How strict are schools about word count requirements?

[MartianQ]

I have just completed my statement of purpose for HKS and it stands at 1,200 words. Their requirement is 1,000. Obviously I intend to cut it down, but I just wanted to get your opinion on how strict the word count policy is generally enforced. If it ends up being around 1,100, do you think that would hurt my chances? Did your essays fit the requirements?

[Clay Made]

I think you would get scope for about 10% - meaning 100 words. Generally, if you don't get up to say 1,500 (if the count is 1000), you should be fine with 1100-1200.

[jkt0319]

I actually have a different view - but take my advice with a grain of salt. I'm also applying to HKS for Fall 2012 admission so I have no idea whether my views have any truth behind them or not.

I would actually recommend you to cut your essay down to 1000 words or less. While I don't know how much weight the Admissions Committee puts behind word limits, one of the qualities they are looking for in applicants is the ability to write concisely and that means putting your entire life story into 1000 words. Furthermore, I also think that the fewer chances you take the better but that could also depend on the content of your HKS essay. If you don't think you can cut 100 words, I would weigh whether the content of those 100 words is worth the risk of going over the limit. I'm a really risk adverse person so for my application, I'm trying my best to eliminate every opportunity the Admissions Committee has to reject me.

There is always the option of making your essay a PDF and then it won't be so easy to count words exactly...

[MartianQ]

I would actually recommend you to cut your essay down to 1000 words or less. While I don't know how much weight the Admissions Committee puts behind word limits, one of the qualities they are looking for in applicants is the ability to write concisely and that means putting your entire life story into 1000 words. Furthermore, I also think that the fewer chances you take the better but that could also depend on the content of your HKS essay. If you don't think you can cut 100 words, I would weigh whether the content of those 100 words is worth the risk of going over the limit. I'm a really risk adverse person so for my application, I'm trying my best to eliminate every opportunity the Admissions Committee has to reject me.

There is always the option of making your essay a PDF and then it won't be so easy to count words exactly...

Thanks and I agree. There is no reason to take the risk of going over by more than 50 words I think. It's really hard to remove 200 words from an essay that I've been working on for so long where I consider each sentence pivotal, but I'll just have to do it somehow. I'm not sure if it's a better idea to try and say the same thing with less words, which might decrease the overall quality, but will make the whole thing fit or just get rid of 1 paragraph that I don't consider as essential...

I'm also applying to schools where the limit is 800 words (Harris) and 500 words (GPPI), so I'm gonna have to cut it down even more for those schools. At Harris they are even asking a different question - Why are you seeking a public policy degree from the Harris School? What do you hope to experience and contribute? Be as specific as possible in describing how your course of study will enable you to attain your career objectives.

I mean that's definitely different from HKS's tell us what you've done and what you plan to do, which is as standard as it gets. Harris wants me to focus exclusively on what I plan to do and specifically how a Harris degree will help me do it, there is almost no overlap there. I'm not sure if I should completely rewrite or base it on my HKS essay. Arghhh I hate SOPs.

[greendiplomat]

I agree with the gist of where this conversation is going, but one point on word counts: the online application interfaces compile all the components of your application into one massive PDF (regardless of the format you upload your documents in), which the admissions offices then print before reviewing. As such, no, they won't run a word count on your application.

This said, after reading hundreds of applications, I'm sure admissions officers can get a sense when applications are longer than the word limits, so, if you're having trouble getting the essay under the word limit, I'd recommend that you get it as close as possible to the word limit without compromising quality. I'd say that Clay Made's rule of thumb is accurate in that you should only exceed the word limit by 10% at the very most, but I think this applies when the word limit, is, say 500 words. For a 1,000-word essay, I really think you should make every attempt to get it as short as you can.

[MartianQ]

Done! It is exactly 1000 words haha. I may change around a sentence or two just so it's not EXACTLY 1000 words but I did it! and without taking out anything essential.

I'm sending out my application tomorrow, good luck to all the other HKS applicants!

