<p>The williams supplement asks for 300 words at most. Is it ok to go over this limit?</p>
<p>Well the limit is there for a reason, no?</p>
<p>Unless those extra few words are REALLY FREAKING IMPORTANT, i would avoid it.</p>
<p>limit: a prescribed maximum or minimum amount</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>I think most of my essays were slightly above the limit, but I actually think I stuck to the limit for my Williams essay (which is saying something for me, I tend to err on the wordy side when I write). I originally had my Williams essay 150 words over the limit and thought I was completely done. A week later, I revisited the essay and realized that there were 150ish words I could cut out, no problem. As much as it hurt cutting out words that I had put so much thought in, it was worth it in the end. It’s better to obey the rules if you want to be seriously considered for admission.
Hope that helped :)</p>
<p>My English teacher last year advised us to cut out anything unnecessary in college essays, and I completely agree. Admissions officers read thousands of essays, so less is better. Less means less to bore them.</p>
<p>Is the essay topic the same this year?</p>
<p>I believe that it is the same. Here it is:</p>
<p>“Imagine looking through a window at any environment that is particularly significant to you. Reflect on the scene, paying close attention to the relation between what you are seeing and why it is meaningful to you. Please limit your statement to 300 words.”</p>
<p>Yes, it is, MidwesternDad. It seemed like an odd topic when my son told me about it, and it still does.</p>
<p>My daughter wrote her essay about looking out an airplane window. She saw all the fluffy clouds extending out and out. She realized that it reflected her future and how unlimited it was. She tied that theme to her Williams aspirations.</p>
<p>commented on this on another thread but ill do it again here,
reflective but i bet they get that a lot</p>
<p>Being reflective is a natural reaction. It might be a CLICHE as you put it but the proof of the pudding is the actual content. You shouldn’t generalize. She did get accepted. Her essay must have struck a cord somewhere.</p>
<p>I took a bit of a different spin on the Williams essay. I wrote about looking through an imagined window at one of the typical Russian dinner parties my family used to have when I was a kid. In the essay I talked about how my heritage has deeply impacted who I am and what I strive to be. I would say do something less “reflective” like the clouds and something less to do with actually looking out a window, and more with the parts of your life that truly define you.</p>
<p>And btw, Williams is AWESOME. I’m a month and a half in and having a blast/working 1000 times harder than I ever have before.</p>
<p>My S is loving it as well.</p>
<p>My son is enjoying his freshman year as well. He texted me that this is the first place he has ever felt like he fit academically and he loves that people will argue with him!! We couldn’t be more pleased!</p>
<p>Williamsdad - we are from the midwest as well…further north than you…do you get the inevitable question - how could you let your son go so far away???</p>
<p>No, I don’t, but only because I keep saying it to myself, and I beat them to it:(</p>
<p>“akamom”-- very clever name. I should have thought about it longer before choosing “williamsdad”- it gives me away pretty quickly, but then I’ve always worn my heart on my sleeve.</p>
<p>My daughter had a test last night in Math 106 and she says that it was very rough. Otherwise life isn’t too bad. She also seems to be volunteering at the local school, which is good for her.</p>