xfgdfrmgpo332 Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 So, my first couple of schools didn't have a word limit on the statement of purpose and mine was about 1380. In my next round of apps, however, there are places that have a 1000 word limit (and Michigan's limit is 2 pages double spaced...wha?). I'm definitely going to cut some, but I don't know if I'll be able to get below 1250 or 1200 words without really disrupting the flow or leaving something important out. I just hate cutting stuff. What I'm wondering is, will it be better to just go 200-300 words over the limit, if cutting will hurt my SOP? Or will the costs outweight the benefits? I am afraid some schools might get pissed at me going 300 words over and just throw the thing away, because they might think I'm being disrespectful to their guidelines or something. And with 11 billions applications, we know they're always looking for new ways to get rid of applicants without really looking at their app. Thoughts? At this point I'm leaning toward brazenly going over the 1000 limit.... Hope everyone is hanging in there. I really hate that a lot of this stuff is due right during exam time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdon19 Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 I would DIE to have 1000 word limits. My next app (Toronto) has a 500 word limit, and it's KILLING me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Grimwig Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 I cannot imagine whittling down my statement to 500 words. It took me three weeks to find a way to go from 1,300 to a more manageable 1,088 words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdon19 Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Luckily, I started my initial drafts of the SOP keeping in mind that some schools won't allow more than 500 words. Unluckily, my first application said 1-2 pages, so my final draft ended up just over 1,000 words. Now I have to cut, cut, cut for Toronto on Monday. Grrrrr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
especially Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 bdon: I hear you, one of mine has a 300 word limit! joega: if you absolutely can't get lower than 1000 words, do try at least to stay within 100-150 words over. 500 words over and it might seem like you didn't read the instructions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timshel Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 I would not go over the word limit under any circumstance. All of mine have asked for a SOP of 2-3 pages so far, so mine have all been around 1,000, but I have one that is coming up that has to be only 500, which I am not looking forward to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolopixie Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 I'm working on my 500 word one tonight...blech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
user_name Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 i haven't been paying too much attention to these....most schools i'm applying to have said about 500 and i've gone up to 550ish. some schools have word counters on the application and i really had to cut it down with that. i just don't see how 50 or so words is going to bother someone that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdon19 Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 THIS 500 WORD SOP IS EATING MY SOUL RIGHT NOW. Or at least eating my words. I just don't understand how I can do this in 500 words or less: The statement of purpose should indicate your interests in English and the strengths you bring to us. Discuss the historical area, literary forms, and/or theoretical approaches that inform your work. (If you are a PhD applicant you should, in addition, outline in detail the kind of dissertation you might ideally write). You should also consult our web site at http://www.english.utoronto.ca and mention faculty members whose work is particularly relevant to your proposed studies and research. The statement should be limited to 500 words. k;lkja;slkjd;flkj;alkjs;ldkjf;lkja;lksjd;ljf;lkajs;lkdj;flkja;lskjd;lkfj;alkjsd;lkjf;laksjd;lkfj;alkjsd;lfkjl;aksjdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timshel Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 THIS 500 WORD SOP IS EATING MY SOUL RIGHT NOW. Or at least eating my words. I just don't understand how I can do this in 500 words or less: The statement of purpose should indicate your interests in English and the strengths you bring to us. Discuss the historical area, literary forms, and/or theoretical approaches that inform your work. (If you are a PhD applicant you should, in addition, outline in detail the kind of dissertation you might ideally write). You should also consult our web site at http://www.english.utoronto.ca and mention faculty members whose work is particularly relevant to your proposed studies and research. The statement should be limited to 500 words. k;lkja;slkjd;flkj;alkjs;ldkjf;lkja;lksjd;ljf;lkajs;lkdj;flkja;lskjd;lkfj;alkjsd;lkjf;laksjd;lkfj;alkjsd;lfkjl;aksjdf Yikes. Talk about succinct and to the point! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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