<p>I'm writing an essay on the world I come from.</p>
<p>How strict is the 500 word limit? My essay is hitting around 520 words right now, and it's extremely challenging to shorten it without damaging its quality. After all, squeezing a description of my world into 500 words is hard as it is :)</p>
<p>It sounds like a pretty strict word limit, but I just wanted to make sure.
Thanks in advance...</p>
<p>they're not counting -- 520 is fine, just don't hit 600, and I say you're fine :)</p>
<p>they just want everyone to have an equal opportunity to speak, you know?</p>
<p>the adcom said it is fine within and extra 10% of the limit</p>
<p>as long as it all fits in the PDF when you preview it, it's fine</p>
<p>I just learned the hard way that you can't even hit continue with your optional essays unless they are < 550 words :P</p>