<p>I know this has been discussed before but D has rewritten her essay after less than stellar EA results. it is much better now, but it is at about 520 words.</p>
<p>the extra 30 words do enhance the quality of the story, though she can complete the assignment with 490 words.</p>
<p>does anyone have experience with this subject? am I being too nit-picky?</p>
<p>I would have her cut it to 490… more than one admissions officer told us that while they LOVE reading what our darling children write, they do not LOVE when they don’t follow instructions. If it says “no more than 500 words” that’s exactly what they mean, if it says “about 500 words” then leave it as it is.</p>
<p>That extra 30 words should not work against your daughter. But keep in mind that some schools actually will cut off the essay at exact words allowed. My daughter’s essay to USC had to be seriously shorten so it is not cut off in the middle of the sentence. </p>
<p>Many kids make this kind of mistake: write and rewrite the essay on microsoft word, then cut and paste in the common app or the college’s web. Microsoft’s word count and the colleges’ web application’s word count are NOT the same. If they don’t double check, their essays are actually cut off in the middle of the paragraph. Rather than enhancing your chance of acceptance, that essay will then definitely hurt your chance of getting in.</p>
<p>Thank you!
we scaled it back, made some creative compromises and got it down to 494!</p>
<p>Mine is exactly 500 words.</p>