How do you condense 6581 characters to 5300?

[Psycho Doctor]

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without losing the essence and integrity of your PS? 👎 5300 characters doesn't allow you to say a whole lot... 🙁

 

[Apparition]

I had the same problem. Ask people who are reviewing your PS to select the most useless part and take out things the reviewers agree on. I know it sucks because there's so much you want them to know about you but it's not a choice. Once I've accepted that, it was easier to cut out some parts.

 

[SFAJess]

Did you make sure you only have one space instead of two between sentences? I know that won't cut back much, but it's a start...🙂 Good Luck!!

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Did you make sure you only have one space instead of two between sentences? I know that won't cut back much, but it's a start...🙂 Good Luck!!

You can do that??? I thought of it but didn't think it was "grammatically" correct. Can i not skip lines between paragraps too?

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I had the same problem. Ask people who are reviewing your PS to select the most useless part and take out things the reviewers agree on. I know it sucks because there's so much you want them to know about you but it's not a choice. Once I've accepted that, it was easier to cut out some parts.

But then sometimes it doesn't flow effectively. Or you plan an essay with an objective and with certain supporting paragraphs. When you eliminate many of them, it no longer shows a strongly supported premise.

 

[stinkycheese]

But then sometimes it doesn't flow effectively. Or you plan an essay with an objective and with certain supporting paragraphs. When you eliminate many of them, it no longer shows a strongly supported premise.

That's not an okay answer to someone who is trying to help you, Psycho. You posted a question that is difficut to answer because we don't have your PS in front of us. When people give you advice, stop countering with a "but that won't work because yada yada yada and doom and gloom and waaaahhh!!" Do you want advice or not? Then ask effective, pointed questions, and accept the answers without argument.

 

[JDAD]

LOL, and you said mine was long.

All you can do is change your original game plan. You must eliminate a substancial section of your essay. There is nothing you can do about this. It's hard, but it can be done. Everyone who has ever applied has meet the required space, you can too.\

Good Luck and do it now, get your app in NOW

 

[Psycho Doctor]

That's not an okay answer to someone who is trying to help you, Psycho. You posted a question that is difficut to answer because we don't have your PS in front of us. When people give you advice, stop countering with a "but that won't work because yada yada yada and doom and gloom and waaaahhh!!" Do you want advice or not? Then ask effective, pointed questions, and accept the answers without argument.

oh come on....i do appreciate everyone's help and i always have. So i'm not allowed to make a comment back? sorry

 

[Psycho Doctor]

well whoever first read mine said mine wasn't too long when i expressed it might be...i never put it in a word count before. Once you spend so much time trying to choose exactly the right words it's hard to them decide what to cut...actually i already did cut quite a bit of it.

ok back to the chopping block.......

So was yours sent out now JDAD?

 

[MadameLULU]

well whoever first read mine said mine wasn't too long when i expressed it might be...i never put it in a word count before. Once you spend so much time trying to choose exactly the right words it's hard to them decide what to cut...actually i already did cut quite a bit of it.

ok back to the chopping block.......

So was yours sent out now JDAD?

Psycho, Brevity is the key. You make a lot of good points in your essay, but you sentences are very long-winded. How much have you cut back since I read it? If you want, you can send it to me again and I'll take a look.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Psycho, Brevity is the key. You make a lot of good points in your essay, but you sentences are very long-winded. How much have you cut back since I read it? If you want, you can send it to me again and I'll take a look.

i know my PS sucks with long winded sentences. I don't know if and how much i've condensed it since you read it; i've sent so many different versions out to so many different people, i'm not even sure which one anyone read any more.

maybe i'll try editing it some more and send it to you later tonite if you don't mind. thanks for your help.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Can someone tell me seriously"

1. can we just have one space between sentences?

2. can we not skip lines between paragraphs?

thanks

 

[MadameLULU]

Can someone tell me seriously"

1. can we just have one space between sentences?

