It’s much more difficult to write a short essay than a long essay. Each year, my students struggle with cutting their college application essays to meet the 100- or 500-word count prescribed by the colleges, particularly on the Common Application. In fairness to the admissions readers and the other applicants, students should make every effort to stay within those guidelines as a recent post from the NY Times suggests:
Unlike other parts of the application, which, in its online version, cuts students off midword if they exceed character limits, the personal statement will not be truncated, raising the question in school corridors: Does 500 really mean 500?In a word, no. In two words, kind of.
“If a student uploaded a 500,000-word essay, there’s nothing we could do,” said Rob Killion, executive director of Common Application, which is accepted by more than 400 colleges and universities. “However, we do ask that all students follow the same rules their peers are following.”Mr. Killion said the limit was reinstated after feedback that essays had grown too long. But colleges are not told if essays exceed the limit. Jon Reider, director of college counseling at San Francisco University High School, agreed that concise writing was laudable but said the implication of a strict limit was misleading. “I worry about that kid who’s written 530 and thinks he has to cut 30 words,” he said. “It just puts another stage of anxiety in front of these kids.” Jeffrey Brenzel, dean of undergraduate admissions at Yale, said he did not stop reading if an essay ran long, but “if they go over the limit, the stakes go up.”
via College Application Essay as Haiku? For Some, 500 Words Aren’t Enough – NYTimes.com.
If the word count is over the limit by about 10% in words, that’s not so bad. However, when students add an additional 50% or more, it shows a lack of judgment and an arrogant pen.
To determine the interest of your essay and where to delete:
- Read your essay aloud for any redundancies. Delete any and all redundancies, which includes information that is repeated from other parts of your application.
- Focus on showing, instead of telling. When you “show,” your essay is more engaging to read.
- Picture an admissions officer lying in the bed at 1 am, after reading 50 applications that night. Then ask yourself if your essay will be compelling enough to keep them awake or put them sleep.
- Read your essay aloud again. It may feel uncomfortable, but think about it this way. If your essay isn’t interesting enough for you to read aloud, how do you think it will “sound” to the admissions readers?
Please let me know what other tips/tricks have worked for you in streamlining your college application essay!
