SOP word count?

[George2248]

I just finished my SOP for Berkeley's Engineer and I am pretty happy with it.

The problem is that there was no suggested length or word count on the prompt. After I finished I asked the department what their "suggested" length was and they told me 3 pages double spaced.

I tried to cut my essay as much as I could and I am now in 3 and a half pages double spaced (about 200 words above the "suggested" limit)

I was wondering, for those who have some experience, what do you think about surpassing the suggested limit when it is not specifically stated in the prompt. Do you think this could hurt me?, because I think that loosing more info could hurt more my essay.

What do you suggest, I really need some advice with this....

[kaykaykay]

Even 3 pages sound waay too long. Maybe you could ask an impartial (and cruel ) friend to help to edit the SOP. It is hard to cut great sentences you worked hard for but when the adcoms have to read 600 essays you want to stand out for the right reasons. (maybe you can shoot for 2-2.5 pages)

[George2248]

Even 3 pages sound waay too long. Maybe you could ask an impartial (and cruel ) friend to help to edit the SOP. It is hard to cut great sentences you worked hard for but when the adcoms have to read 600 essays you want to stand out for the right reasons. (maybe you can shoot for 2-2.5 pages)

I already did that I we managed to cut 1 whole page.

The only thing is they suggested 3 pages, why should I go for 2-2.5?

[runonsentence]

Three double-spaced pages (about 1.5 single-spaced pages) is about the ideal length. Even if the school doesn't have a state length requirement/maximum, committees are expecting that much material by virtue of the genre's conventions.

So can you technically go longer than this? Sure...but it's best to get as succinct as possible. As another poster mentioned, committees are reading hundreds and hundreds of these, and providing extra reading material isn't the best way to make a friend in this situation.

I'd actually suggest you approach it this way, if you're having trouble letting go of the last 200 extra words: for fun/practice, cut your current SoP in half. Make really tough decisions about what needs to be there. Let that now halfed version sit for a day or two, and then (with a fresh pair of eyes) compare it to your original SoP.

I'll bet you'll be surprised at how strongly you can still communicate your profile in such a short space. Then, you can add back in anything that seems essential from the longer version. I know this seems like a roundabout way of doing it, but I recommend this strategy because it really helps you to realize what is truly an essential detail that is working to communicate a picture of you and your scholarly identity, and what's fluff.

[George2248]

Three double-spaced pages (about 1.5 single-spaced pages) is about the ideal length. Even if the school doesn't have a state length requirement/maximum, committees are expecting that much material by virtue of the genre's conventions.

So can you technically go longer than this? Sure...but it's best to get as succinct as possible. As another poster mentioned, committees are reading hundreds and hundreds of these, and providing extra reading material isn't the best way to make a friend in this situation.

I'd actually suggest you approach it this way, if you're having trouble letting go of the last 200 extra words: for fun/practice, cut your current SoP in half. Make really tough decisions about what needs to be there. Let that now halfed version sit for a day or two, and then (with a fresh pair of eyes) compare it to your original SoP.

I'll bet you'll be surprised at how strongly you can still communicate your profile in such a short space. Then, you can add back in anything that seems essential from the longer version. I know this seems like a roundabout way of doing it, but I recommend this strategy because it really helps you to realize what is truly an essential detail that is working to communicate a picture of you and your scholarly identity, and what's fluff.

Thanks for the advice. Ill try it.

I am now 100 words over. 3 pages and 1 paragraph... Its so hard to let some words go

[runonsentence]

Yep, it really is. Every word seems precious when you're so close. That's why I advocate for a merciless hack, with the opportunity to add some back in. It's kind of liberating.

Good luck!

[kaykaykay]

I have just read a couple of SOPs . Of course if you have some very special issue you may need all the three pages but I think 2-2.5 pages is about the limit where you can be interesting and informative.

[kssaa]

The suggested length of an SOP for my gradschool is about 1000 words.

Is it okay if my SOP is 1050? Or is it potentially problematic? Will that jeopardize my application?

Or should I cut down on those 50 words? They seem quite crucial though.

[George2248]

The suggested length of an SOP for my gradschool is about 1000 words.

Is it okay if my SOP is 1050? Or is it potentially problematic? Will that jeopardize my application?

Or should I cut down on those 50 words? They seem quite crucial though.

You are in the same position as me... I am now 100 words over the limti (1100). But I really think I would leave it like this, I think deleting an extra paragraph could really hurt the structure of my essay