<p>Do they cut off at the world length online? One of them is 560 words and one is 700 (but I can't take anything out and I think it reads really well like a story). But I don't want to be cutoff at exactly 500 words and have a crappy essay.</p>
<p>Anyone know what's the deal with this?</p>
<p>the instructions say that the 500 words is only a guideline, not a strict limit, so I can't imagine them severing your essay at 500 words.</p>
<p>you should be fine as long as your essay is no more than 2 pages double spaced.</p>
<p>Matt said [url=<a href="http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/qanda/questions_and_answers/questions_omnibus_fierce_forev.shtml%5Dyesterday%5B/url">http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/qanda/questions_and_answers/questions_omnibus_fierce_forev.shtml]yesterday[/url</a>]
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Martina wrote, "I was just wondering if an applicant is allowed to exceed the 500 word essay limit?"</p>
<p>You may exceed the 500 word limit; whether you choose to do so is up to you.</p>
<p>As I've written before, we're not going to reject you because of the length of your essay. We do not have an auto-word-counter for the online application. Also, I am not going to count the words in your essay. I have never even estimated the length of an essay response.</p>
<p>Really, quality is much more important than quantity. And some people, I know, do have more to say than what fits in the suggested number of words. If that is you, I'd encourage you to show your essay to your favorite English teacher, tell him/her that your essay is currently longer than the recommended limit, and ask what advice s/he would give you. They may tell you to send in the longer essay, and if they do, I'd trust that. Or, if they recommend paring it down to restrict it to the word limit, I'd take that advice.
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<p>Well I was asking specifically because they say " (Completely Optional) Tell us about something that you have created. This can be, for example, a design, a device, an object, an idea or concept. (Please limit your answer to 500 words or fewer.)"</p>
<p>This sounds rather harsher, but I absolutely need the extra words (and I think I tell the story nicely w/ the words I use). Any takes on this? Same as before?</p>
<p>As far as I know, Matt's reply is only about the real essay, not #13 and #14 (though I could be wrong). The 500-word limits are phrased differently on the application for those questions.</p>
<p>Under #4, the actual essay: "Please limit to approximately 500 words. (This is a guideline, not a strict limit.)"</p>
<p>Under #13 and #14, the extra-information questions, no word limit is listed on the paper application; however, on the online application, it says to limit your response to 500 words.</p>
<p>Having an admissions official clarify this would probably be helpful, though.</p>