<p>Maybe I'm just going crazy, but the app seems to be letting me enter as many words as I want. Is the app not restricting word count for anyone else?</p>
<p>You are not going crazy but ignore this! When it comes to submitting, it won’t let you validate if it is more than 25 words passed the word limit. That means 125 words for the 100 count essays and 275 words for the 250 count essays. At least this is what was true last year.</p>
<p>If you go more than 25 words passed the limit it just shrinks everything down, but won’t validate! I keep trying to tell everyone this! I’m glad you asked before it’s too late! </p>
<p>Have fun slashing words! I mean it. As long as you still have time, it’s fun to watch how many words can be omitted and still retain the original message. You will see, it actually makes for much better writing.</p>
<p>You need to check the PDF and make sure it looks right. You may be submitting cut off essays without realizing it.</p>
<p>The MIT app is actually a character count that approximates the word count, so it’s not exact.</p>
<p>Piper,
- Based on my experience last year, it is not a character count.<br>
- Based on my experience last year, it will look perfect when you check the PDF because it shrinks everything down to fit.
- However, it is wrong! It will not fit when you submbit,if it goes 26 or more words over the word count!</p>
<p>I’m trying to help people here and I keep getting contradicted. I have posted many times about this situation. </p>
<p>Please comment if you have experience and know that I’m wrong.</p>
<p>Otherwise please let people know that you are not basing your information on experience.</p>
<p>MIT is telling students that 250 words is the limit and then rewarding students who do not follow the instructions by allowing them 25 additional words? </p>
<p>I do not have any inside information about this specific issue, but I do understand that they make every effort to make the application process as fair and unbiased as possible. Allowing students to have an additional 25 words on the essay in direct contradiction to the instructions would seem to work against that objective. If they meant 275 words, or as many as it will allow, I would think it would have said that.</p>
<p>I would be concerned that even if the system allowed me to exceed 250 words, the Admissions department may go back and cut them off to equalize the applications. Therefore, I would not take that risk unless the admissions department has formally indicated that this it is acceptable to ignore their instructions and exceed the 250 words.</p>
<p>They have said that it is approximately 250 words. Stick to it and you can be confident that it will all fit. However, I’m being more specific, based on experience and letting you know that your 276th word will be cut off. You will find that out when you try to submit. Also, everyone in the admissions office is very kind. No one is going to go back and cut words off your essay. Especially, they have said many times that what you see is what they see. I’m being more specific and letting you know that it is only what you see after you submit and validate that you can trust is exactly what admissions will see.</p>
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<p>See comments #2 and #4 (written by Admissions counselor MITChris):
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/1564582-word-limit.html#post16472310[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/1564582-word-limit.html#post16472310</a></p>
<p>I’ll quote them here:</p>
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<p>I’ll take an Admissions counselor’s comments on this year’s app over your comments on last year’s app. That’s why I’m contradicting you. The app changes year to year, so it’s best to try to have updated information.</p>
<p>Yes it’s true that the app might have changed since last year. However, last year when I was applying I was also told to trust the pdf preview. That is the issue I keep trying to clear up. </p>
<p>Don’t trust the pdf preview! It looks like your essay fits no matter how many words you add. Everything shrinks and looks like it all fits! It’s not true! When you try to submit, it won’t validate. Only then do you realize that what you previewed is not really what admissions will get. I am trying to prevent people from going through the stress I was going through this time last year. And it was a lot of stress, because there was a huge storm wreaking havoc in my neighborhood at the very same time that I was trying to take care of my application. Coincidentally the anniversary of Storm Sandy is today. </p>
<p>So yes, it is possible that the app changed since last year, but according to the OP, just like I experienced last year, he says that it looks like it will let his essays be much longer than the word limit. So let’s stop telling people to trust the preview because they can’t!</p>
<p>I’m sure that MITChris is not misleading anyone on purpose but my experience from last year and the OP’s experience this year clearly shows that you can’t trust the preview!</p>