[lbjane]

Congrats on getting it down to the word limit! For others who are wondering or for future applicants who search the board, keep in mind that the admissions committee will have hundreds of admissions essays to read. It's important to stay pretty close to the limits since the admissions committee only has so much time to spend on each application. Greendiplomat is right that the admissions committee members see so many admissions essays that they will almost certainly spot one that goes too far over the limit, even if there's no official word count included. I never served on an admissions committee, but I have helped review intern applications that had a similar statement of interest requirement and when you look at a lot of standardized application requirements, those that include way too much or way too little information stand out pretty quickly and usually not in a good way. Blatantly ignoring instructions doesn't bode well for most applicants.

Also, keep in mind that you want to enter the world of public policy/IR where your ability (or inability) to boil complex issues that scholars have written many books about down to a two page memo may have a direct impact on your career advancement. So, as interesting as everyone's experiences and goals truly are, it's still important to decide what's truly relevant and to get to the point clearly and concisely.

If there are truly extenuating circumstances that need to be addressed in your admissions packet that you can't include due to the word limit, then consider an addendum specific to those circumstances. I'm not talking about an awesome work or job experience, but about major health or personal issues that the admissions committee needs to know in order to understand you as an applicant.

[gradkid2012]

and how about resumes? how extensive should be the descriptions under each job post, for instance? i'm trying to figure out if i'm being too descriptive, but i'm afraid that if i'm not, the AdCom wont understand the context and work that i have done

[MYRNIST]

In the professional world, a lot of places ask you to cap your resume at one page. Since it's academia and it's de rigeur to blab on about yourself, I would maybe extend that to 1.5 or 2 pages for grad school apps. Certainly no more.

I completely understand the desire to give a crystal clear picture of your experiences and skills, but you really don't need to write a novel. Pick 3 bullet points that sum up your contributions at each job post, and stick to that. To quote another poster on a different thread, your future job may depend on the ability to sum up complex information in few, understandable words. Turning in a sprawling, indulgent resume gives the exact opposite impression of what you want to be giving.

[MartianQ]

Can I ask an honest question? Do you guys generally use the same SoP with minor modifications (say a paragraph) for each school or do you write a separate one for each?

[Clay Made]

I'm generally using the same body and modifying it to each school's strengths.

[bgreenster]

Can I ask an honest question? Do you guys generally use the same SoP with minor modifications (say a paragraph) for each school or do you write a separate one for each?

I agree with what everyone is saying on here. I think I went over by a couple words, but otherwise tried to come in just under. Like jkt0319, I am not a big rule-breaker and feel that they give those guidelines for a reason and it's usually good to show that you can follow directions. That being said, you can always ask the admissions people. I went to an open house down at LBJ and they were saying that it was MUCH more lenient than the "3 page double-spaced" limit put on their website. I don't know about HKS because I'm not applying, but it never hurts to ask the person in charge of admissions, as far as I've noticed.

I wrote a general SOP over the summer that covered everything I could ever really want to say. In it, I had paragraphs I would keep if given the space, but were also able to be taken out if not. This is what I sent to the people writing recommendations. Then, as I have been writing the specific SOPs, I take the relevant parts from that main essay and work it so that it fits with the individual prompt/length limit. I worked on that bigger framework essay for almost two months so that now I know that it is solid and I just have to put in details for each program and make sure they transition together. The only one this isn't working for at all is Georgetown, but that's because it's not really a standard SOP (for my desired degree) and asks very specific questions.

[sengpatt]

Hey all! I had a question related to the OP regarding SoP prompts which suggest word counts "about" or "around" a certain number. If the prompt says "about 500 words," for example, would it be appropriate to have it be closer to 600? Most of the have schools I'm applying have a variety of recommendations (about 500, 500-750, 600-800), and I would very much like to use the same basic essay for all of them (with appropriate modifications, of course). I was just wondering how flexible schools are when there isn't a discrete word limit.

[MYRNIST]

A rule of thumb is 10% - so for an "about/around" 500 word application try to stay in the 450-550 range.

[verdalantreas]

It differs from school to school. 10% rule should be a safe bet. Nobody, however, is actually going to count the words in your SOP / samples.

[rose1]

I don't know about HKS but I remember reading on another top school's website (georgetown?) that people going over would be viewed negatively because "part of grad school is following directions."