<p>Thanks alamemom, the number of threads asking the same question is getting a little ridiculous.</p>
<p>The instructions say approximately one paragraph. To me that means at most 2 paragraphs or maybe a very short third. 500 words is the length of 2 pages of a typical novel - that’s not brief.</p>
<p>Write your essay. Walk away for 10 minutes. Come back and cut out 1/3 of it. Most of us, myself included, aren’t nearly the compelling writers we think we are. Make your point and get out. One of the greatest speeches of all time, The Gettysburg Address, is 271 words. Or to cite Polonius from Shakespeare’s Hamlet…</p>
<p>…since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief…</p>