How important is the Essay Word Limit?

ddjones007
Mon, 23 Oct 2006 07:05:58 +0000

I don’t believe there’s any word count policing going on or anything, that would result in disqualifying an app.

That being said, I think courtesy is an issue here. In the business world, it is considered inappropriate to send a three-page business letter in situations where a one or two page letter will suffice. Same holds true of a cover letter to a proposal or a resume.

Another thing to bear in mind is that word limits lead to word efficiency. When forced to adhere to a limit, a writer, by necessity, makes every word count more.

In sum, while I don’t think an application will be thrown out of the pile for being 506 words long, it is in the best interests of the applicant to force him or herself to adhere to the limit, because in doing so, the essay is made all the more powerful.