Writing Sample Length

[bigdgp]

I am trying to finalize my writing sample and I am struggle with something that I assume is on the minds of many of you as well. I am applying to a decent number of schools and there is a great deal of variation in the requested lengths of writing samples among them. Some of them ask for samples that are 10-12 pages, others want up to 25 pages. My sample is about 15 pages long. Will that be seen as a cop out to schools that allow up to 20+ pages? I don't want to seem lazy, but I really don't want to have to write different samples for different schools. Is it common for people to do that?

Edited September 14, 2010 by bigdgp

[intextrovert]

Not at all. It's about quality, not quantity (within reason). I freaked out about page limits but heard of a lot of people who sent things 5 pages under, or 7 pages over, and did just great.

[diehtc0ke]

Not at all. It's about quality, not quantity (within reason). I freaked out about page limits but heard of a lot of people who sent things 5 pages under, or 7 pages over, and did just great.

+1. Adcomms would appreciate 15 pages of tight, solid writing over those 15 pages with a five page extension tacked on just because. If you can find a compelling reason to make the sample longer, go right ahead. It has nothing to do with laziness.

[Branwen daughter of Llyr]

+1. Adcomms would appreciate 15 pages of tight, solid writing over those 15 pages with a five page extension tacked on just because. If you can find a compelling reason to make the sample longer, go right ahead. It has nothing to do with laziness.

That's actually good to know. I was slightly worried that I'd have to knock out 10 different versions of my writing sample (writing one is tedious enough now - especially getting it started. I should really sit down and start formulating my thesis and reading the articles so I can start writing the d*mn thing next weekend...)

So you say that 1 15-20 pager should cover all bases? No need to adapt each one to specific length requirements?

[diehtc0ke]

That's actually good to know. I was slightly worried that I'd have to knock out 10 different versions of my writing sample (writing one is tedious enough now - especially getting it started. I should really sit down and start formulating my thesis and reading the articles so I can start writing the d*mn thing next weekend...)

So you say that 1 15-20 pager should cover all bases? No need to adapt each one to specific length requirements?

The only thing I'd be concerned about is sending a 20-25 page paper to a school that has a 10 page limit. I know NYU only wanted 10 pages and it was easy for me to knock down my 25 page paper to about 12 pages because I spoke about a novel and a short story. I ended up just taking out the parts about the short story and left it as a "fresh" paper about the novel.

Edited September 15, 2010 by diehtc0ke

[Sparky]

Caveat: some schools with online applications actually set a limit on the number of pages you can upload. So it's not necessarily a great idea to send a 20-page-plus-bibliography paper to a school that only stores the first 15 pages you upload.

I don't know how widespread this practice is, though, and of course you can get around it by mailing in a paper app (assuming the school still accepts those).

[Branwen daughter of Llyr]

The only thing I'd be concerned about is sending a 20-25 page paper to a school that has a 10 page limit. I know NYU only wanted 10 pages and it was easy for me to knock down my 25 page paper to about 12 pages because I spoke about a novel and a short story. I ended up just taking out the parts about the short story and left it as a "fresh" paper about the novel.

hrmph.

May their gonads be cursed for their inconsistency between application requirements. I suppose I'll end up having to write two versions - a 10-12 and an 18-22. Since I have loads of themes I want to discuss in the paper, the long one isn't as problematic. It's cutting it down while still making sense that worries me...

[BelleOfKilronen]

While I reckon that, like diehtc0ke says, many adcomms would welcome a slightly shorter sample, I'd suggest calling the departments in question just to make sure. I was in a similar quandary last year, and one department that requested 20+ told me explicitly over the phone that my 15 page sample would be inadequate. They did, however, mention that I could submit a 5-7 page paper along with my 15 pager to make up the difference, which might also be an option for you should any of your potential programs be on the persnickety side.

[strokeofmidnight]

The only thing I'd be concerned about is sending a 20-25 page paper to a school that has a 10 page limit. I know NYU only wanted 10 pages and it was easy for me to knock down my 25 page paper to about 12 pages because I spoke about a novel and a short story. I ended up just taking out the parts about the short story and left it as a "fresh" paper about the novel.

I did something similar for NYU. I had a 30 page writing sample (masquerading as 25 pages, after tinkering with font/page margins/spacing/etc) about two different-but-related authors. I took out one author, summarized part of the theoretical framework, and sent in a 16 page paper. That was a bit risky (it paid off, but I'd hesitate to suggest this approach).