<p>Has anyone gone over their word limit in their essays for a public school?
Has anyone gone over their word limit in their essays for UMD?</p>
<p>I heard privates will read your entire essay even if you go over, but is not true for publics.</p>
<p>thank you.</p>
<p>Whatever you heard about private universities is incorrect. What a reviewer reads, public or private, is mostly the reviewer’s choice, some may read the extra lengthy essays and some may stop short, some may not care that they are too long and others might view it as the applicant’s inability to follow instructions, and you can have both kinds of reviewers at virtually any college. The usual rule is that going over the word limit a little is OK but going over a lot should be avoided. Also be aware of a truism that has been expressed by admissions personnel who have read many essays: applicants who firmly believe it is impossible to edit their essay to something close to the word limit are universally mistaken in that belief.</p>
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<p>Great advice. OP, you may also find that your essay benefits from being cut down. It’s quite possible that your point is buried under too many words; dig it out.</p>