PS Word Limit Forum

[James2010]

I started out just writing and quickly had over 2000 words. After several drafts I have cut it to 798 words after reading you are typically allowed 500-800 words. Just wanted to get a clear sense of this - must it be under 800 words? Is 800 words the ceiling for all schools? I am sure I will get into this as I go through the process but wanted to see if anyone had a quick answer.

[dominkay]

Some schools have page limits. Most just have recommendations. But shorter is better. Edit harder.

[Knock]

I started out just writing and quickly had over 2000 words. After several drafts I have cut it to 798 words after reading you are typically allowed 500-800 words. Just wanted to get a clear sense of this - must it be under 800 words? Is 800 words the ceiling for all schools? I am sure I will get into this as I go through the process but wanted to see if anyone had a quick answer.

I absolute maxed out on my 3rd revision the 2 page limit, with Times New Roman 12 pt. font, and the magic number is 818 words.

So <818 words.

[vespertiliovir]

So <818 words.

Lol surely this depends on the words used...

[Knock]

So <818 words.

Lol surely this depends on the words used...

definitely, just throwing a ballpark upper number out there.

[northwood]

the saying its not quantity- its about quality seems to buzz through my head as i read this. Make sure your statement has only important information that shows you only in a positive way and it has a good flow. Depending on where you apply you have 2-4 pages to work with. As a general rule, keep it short and to the point. If you are still struggling deciding what to edit out, there is a forum that has tons of people who will help you decide.

adcoms have to read thousands of statements- in most cases they will forget about you after reading it. so a p.s is a good soft ( again, not an auto admit unless you did something awesome like created an everlasting flavor of bubblegum that prevents tooth decay and tastes somewhat decent, or whatever). However, if you write about the wrong thing, or demonstrate horrendous writing skills it can be an auto ding.