2. can we not skip lines between paragraphs?

thanks

1. have 2 spaces! That is only proper writing....
2. Don't skip lines b/t paragraphs. There is no need to.

 

[b-real]

Can someone tell me seriously"

1. can we just have one space between sentences?

2. can we not skip lines between paragraphs?

thanks

1. Yes, one space between sentences is fine. They aren't going to measure with a ruler and say, "nope...this isn't gonna cut it."

2. You have the option of using indents in lieu of hard returns.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

someone above said to have one space between sentences but i wasn't sure that was apropriate. too bad, it may have done it for me!

ok i'm down to 5744!!!

 

[Psycho Doctor]

oh, i thought indents counted as spaces before the indents...no?

that would be awesome then...well it might eliminate 10 characters....

 

[MadameLULU]

oh, i thought indents counted as spaces before the indents...no?

that would be awesome then...well it might eliminate 10 characters....

Indents do count as spaces. Just use a hard return.

We are writing an essay. Since when have you seen essays written with ONE space after a period...good grief, B-REAL.........

 

[b-real]

oh, i thought indents counted as spaces before the indents...no?

that would be awesome then...well it might eliminate 10 characters....

Yeah, indents do count as characters. Hard returns may be the better option because I think they only count as 2 spaces whereas tab indents count as 4 or 5.

 

[b-real]

Indents do count as spaces. Just use a hard return.

We are writing an essay. Since when have you seen essays written with ONE space after a period...good grief, B-REAL.........

You need to calm yourself. We aren't writing a term paper for English 101. The language and the points within the statement are what's important, not the spacing between sentences. I like to think that I write well, being a liberal arts major and having never received a B on anything, and I assure you, not once have I been reprimanded for using 1 space between sentences. What's more, I, also being the paranoid pre-med, submitted my essay to one of those editing services. My advisor, who has been in the business for 10+ years, actually changed the spacing on my first draft from 2 to 1. I even asked him if this was kosher, and he affirmed that it was. Good grief, Charlie Brown!

 

[MadameLULU]

You need to calm yourself. We aren't writing a term paper for English 101. The language and the points within the statement are what's important, not the spacing between sentences. I like to think that I write well, being a liberal arts major and having never received a B on anything, and I assure you, not once have I been reprimanded for using 1 space between sentences. What's more, I, being the paranoid pre-med, submitted my essay to one of those editing services. My advisor, being in the business for 10+ years, actually changed the spacing on my first draft from 2 to 1. I even asked him if this was kosher, and he affirmed that it was. Good grief, Charlie Brown!

B-real,
I did not mean to come off as rude, but to me it just seems fairly obvious about the spacing. However, I realize that ppl have their own preferences... =)

 

[liverotcod]

Current AP style standard is one space after a period. Been that way since the death of the typewriter.

 

[gizmoduck]

Mine weighed in at 5247. Boo yeah grandma...

 

[ShyRem]

Careful and concise editing.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Ok you guys think i'm freaking out and being unreasonable?? I pose a question about spacing between sentences and whether indents or hard returns count more characters and you guys all argue opposing points? is it any wonder I have no idea what to believe?? Why are some of you think i'm making such a big deal and not listening to responses? I am listening but you guys are all emphatically asserting different guidelines!!!

 

[liverotcod]

Ok you guys think i'm freaking out and being unreasonable?? I pose a question about spacing between sentences and whether indents or hard returns count more characters and you guys all argue opposing points? is it any wonder I have no idea what to believe?? Why are some of you think i'm making such a big deal and not listening to responses? I am listening but you guys are all emphatically asserting different guidelines!!!

Only, some of us are right and some are wrong. It's what you get for asking on an internet forum. Note, only one space used after each and every sentence. In this message.

Interestingly, when I look on my screen at your quoted message above, I see that you used two spaces because the browser is rendering it inside a "textarea" (one of these scroll-bar text entry thingies). However, when text is rendered in a browser outside a textares, extra spaces are automatically dropped, and the display version just shows one. What the adcoms actually see is a matter open to conjecture. But my hunch would be that only one of them renders in the version they see, even though the counter counts two.

