word limit on the supplements...

Colleges & Universities Princeton University
1

<p>it says to write 2 “brief” essays 250 words each, and whilst one is around that word limit, the other is a whopping 480.</p>

<p>is that too much?</p>

2

<p>“whilst” —> u a brit? oh well anyway…480 is insane…cut the extra fat down to get it to fit under 300. its almost like a major 500 worder. dont overdo the creativity (i had to cut a lot of that out…i know its painful, but its gotta be done!)</p>

3

<p>could you maybe show me where it could be cut?
heres the essay</p>

<p>Soccer
It’s been a long ten hours; the morning choir rehearsal, soccer training after school. Combine that with a Specialist Mathematics test and you have the perfect recipe for a killer day. Yet I find myself in the garage, ignoring my body’s protests and the brain’s rationality. ‘That tackle from soccer training was pretty bad. Maybe you should rest tonight’, my brain suggests. ‘Shut up brain… you didn’t help me when I asked you for that calculus formula, I’m not listening to you’, and with that it is silenced. Another obstacle however, presents itself in the form of a man’s best friend. It gives me a cajoling look and I nearly give in, but as I am about to leash it and take it for a walk, I stop myself. “Mum will take you for a walk later, now go back to the garden”, and with that it makes its way to the garden, but not before giving me another pleading look. With a sigh I toss it a couple of its favourite treats and it hurries off, disappointment mitigated. Finally I can have the garage to myself – if you discount my mother’s house-chore orders and the dog barging in to see if it can pick up a few more treats. I pick up the soccer ball and start off with simple juggles. ‘One, two, three, four … seven … fifteen …’, but soon irrelevant thoughts interrupt the silent counting, ‘I wonder how I went on the test… question 8 … did I circle A or B?’. Disappointed at not being given my undivided attention, the ball decides that it prefers the feel of the cement to my foot. I give an apologetic kick and recommence the juggle. </p>

<p>I work up a good sweat doing – by which I mean foolishly attempting – tricks I’ve seen famous soccer players do. I attempt Zidane’s swan-like 360 spin for the tenth time and fall down on the hard cement for the tenth time; a duck trying to imitate a swan. ‘That bruise will be lovely in the morning. That’s what you get for ignoring me’, the ever-so-useful brain interrupts once more. I try Ronaldo’s ‘flip-flap’ and instead of flipping the ankle I flop to the cement. The dog comes in and nudges me sympathetically while I try to recover. It knows that like yesterday, and the day before, I have been beaten by the round, ruthless object, also known to others as the soccer ball. But all is not lost; after all, I didn’t fall down as hard as I did yesterday. I know I am gradually improving. I get up and while my body is aching with bruises I am strangely happy. During these moments, I have, in some vague sense, ‘juggled’ away my anxieties. I no longer care about that awful math test nor the fact that I have a ridiculous number of assignments due in a ridiculously short amount of time. I am eager to face the next challenge; be it a chemistry assignment, a calculus test, or a college application essay. Once again, soccer proves to be the best therapy.</p>

4

<p>and im in australia (hence the whilst)
whilst sounds better :P</p>

5

<p>I like “whilst.” I mean to start saying it sometime :)</p>

6

<p>Your essay was really interesting to read, but u “can” cut out some sentences. There are some details that add to the essay but are ultimately unnecessary.</p>

7

<p>OK I submitted two ‘short’ essays -each was 380 words and they fit into the online pdf format so I’m not too worried…so basically you have to cut down by a 100 words. But incidentally, though the essay is very well written, it is a bit too verbose and it doesnt really say too much about you thats different from any other athlete who enjoys what he’s doing. You have to make your essay stand out a little more…not that i have any idea how…I realize I’m not being to helpful. Sorry</p>

8

<p>whoa, how did u get 380 words to fit online? it cuts me off at 1500 characters and i could only get about 260 words to fit…maybe its my computer…</p>

9

<p>There ares some sentences you can cut out. Yeah, I know how hard it is to let go. Still, you can do it. If its about soccer, maybe you could take of 5 or 6 words in the introductory sentences.</p>

10

<p>All of my essays were over, and it didn’t cut me off at all - it only cut me off in like, the academic achievements section and stuff like that.</p>

11

<p>yeah me too…they came just fine in the print preview so I’m hoping for the best</p>

12

<p>Ok thanks all, I’ll cut out the unncessary parts (part about dog maybe lol)</p>

13

<p>‘That tackle from soccer training was pretty bad. Maybe you should rest tonight’, my brain suggests. ‘Shut up brain… you didn’t help me when I asked you for that calculus formula, I’m not listening to you’, and with that it is silenced.'</p>

<p>Adds nothing to your paper other than you talk to your brain. Cut it out and you save 42 words.</p>

14

<p>“Another obstacle however, presents itself in the form of a man’s best friend. It gives me a cajoling look and I nearly give in, but as I am about to leash it and take it for a walk, I stop myself. “Mum will take you for a walk later, now go back to the garden”, and with that it makes its way to the garden, but not before giving me another pleading look. With a sigh I toss it a couple of its favourite treats and it hurries off, disappointment mitigated”</p>

<p>Cut this part out (or really, really shorten it) also. You’d save 91 words.</p>

15

<p>How bout now? 380 words :D</p>

<p>Soccer
It’s been a long ten hours; the morning choir rehearsal, soccer training after school. Combine that with a Specialist Mathematics test and you have the perfect recipe for a killer day. Yet I find myself in the garage, ignoring my body’s protests and the brain’s rationality. The dog barges in trying to cajole me into giving it treats. Not wanting to be disturbed during this session, I capitulate. I pick up the soccer ball and start off with simple juggles. ‘One, two, three, four … seven … fifteen …’, but soon irrelevant thoughts interrupt the silent counting, ‘I wonder how I went on the test… question 8 … did I circle A or B?’. Disappointed at not being given my undivided attention, the ball decides that it prefers the feel of the cement to my foot. I give an apologetic kick and recommence the juggle. </p>

<p>I work up a good sweat doing – by which I mean foolishly attempting – tricks I’ve seen famous soccer players do. I attempt Zidane’s swan-like 360 spin for the tenth time and fall down on the hard cement for the tenth time; a duck trying to imitate a swan. I try Ronaldo’s ‘flip-flap’ and instead of flipping the ankle I flop to the cement. The dog comes in and nudges me sympathetically while I try to recover. It knows that like yesterday, and the day before, I have been beaten by the round, ruthless object, also known to others as the soccer ball. But all is not lost; after all, I didn’t fall down as hard as I did yesterday. I know I am gradually improving. I get up and while my body is aching with bruises I am strangely happy. During these moments, I have, in some vague sense, ‘juggled’ away my anxieties. I no longer care about that awful math test nor the fact that I have a ridiculous number of assignments due in a ridiculously short amount of time. I am eager to face the next challenge; be it a chemistry assignment, a calculus test, or a college application essay. Once again, soccer proves to be the best therapy.</p>