I am currently putting the finishing touches on my supplemental essay to Cornell engineering. The word limit is 650 words, and I’m about 100 words under that. I think my essay flows pretty well as it is, so is there any need to make it any longer?I’m thinking about adding how I was given a private tour of a research laboratory at Cornell and how I was amazed by the sophisticated equipment and that I am looking forward to using it to conduct research. However, I can not find a place to add this without interrupting the flow. Is this experience significant in the eyes of admissions officers? Or should I not bother mentioning it?
honestly, i think if your essay ideally reflects your intentions and highlights your reasons for wanting to attend, you should be fine. putting it in certainly won’t hurt, but if you can’t fit it in, then it’s okay.
@bjkmom but would you consider my experiences touring Cornell’s labs as “fluff”? I think that experience is something that shows that I am really interested in their program.
Touring a lab, while nice, is indeed “fluff.” Cornell does not track demonstrated interest, so they don’t care that you’ve toured the lab. Unless it directly fits with the essay, don’t bother. Sometimes less is more.
I’ve toured NASA at Cape Caneveral, Notre Dame in Paris, The Tower of London, and Disney World, to name just a few. All were incredibly interesting. None is a compelling reason to admit me anywhere to do anything.
If you think it’s a compelling reason to admit you, and that it adds to the quality of your essay, then add it. My choice would be to hit “submit.”
Generally speaking, less is more. The word count doesn’t matter. Beautiful writing does. Be interesting and memorable. If you can do that well under the word count, even better.