Condensing WS vs Giving page numbers to read

[hungrybear]

I have a 50+ paper I would like to use as a WS for my apps. Should I send the whole pdf and designate pages to read or should I condense it into a cohesive 30-35 page paper? (I use that range since all my apps want somewhere in that range). 

Pro for the first option: They get to see all my effort. Con for the first option: It's not as cohesive, since they're jumping around.

Pro for the second option: It reads as one continuous paper, as there is no need for jumping around. Con: They do not see the larger product. 

Thanks. 

Edited July 17, 2017 by miami421

[fuzzylogician]

If you can condense your 50-page paper into a 35-page paper without significant loss of content, you should absolutely do that. Never make your readers work harder than they have to. If that's not possible, I would personally opt for the whole thing + designated pages.

My take on submitting the whole thing with instructions to read Part X is that it's worth taking the extra time to create a kind of (short!) summary or abstract of the rest of the work, to situate the excerpt in context. I assume that at least some readers will only read the designated part; some readers may read more, if interested, but most probably won't read the whole thing. So to avoid the cons of Option 1 and maximize the potential pros of Option 2, providing a short summary can help provide the broader frame and direct readers to where they can read more if they're particularly interested in X or Y, so it's not too choppy when they go to the excerpt. 

That said, a 35-page excerpt out of a 50 page paper could be kind of awkward, if those are the parameters. If you can find a way to make it a standalone piece, that would be best.

[AP]

7 hours ago, miami421 said:

I have a 50+ paper I would like to use as a WS for my apps. Should I send the whole pdf and designate pages to read or should I condense it into a cohesive 30-35 page paper? (I use that range since all my apps want somewhere in that range). 

Pro for the first option: They get to see all my effort. Con for the first option: It's not as cohesive, since they're jumping around.

Pro for the second option: It reads as one continuous paper, as there is no need for jumping around. Con: They do not see the larger product. 

Thanks. 

Condense it. I rewrote my 150-page thesis into 25. The point is not the effort, it's the evidence that shows you can do historical analysis and present it in a convincing, relatively professional manner (intro/analysis/conclusion clearly stated, well-articulated paragraphs, well presented source(s) and their analysis, etc). Here less is more. If they say 35 pages, do not submit 50. Just don't. 

[laleph]

As @AP said, follow the instructions. Don't submit more pages than the application asks for. The adcom is going to be reading other applications whose submitters followed the instructions and were able to say what they needed to say in 35 pages. You will stick out, and not in a good way.

I condensed a 50-page paper to around 30 pages for the application -- but I also provided a link to the original in case someone was curious. I'm assuming no one was curious, but it made me feel better to know that Enquiring Minds could seek it out if they really wanted to.

[hungrybear]

On a side note, do schools expect a works cited page at the end? Sorry if it's a silly question. They don't really state that on their instructions page. I would imagine footnotes would be sufficient, but I just want to double-check.

Edited July 18, 2017 by miami421

[Concordia]

I extracted two coherent excerpts from my thesis.  (These totalled 5,000 words out of 20,000.)  

I also inserted a short paragraph before each to make it clear what the section was about.  I was trying to show some of my skill and judgment, not passing the effort off as a complete paper.  I left the footnotes, making sure that the first mention of each work was now the long one (and not "Thurston, p. 640" or "ibid.")  I can't remember if my excerpts included tables I made or the two pictures I used.

The excerpts addressed two important segments of my overall argument, and included some features that my examiners commented on favorably (which comments might well have been quoted in my letters of recommendation).

Edited July 18, 2017 by Concordia

[Concordia]

Since you're doing 30 pages, perhaps taking the original and figuring out which 20 can go would be the best thing.  If you're cutting a big section and not just slimming down paragraphs, I suppose you could make a note where the cut occurred and maybe a squib about what is missing.  Obviously, you want to make sure that whatever is left shows off your knowledge and writing ability by itself.  Can one of your MA faculty offer some guidance?

[cowgirlsdontcry]

Some programs I applied to (English) stated "DO NOT designate pages to be read." Condense and rewrite your WS to fit requirements. I have also seen statements on department websites that state "longer WS will not be read past cutoff." This is understandable due to the large number of applications submitted.

As to whether programs want Works Cited pages or Bib at the end. I actually called several departments and they all stated yes. It doesn't count toward WS length.

[TMP]

1) Search the Internet for improving your writing quality/better academic writing.  If you're editing an undergraduate paper, it is likely to be full of passive voice and long sentences.  Break down sentences, cut quotes to no more than 2-3 linkes, and try to make every sentence an active one.

2) No works-cited page needed.  It's what footnotes are for.

3) Unless specified, choose a section that exemplifies your writing and research skills (heavy on primary sources and analysis).  A 50-page paper should have several sections to it already.  Choose 1-2 sections that end up being between 15-25 pages total and leave at that.  Each section should have an argument.  Try to leave about 200-250 word abstract at the beginning that outlines your overall argument.  

I never condensed my 80 page MA thesis; it was too much and one section was clearly stronger than the other 2. 

Most professors have other things they're doing.... especially teaching when they're reading grad school applications in January, at the beginning of the spring semester.

[hungrybear]

4 hours ago, Concordia said:

Since you're doing 30 pages, perhaps taking the original and figuring out which 20 can go would be the best thing.  If you're cutting a big section and not just slimming down paragraphs, I suppose you could make a note where the cut occurred and maybe a squib about what is missing.  Obviously, you want to make sure that whatever is left shows off your knowledge and writing ability by itself.  Can one of your MA faculty offer some guidance?

I'm not in an MA program :/. I just have a BA in History and Philosophy, and this is my undergraduate thesis.

Well, it was my undergrad thesis. I lived in France for some time after undergrad, and while there I did some archival work to bolster my undergrad thesis. This past summer I started incorporating the archival sources (in addition to other relevant primary and secondary sources I read since graduation). 

I decided to scrap my original thesis (about 40 pages) and start from scratch (keeping the same argument and framework). This new paper is at about 35 pages now, and I'm half way to finishing. So I'm thinking the end product will be about 70 pages.

I'm debating now if I should just aim to fit my whole paper into 30-35 pages, since I'm still in the writing phase. 

Edited July 18, 2017 by miami421

[Concordia]

Make sure you have a segment of 30-35pp that is worth reading on its own, even if it doesn't tell the full story.

[AP]

For what is worth, this is not the last time you will condense your work. Like many things in grad school, many 'first times' occur during application season. I've just condensed a dissertation chapter into a workshop paper, and I'm doing that again with another chapter section for a conference. 

On 7/18/2017 at 1:42 PM, miami421 said:

On a side note, do schools expect a works cited page at the end? Sorry if it's a silly question. They don't really state that on their instructions page. I would imagine footnotes would be sufficient, but I just want to double-check.

Because my thesis was from a non-US university, the citation system was different and I included bibliography at the end (within the page limit). Remember that schools use portals that sometimes prevent you from uploading more than the stipulated page number. Oh, and please, please don't do the smaller font/wider margins short cut to get more words per page.