Help making personal statement fit within char. limit?

[urd0rkk]

hey guys,
jw, I like to keep the breaks in paragraphs, but im getting kinda desperate for characters... lol jw if you guys have tips and advice on making ur characters fit in?

Should i ditch the paragraphs and make it one really long super-essay? lol..

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[paul411]

Should i ditch the paragraphs and make it one really long super-essay? lol..

No.

You'll get a lot of stuff out when you start the editing/proofreading phase. Look for redundant information and unnecessary adverbs. Also remove anything that doesn't directly fit into the theme of your essay or the essay prompt.

 

[mauberley]

hey guys,
jw, I like to keep the breaks in paragraphs, but im getting kinda desperate for characters... lol jw if you guys have tips and advice on making ur characters fit in?

Should i ditch the paragraphs and make it one really long super-essay? lol..

Paragraph breaks shouldn't eat up too many characters ((n-1)*2, where n = number of paragraphs).

Certainly I hope you're not considering shortening it by using txtspeak. Consider rephrasing sentences and eliminating unnecessary verbiage--that would give you the most bang for the buck. You might be at the point where you don't think you can cut any more out or change anything, in which case I would recommend having someone else look it over and advise you if they think anything can be removed or changed. Personally, I'm not a fan of using single-digit numerals standalone ("2," "3," etc.) as the rule/guideline I was taught was to write them out unless you hit double-digits, but maybe that's acceptable to you. Also make sure you're not double-spacing between sentences.

 

[soccrwon]

Certainly I hope you're not considering shortening it by using txtspeak. =

Aw, man! My hook for my PS is ruined! "I would B a g8 dktr b/c I <3 helpn' peeps..."

But, I definitely understand your frustration with the character limit! I agree with mauberley who said it was helpful to get outside opinions. Sentences that rang very true to me didn't necessarily click with my readers, and that info helped me cut down my PS.

I'm hovering now at 5400, just that crucial 100 to go! Good luck!

 

[mauberley]

Aw, man! My hook for my PS is ruined! "I would B a g8 dktr b/c I <3 helpn' peeps..."

But, I definitely understand your frustration with the character limit! I agree with mauberley who said it was helpful to get outside opinions. Sentences that rang very true to me didn't necessarily click with my readers, and that info helped me cut down my PS.

I'm hovering now at 5400, just that crucial 100 to go! Good luck!

"ppl" is shorter than "peeps."

That reminds me; you may also be tempted to save on characters by removing all vowels. I wld rcmmnd gnst ths.

 

[urd0rkk]

lol, yea im at a rut with taking out words and rewording. bleh. what's even more bothersome is trying to copy paste from MS Word!!! it says i have enough chars without space=5300... but i paste it into the application and its a totally different story... lol

 

[sector9]

lol, yea im at a rut with taking out words and rewording. bleh. what's even more bothersome is trying to copy paste from MS Word!!! it says i have enough chars without space=5300... but i paste it into the application and its a totally different story... lol

Well that's because the 5300 character limit includes spaces. Also, try copying and pasting from word into a simple text editor (like Notepad on windows, textedit on mac), correcting the formatting there, and then copying and pasting into AMCAS

 

[slatermd]

Consider rephrasing sentences and eliminating unnecessary verbiage

This, OP. You can cut characters without sacrificing content, and IMO paragraph breaks are a must. Huge blocks of text are nauseating.

Look at any adverbs you've used in your statement. If a word ends in "ly" there's a great chance that it's worthless and you could eliminate it without hurting your essay. By way of example, let me say the exact same thing but pollute it with adverbs:

"If a word ends in "ly," there's a really great chance that it's completely worthless and you could definitely eliminate it without actually hurting your essay."

Adverbs are overblown and often redundant--"ran quickly"...running is quick. Just say "ran."

Many adjectives also are unnecessary--"bright red blood"....just say "blood." People know that it's red.

 

[HopeDr24]

Well that's because the 5300 character limit includes spaces. Also, try copying and pasting from word into a simple text editor (like Notepad on windows, textedit on mac), correcting the formatting there, and then copying and pasting into AMCAS

Also the paragraph breaks (hard returns) count as 2 chars. So keep that in mind when editing down, if word says its at 5300 you probably still have a few more char to cut down on, you'll see when you paste it into AMCAS.

 

[raltima07]

This, OP. You can cut characters without sacrificing content, and IMO paragraph breaks are a must. Huge blocks of text are nauseating.

Look at any adverbs you've used in your statement. If a word ends in "ly" there's a great chance that it's worthless and you could eliminate it without hurting your essay. By way of example, let me say the exact same thing but pollute it with adverbs:

"If a word ends in "ly," there's a really great chance that it's completely worthless and you could definitely eliminate it without actually hurting your essay."

Adverbs are overblown and often redundant--"ran quickly"...running is quick. Just say "ran."

Many adjectives also are unnecessary--"bright red blood"....just say "blood." People know that it's red.

My blood is blue. I am also cold blooded. Your move: