Essay word count limit/maximumAnswered
If I am writing an essay that has a max word count of 250 words but my ideal finished essay is 254 words long do I need to cut words or is there a window of tolerance?
Edit: It’s not for CommonApp and doesn’t have a mechanism to auto-cutoff the essay.
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4 answers
I think it depends on the essay receiver. Some may accept it since it's a few words above the word count, others may not process it. But, since the max word is 250, I think you have to abide by it. So, it's better you cut words out.
You need to cut words. I'm not sure if your essay is for the common app but if it exceeds the limit, they tell you it exceeds the limit and you need to cut down. For example, when I just copied random essays I wrote that exceeded the word limit, they said "remove 51 or more words to meet the 200 word maximum" and also "remove 1 or more words to meet the 200 word maximum."
I think you cut off extra words. Because if you don't follow the given directions, then it may possible you've to suffer at the time of result. My personal advice is to follow all directions and keep your essay words count according to the given limit. It'll pay you back than others who don't follow it.
You have to abide by the limit as it not only is the guideline, but also shows you can keep to rubrics and instructions.
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It’s not for common app. But if they don’t have a mechanism to cut off essays would it be okay?