SOP 300 word limit - what to write and what to omit?

[reddog]

One of my schools requires a motivation letter no longer than 300 words. Additionally, they specifically request an elaborate cv. I have already written a 1000 word letter for another school, and my plan is to break this text down, select the highlights, and rewrite accordingly. Now here is my dilemma: what do I include and what do I leave out?

I am thinking I should just stick to purely answering the "Why" questions: Why this topic? And why at this school? And let my cv speak for my merits. However that has become more difficult than expected.

For example, I have done 2 highly relevant internships. Each contributed partly to my motivation for my topic. I guess that's always the case, your motivation is largely made up of numerous small experiences and lessons. I also have one experience/anecdote that very strongly contributed to my motivation and has ultimately been the decisive factor. I think I should focus on this one strong experience, and leave out the smaller ones such as the internships because they are in my cv.  But my friends are adamant that I mention these two internships, as my POI zoomed in on them on multiple occasions. But I worry it will take up space I could've used better, or worse, that it might seem like i am just listing my accomplishments. In short, I'm conflicted.. any advice?