 

[Freakingzooming]

Ok you guys think i'm freaking out and being unreasonable?? I pose a question about spacing between sentences and whether indents or hard returns count more characters and you guys all argue opposing points? is it any wonder I have no idea what to believe?? Why are some of you think i'm making such a big deal and not listening to responses? I am listening but you guys are all emphatically asserting different guidelines!!!

i think what drives people insane is you seem to be on a rush or some panic alert. Just take a deep breath and keep it in perspectives.

I looked it over, sent my revisions to ya. Did you get it? I think there are sections you can leave out and are better without. Keep everything you're doing in perspective. You don't need to rush your application out right now. Do a good job on it and turn it in this next week. Don't rush it.

 

[liverotcod]

I don't mind taking a look at what you've got now. My own writing style is to overwrite--that is, to write 2-3 times too much--and then viciously cut down to just the essential stuff. It's usually pretty easy, since most of what I write is crap.

 

[stinkycheese]

Ok you guys think i'm freaking out and being unreasonable?? I pose a question about spacing between sentences and whether indents or hard returns count more characters and you guys all argue opposing points? is it any wonder I have no idea what to believe?? Why are some of you think i'm making such a big deal and not listening to responses? I am listening but you guys are all emphatically asserting different guidelines!!!

Maybe people are harping on you because this thread is so silly.

 

[EvoDevo]

I don't mind taking a look at what you've got now. My own writing style is to overwrite--that is, to write 2-3 times too much--and then viciously cut down to just the essential stuff. It's usually pretty easy, since most of what I write is crap.

Spoken like a man after my own heart. 🙂 That's exactly the method that I used....





Nice sig. I'm honored.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

i think what drives people insane is you seem to be on a rush or some panic alert. Just take a deep breath and keep it in perspectives.

I looked it over, sent my revisions to ya. Did you get it? I think there are sections you can leave out and are better without. Keep everything you're doing in perspective. You don't need to rush your application out right now. Do a good job on it and turn it in this next week. Don't rush it.

I just speak my mind and wear my feelings on my sleeve..i guess that bothers people

and yes, i'm sure i got your edits, but sorry did you e-mail it to me and if so, did you put your sn in it? i'm really sorry but sometimes if you don't identify your SDN sn i'm not sure who you are but I did read all the edits and tried to incorporate them in my revisions....

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I don't mind taking a look at what you've got now. My own writing style is to overwrite--that is, to write 2-3 times too much--and then viciously cut down to just the essential stuff. It's usually pretty easy, since most of what I write is crap.

ok thanks, i'll PM you the 28th version, then you can e-mail me back your comments. My PM box is full and i keep getting notified to empty it... 🙁

edit: sent

 

[Psycho Doctor]

this thread is NOT silly...maybe i'm stupid, but i am asking legitimate questions and people here are disagreeing with each other.

 

[liverotcod]

Nice sig. I'm honored.

Hey, it's not often you find real wisdom on SDN. Just spreading the good word. Thank YOU. 😎

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Only, some of us are right and some are wrong. It's what you get for asking on an internet forum. Note, only one space used after each and every sentence. In this message..

lol

Interestingly, when I look on my screen at your quoted message above, I see that you used two spaces because the browser is rendering it inside a "textarea" (one of these scroll-bar text entry thingies). However, when text is rendered in a browser outside a textares, extra spaces are automatically dropped, and the display version just shows one. What the adcoms actually see is a matter open to conjecture. But my hunch would be that only one of them renders in the version they see, even though the counter counts two.

so that's the go ahead to just use a single space????

 

[liverotcod]

so that's the go ahead to just use a single space????

Yes. I promise. I edited for a living for a few years, and I can categorically say that one space is OK. But not zero, which would really look bad.