• Business School
    • Admissions Help
    • School-Specific MBA Essay Tips
    • Executive MBA Essay Tips
    • MBA Admissions Calendar
    • Free Guides
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
    • Selectivity Index
    • EMBA: The Ultimate Guide for Applicants
  • Medical School
    • Admissions Help
    • Med School Admissions 101
    • Secondary Essay Tips (by School)
    • Student Interviews
    • Free Guides
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
    • Selectivity Index
  • Law School
    • Admissions Help
    • Law School Admissions 101
    • Selectivity Index
    • Free Guides
    • Podcast
    • Video Tips
  • Graduate School
    • Admissions Help
    • Grad School Admissions 101
    • Free Guides
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
  • College
    • Admissions Help
    • Free Guides
    • Supplemental Essay Tips
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
Accepted

1 (310) 815-9553

Blog HomePodcastContact Us

Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

August 12, 2019

Reading Time: 2 minutes

How to Stay Within Essay Word Limits by Reducing Verbal Verbosity

How to Stay Within Essay Word Limits by Reducing Verbal Verbosity

Most applicants – whether applying to med school, law school, business school, or any other grad school or college program – need to deal with rigid character or word limits when writing their application essays or personal statements. You may start out thinking that you have nothing to write, but generally, once applicants begin writing, they find they have too much to say!

To keep within those pesky word limits, you need to make sure you keep your writing succinct. How? Check your verbs. Poor usage of verbs creates verbosity. Effective use contributes to concision.

5 ways to manage your word limits

Here are a few techniques, followed by examples:

  1. Get rid of unnecessary helping verbs.

    Verbose: She is going to be applying to ten medical schools. (10 words)

    Succinct: She will apply to ten medical schools. (7 words)

    Another example:

    Verbose: She is a skillful negotiator. (5 words)

    Succinct: She negotiates skillfully. (3 words)

  2. Replace adverbs that assist prosaic verbs with a simple, expressive verb.

    Verbose: He responded enthusiastically… (3 words)

    Succinct: He enthused… OR He gushed… (2 words)

  3. Forget about “taking advantage of the opportunity to do X.”

    Verbose: I took advantage of the opportunity to do research on… (10 words)

    Succinct: I researched… (2 words)

  4. Seek the verbs in nouns.

    Verbose: I came to the conclusion… (5 words)

    Succinct: I concluded… (2 words)

  5. Minimize use of the passive voice.

    Verbose: Experience A has been complemented by experience B. (8 words)

    Succinct: Experience B complements experience A. (5 words)

Why these tips are so important

These editing techniques will help you trim your long-winded, verbose, never-ending essays into concise, engaging, and highly readable admissions masterpieces.

Do you need help editing your essay so it shines? Write an impressive application essay that will get you accepted with the assistance of an Accepted admissions pro. Check out our Essay Editing Services for more information.

From Example to Exemplary - Download your guide today!

AcceptedFor 25 years, Accepted has helped applicants gain acceptance to top undergraduate and graduate programs. Our expert team of admissions consultants features former admissions directors, PhDs, and professional writers who have advised clients to acceptance at top programs worldwide including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, INSEAD, MIT, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and Northwestern. Want an admissions expert to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

 

Related Resources:

• 16 Grad School Application Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make, a podcast episode
• 5 Elements to Telling an Attention-Grabbing Story
• ‘Twas the Night Before Deadlines: A Cautionary Tale of Cliches

Article by Accepted / Admissions Consulting, College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions / college application essays, essay editing, grad application essays, law application essays, mba application essays, med application essays

Get Accepted!

Choose your desired degree and then the service that best meets your needs.

Which program are you applying to?

What do you need help with?

Join the informed applicants who read Accepted's blog!

8 Popular Posts

1. Your Guide to Getting off the Waitlist in 2022

2. How to Write About Your Research Interests

3. 4 Ways to Show How You’ll Contribute in the Future

4. 7 Simple Steps to Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay

5. Top STEM MBA Programs: A Comprehensive List and Overview of STEM-OPT Eligible B-Schools

6. Sample Essays from Admitted HBS Students

7. The 9 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make on a Med School Waitlist

8. M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2022

Recent Posts

  • 2022-23 AMCAS Work and Activities Section: What to Include (With Examples)
  • The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans Application Essay Tips
  • Teamwork in Medical School Admissions: How to Show You’ve Got It
  • How to Get Into HEC Paris MBA Program [Episode 470]
  • Why Do You Want to Be a Doctor? [Short Video]

Sample Essays

MBA Personal Statement Examples

Medical School Personal Statement Examples

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

Law School Personal Statement Examples

College Application Essay Examples

 

This Site is Featured on GMATClub

Home Page Services and Prices MBA Med School Law School Grad School College

About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog
Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service

Accepted 1171 S. Robertson Blvd. #140 Los Angeles CA 90035 +1 (310) 815-9553
© 2022 Accepted

BBB A+ RatingStamp of AIGAC Excellence

Copyright © 2022 · Education Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in