The Penn State application suggests a 500 word limit, I was planning to just paste my Common App into it, but it is about 150 words over and I don’t really see how it could be cut down. Is this 500 word limit truly suggested or will I have less of a chance at being admitted if I don’t cut it down?
If they say 500 word limit - then it’s a 500 word limit. With 65,000+ applications, they don’t have the time or inclination to read over that. Take no chances…limit it to 500 words.
Most definitely stay within the word limit.
Any writing can be cut down.
Was it just one essay question? Or 2?
Do not go over the word limit. You’ll need to trim your common ap essay.
Some suggestions found on-line:
5 simple tips for trimming your stories without destroying content.
Circle or highlight all adverbs. Take them out. These include many “ly” words, such as really, very, extremely, completely and absolutely.
Look for a single word or short phrase followed by a comma. These include because of this, in fact, first, last, hopefully, to be frank, quite frankly and in conclusion. Highlight the words or phrases, then read the sentences without these words. Take out the ones that do not enhance your story.
Delete helping verbs. Example: Replace “is going to be attending” with “will attend.”
Delete to be verbs. Rather than saying “I am a voracious reader,” try “I read voraciously.”
Turn some nouns into verbs: “I concluded” is better than “I came to the conclusion.”