<p>OPTIONAL SECTION:
"If you think that additional information or material will give us a more thorough impression of you, please respond on separate sheets."</p>
<p>Is this the part that allows you to send in an extra essay or two?</p>
<p>yeah, but unless BOTH really add something to your app that's not evident anywhere else, i'd just send one, because admissiosn officers dont want to see 'more of the same'</p>
<p>100 words for each of the "pleasure" and the "MIT program interest" essays seems like sooooo little! Is it okay if I go a little over?</p>
<p>A little is fine. Rule of thumb: don't go over so much that your readers notice that it's over.</p>
<p>Am I the only one here who really appreciates those word limits (and the ones on the essays)? They put a cap on the amount of time you can spend worrying about the questions. And they make it clear that you don't have to write some brilliant essay describing why you like to sky-dive in your free time - you just have to answer the question.</p>
<p>yeah, a couple of people asked this question on ben's blog a long tmie ago. i cant find the exact entry where he replied to it, but he said it's fine to go a little over, they just dont want to be reading 800 word main essays and 300 word short answers. i think a couple of people said they wree at 200 words for one of the short answer and he said as long as what you're saying matters, and it's not just restating the same old thing, you're fine. how far over the limit were you thinking of going? my advice: keep it under 150 and u should be fine.</p>
<p>Hmm...flierdeke has a good theory there...adcom is trying to make your life easier. At the same time, if you really can't fit what you want to say, it's not such a big deal to go a little over. In fact, I wish someone had given me this advice. I adhered to the 500 word limit so strictly that I had to edit my essay and parts of it came out sounding awkward. It was pretty silly of me to not just write a 507 word essay, but hey. It worked out for the best in the end, I guess. =)</p>
<p>for the short essays, can they just be in a sort of a list format, with short explanations for each item? this is especially for the "What do you do for fun?" question</p>
<p>I guess it wont hurt if you do it that way, as long as you answer the question and let them know WHY you like to do that it's ok.</p>
<p>and by the way, flierdeke, I DO appreciate those word limits and a lot! I mean, MIT is my dream school, but essays are my nightmare!</p>