Why are word counts so strict?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

This is a genuine question and not meant to be a rant about MIT admissions. But if MIT truly wants to admit “people not numbers” why put such a restrictive word count? Wouldn’t increasing it help applicants showcase themselves more effectively which is something that MIT says they place a large emphasis on (and I believe them). Thanks.

2

They don’t have the time to read a novel from each applicant.

3

^^ This is what it comes down too. Trust me I was with you (rough drafts of my essays were usually 300+ words past the limit, and cutting it down was a mission in it’s own) but the reality is that schools have to read through tens of thousands of applications, and they have to figure a word limit that they can get through with the amount of staff they have and the time constraints

4

Writing concisely and making your point is a skill. Maybe MIT wants to see if you have such a skill.

5

what they said

6

Without a strict word limit, it becomes a slippery slope.

Just how many words beyond the limit is OK?

Whatever number you’re thinking: how about if I have 10 words more? 20? 50? 100?

At some point, the assignment is what it is. Just as my class ends after 38 minutes-- not 40 or 45-- your essay end when you hit the designated limit.

7

I found this online:

In his Lettres Provinciales, the French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal famously wrote:

I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.

This sentiment, which also found expression by John Locke, Benjamin Franklin and Woodrow Wilson, among others, reflects both the value and the challenges of brevity.

8

In addition to what others have said: Because they can be now. Back in the day pre computer based apps, the word limits were obviously more fudgeable. People have a general sense as to what a certain word count looks like on a piece of paper but they obviously aren’t sitting there counting the words and stopping at the limit so if they asked for 500 words and you did 504 no one noticed. If you did 600, they probably noticed. Now the software can easily just cut you off at 500.