SOP word limit

[ghkim]

Hi folks

 

I'm struggling with word limits in essays. Especially SIPA has 400, 200, 200 word limits for each essay but it is so hard to shorten down to that length... It feels like either I have to exclude many things that I wanted to express, or I have to compress so many details to make it abstract. Anyone sharing the same problems? How can I solve this?

Thanks!

[publicaffairsstudent]

Don't go over the word limit under any circumstances.

 

People have a lot of experience. But a 200 work essay is probably designed to produce a well-developed explanation of one particular experience. You submit a resume that tells everything you've done. The SOP is not an info dump but an opportunity for you to showcase your ability to write in a coherent and concise way. Pick your strongest connection to the topic and blow them away.

[MJA87]

I agree with publicaffairsstudent, definitely don't go over.

 

Think of it as a test of your writing ability: how effectively can you describe something with restrictive word limits?

[gradjm]

Within 10% over word limit should be fine. So for a 500 word essay even if you get to 550 words, it should not cause concern.

 

Admission committees don't count words in your essays.

[Gov2School]

Within 10% over word limit should be fine. So for a 500 word essay even if you get to 550 words, it should not cause concern.

 

Admission committees don't count words in your essays.

 

Sorry, but I strongly disagree. If the word count says 500 words, write 500.  Some of the application computer programs will cut your essay off after the set number of words.  In others, when they download the essay they'll be able to tell how many words it is (they won't count the words, but the computer will do it for them if your essay looks too long).  10% extra is very noticeable when you're looking at several hundred essays that are 500 words each, and not following application directions closely is a big strike against you. 

 

It's definitely hard to fit the limits (I remember writing those 200 word essays for SIPA, that's a paragraph, not an essay!), but you have to try.  It is definitely a test of both your writing ability and your ability to follow the directions/attention to detail.  You have to choose what are the most important details, and yes, some things will go unsaid.  But everyone is under the same restrictions as you, so you won't be the only one leaving some things out.  Compress, compress, compress. And look for ways you can take pieces of your longer essay, break them off, and weave them into the shorter essays. 

[gradjm]

Sorry, but I strongly disagree. If the word count says 500 words, write 500.  Some of the application computer programs will cut your essay off after the set number of words.  In others, when they download the essay they'll be able to tell how many words it is (they won't count the words, but the computer will do it for them if your essay looks too long).  10% extra is very noticeable when you're looking at several hundred essays that are 500 words each, and not following application directions closely is a big strike against you. 

 

It's definitely hard to fit the limits (I remember writing those 200 word essays for SIPA, that's a paragraph, not an essay!), but you have to try.  It is definitely a test of both your writing ability and your ability to follow the directions/attention to detail.  You have to choose what are the most important details, and yes, some things will go unsaid.  But everyone is under the same restrictions as you, so you won't be the only one leaving some things out.  Compress, compress, compress. And look for ways you can take pieces of your longer essay, break them off, and weave them into the shorter essays. 

 

This is not true at all. Computer programs cut off essays after set word limit? Not true. Tell me which school does that.

 

10% extra very noticeable? No. Just compare a couple of 550 word essay with 500 words. It's about 4 extra lines and when you account for the different types of writings, some 550 word essay may look shorter than 500 words. So how would it be a big strike if admissions has no way to tell it's 10% over.

 

It's a great idea to write concisely regardless as it lets you fit more information in less words, but generalizing that going at most 10% over will somehow strike out an applicant is just misleading information.

[chocolatecheesecake]

This is not true at all. Computer programs cut off essays after set word limit? Not true. Tell me which school does that.

 

10% extra very noticeable? No. Just compare a couple of 550 word essay with 500 words. It's about 4 extra lines and when you account for the different types of writings, some 550 word essay may look shorter than 500 words. So how would it be a big strike if admissions has no way to tell it's 10% over.

 

It's a great idea to write concisely regardless as it lets you fit more information in less words, but generalizing that going at most 10% over will somehow strike out an applicant is just misleading information.

 

I have to agree with Gov2School on this one. I know some schools use software/apps for their application process where the essay really does get cut off after a certain point. If my memory serves me right, that's what happens with short answer responses on the Common Application, when you are applying for undergrad. I used to work as a college counselor for high school students, and print out PDF proofs to read/ correct, so I remember seeing that. It does depend on whether you submit things as a document (PDF), in which case they probably usually get printed out as a picture, but especially when you enter wordss into text boxes, there is the possibility they will get cut off because it's being processed as pure text. That's why they tend to give you such stringent word count requirements, formatting requirements, etc. You never know, and so the best policy is really to just abide by the letter of their requirements.

[Kaneisha]

I wanted to chime in and also say that I strongly advise people to not write one word over the word limit.

 

If you are having trouble getting your essay into the word limit, you can try the following:

• Delete the first few sentences. Most essays start with a lot of unnecessary introductory information. Parachute right into the main point you want the reader to take away from the piece.
• Use the short name of the school. Say HKS rather than "Harvard Kennedy School" for example.
• Eliminate wordy phrases. Rather than say "I had the opportunity to..." just tell the reader what you did.
• Make every sentence stand up to the "stay or go" test. Read every sentence of your essay one at a time. After reading each individual sentence, ask, "Is this sentence essential to answering the essay question?" If it is not essential and you are over the word limit, it has to go.
• Have a friend read it. Give your essays to a friend and tell her/him that you absolutely have to have the essay be within the word limit. Because s/he won't be as attached to your words as you are, s/he can more easily see what can be removed. Just make sure you don't give your friend your only/original copies of your documents.
• Delete the last few sentences. Similar to my first point, applicants often end their essays with a lot of extra niceties that do not add much to the essay. It reminds me of how difficult it is to get off the phone with some people. They keep saying different versions of goodbye, and won't just hang up!

Once again, DO NOT go over the word limit. Just don't.