*approximately* 150 words

eml2505
Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:33:01 +0000

I had very similar discussions with my son when he applied last year …

What I told him was the following: Just ask yourself, what would the college have asked for if they wanted an essay with about 300 words? They’d say “about 300” … this means, 300 +/- x words … when you express “x” as a percentage, you probably can judge it easier … +/- 10 or 15% is absolutely perfect; 50% is probably on the fence, but still acceptable - 100% will probably raise an eyebrow …

With your 170 words you’re perfect - no worries.