<p>No matter how hard I try, I can't cut down my essay any more. I feel like if i cut anything out, my essay will just not be the same.</p>
<p>What do you guys thing I should do?!?!</p>
<p>hmmmm 800 words for the 500-word essay? I really dunno, I mean they can probably accept 100 words over tops - maybe try <em>extra</em> hard to cut down?</p>
<p>Does it even fit in the box? Try to upload it as it is and then look at the preview, try to decide from there, i guess~~~</p>
<p>You don't want to show MIT that you didn't follow instructions.</p>
<p>Well my take on it is if that ectra 300 is REALLY worth it, then perhaps go for it. But I think that MIT has a reason for choosing to have a 500 word limit and its important to respect that to some extent.</p>
<p>i really don't think you should leave that to chance..... cut it down.
aim for 600 words max.
try being more concise and only pick out the best anecdotes.</p>
<p>My rule of thumb: if the reader can tell that the essay is longer than 500 words, it's too long. 800 words is definitely too long.</p>
<p>Perhaps you could have an English teacher look over it and help you edit.</p>
<p>Mine's over 800, and my college counselor said that the quality was enough to outweigh the length. It really depends on how good the essay is, and if the length contributes to the quality.</p>
<p>Ok, I took everyone's advice and cut it down a bit. Now it's just under 700 words, and I think it's a good compromise. I made it so it fits just under one page on the app.</p>
<p>Mine was originally really long, but I tried just rewriting while focusing on only a couple brief anecdotes and pruning out a lot of cliches. It worked and still embodied all the original meaning :)</p>
<p>Each word should be a gem. Good prose is art, remember! You might try restructuring the whole thing.</p>
<p>If I am trying to make a word limit, often I rewrite the essay from memory, as opposed to simply reviewing it. Usually you end up with simpler and more elegant constructions. Then look at your original version - you will miss a lot of things for sure, but usually the stuff you remembered from memory is the most poignant. If it remains in your mind, it will remain in the AdCom's mind too. That gives you an idea about what to keep and what to think twice about including.</p>
<p>ooh that's pretty good advice galoisien, thanks!
i actually cut my optional essay from 670 to 499 :D.. cuz they wouldn't let me do more than 500 lol</p>
<p>From a Ben Jones post later quoted several times in his admissions blog:
[quote]
"50 words over the limit isn't a big deal, don't worry about it. People who totally ignore the limit and submit 1000 words, however, are telling us something about their ability to write a concise essay. In other words, it's not a strict limit, but don't abuse that policy - the readers won't appreciate it if you do."
[/quote]
and
[quote]
We don't actually count the words, so if your essay is a little bit over the limit, no one will notice. If it's significantly over the limit, however, it will be fairly easy to tell.
[/quote]
800 words is almost guaranteed to be too long.</p>
<p>My son liked what he had at 532 words and decided if they would flush him for 32 words, he didn't want to go there anyway. I would say try to keep it under 575.</p>