<p>Well, I've always wondered if one of the reasons my son got into MIT was that his main essay had exactly 500 words and his three smalll essays each had exactly 100 words. Yes, they were good essays, and yes, he did pare the words to make them fit exactly. That kind of brain might be one reason he fits in so well at MIT.</p>
<p>And yes, short little words like is, a, and & the count, but contractions do count as one word, not two. </p>
<p>I've been reading student essays (on all kinds of topics) for the last few weeks (and for a few weeks last June), and I have yet to see one that couldn't benefit from some serious editing. It's much harder to write shorter rather than longer.</p>