phone will remember your name when the app crosses his or her desk, and you'll have banked a point of contact that shows sincere interest in the school. Probably a long shot, but it can't hurt.

Essay Word Limits

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