<p>I have no idea if I'm being paranoid by asking this, but a school I'm applying to asks for an essay of 250-500 words, and mine is 521 words. Is that okay or should I try to trim it? I feel like it wouldn't flow right if I took anything out. I just don't know how picky schools are about this.</p>
<p>What’s the wording of the word limit? Does it say “No more than 500 words,” or “An essay of about 250-500 words?” If it’s the latter, you have some leeway in how much you can write and should be fine. And even if it’s the former, 21 extra words isn’t going to kill you (since you’re obeying the limit within reason), but I would still try to trim more if it’s more of an absolute limit that states that you must have less than 500.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>