<p>Hi there passerby! I'll get right into it.
I'm currently applying to University of Florida and I've been etching away at my essay since the new prompt was released. "Please submit an approximately 4000 character (400-500 word) essay" they ask. I heeded to that, but once I got to the 500-word limit, my word processor said that there were a mere 3100 characters (including spaces and the likes).
Should I play it safe and leave it as it is, or go with the CHARACTER limit and add some very nice touches to the essay itself? I'd certainly prefer the latter since I love writing but I don't want it to be a "reason" to reject my app, God forbid!
Thanks for reading, and take care.</p>
<p>Better safe than sorry.</p>
<p>Uhm. O.K, thank you @nagintapls . Any other input would be kindly appreciated. I’m also thinking of playing it safe, but darn I could do a lot if I had that extra space (That’s roughly 2 paragraphs worth of material!) </p>
<p>In my opinion, spend more time perfecting your word choice, correcting your actual grammar (removing passive voice and replacing it with active voice), and improving the overall content of your essay than adding superfluous words. Picking the perfect words for each sentence and making each word count will go much further than just adding in a bunch of words that don’t convey exactly what you want them to convey.</p>
<p>^ Totally agree. Make every word count; don’t just fill space.</p>
<p><em>Rubs defibrillators together</em>
CLEAR!
<em>BUMP</em>
So, I asked UF Admissions and this was their answer:
“Hi ******, 500 words is the recommendation for the essay; however, our application will hold more than that. As long as your essay fits in the text box on the application, then you are good to go! Thank you!” </p>