Essay limit

J

JulietTengoWhiskey16

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Sep 13, 2020
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Wow. My DS is having trouble condensing his essays into 500 words or less. He is sooo close to the maximum (sometimes 10-15 over)
Is it better to combine compound words and lessen descriptive words to lessen the word count? Or re-write and possibly eliminate key info?OR.... just leave the essay with a few words over the limit. ??
ugh! I’m NOT an English major! I have No idea how to advise my DS.
 
when he enters the essay and clicks the check for errors it will tell him it is over... my DD based on characters vs words which got her a few extra. have him try checking in the essay blocks
 
His competition is figuring it out, and so will he.

Easy cuts: Just use “to” instead of “in order to,” as it usually means exactly the same. Cut “that” where it can be removed.

Is he talking too much about USAFA mission, and what it does? They know all that.

Is he using the dollar word when a shorter 25 cent word will do just fine?

Has he asked an English teacher to help him think about how to edit for brevity, identify redundancies and trim unnecessary detail?

Has he researched online tips for editing?

wowwritingworkshop.com

College Essay Blog

Get expert advice about writing college entrance essays from the leading experts in college essay writing.
wowwritingworkshop.com wowwritingworkshop.com
 
This is also part of the competition: following instructions, making decisions and presenting.

He has to decide what’s a priority, make the choice and move forward. It’s all part of the process. Good luck!!
 
JulietTengoWhiskey16 said:
Wow. My DS is having trouble condensing his essays into 500 words or less. He is sooo close to the maximum (sometimes 10-15 over)
Is it better to combine compound words and lessen descriptive words to lessen the word count? Or re-write and possibly eliminate key info?OR.... just leave the essay with a few words over the limit. ??
ugh! I’m NOT an English major! I have No idea how to advise my DS.
Click to expand...

You will not be able to save an essay that is over the word/character limit. I have had similar issues with all of my essays because I always want to add more facts and descriptive details and sometimes I just become so fond of a particular sentence! With the mantra of my 7th grade English teacher guiding me ("Brevity is Beautiful") I cut, sometimes like a surgeon and sometimes like a butcher, and I think all in all the overall quality of my work product is better as a result of these word limits. Good luck to your son!
 
Trivia question:

How many essays does admissions read in an appointment cycle?

Berevity IS beautiful!!
 
justdoit19 said:
Trivia question:

How many essays does admissions read in an appointment cycle?
Click to expand...

Good question to drive home the point on brevity.

I'd venture a guesstimate in the range of 20,000 - 22,000. Based on an applicant pool of approx. 8000 and 2 essays from all, plus "optional" third essay from 1/2 - 3/4 of applicants.
 
kinnem said:
Keep in mind when counting characters, blanks and punctuation count as characters
Click to expand...
Capt MJ said:
His competition is figuring it out, and so will he.

Easy cuts: Just use “to” instead of “in order to,” as it usually means exactly the same. Cut “that” where it can be removed.

Is he talking too much about USAFA mission, and what it does? They know all that.

Is he using the dollar word when a shorter 25 cent word will do just fine?

Has he asked an English teacher to help him think about how to edit for brevity, identify redundancies and trim unnecessary detail?

Has he researched online tips for editing?

wowwritingworkshop.com

College Essay Blog

Get expert advice about writing college entrance essays from the leading experts in college essay writing.
wowwritingworkshop.com wowwritingworkshop.com
Click to expand...
What a great link! Thank you.
and reaching out to his teacher is a must.
 
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