How do I make my college essay shorter?

How to Shorten Your College Application Essay Without Ruining ItCircle or highlight all adverbs. Take them out. Look for a single word or short phrase followed by a comma. Delete helping verbs. Delete to be verbs. Turn some nouns into verbs: I concluded is better than I came to the conclusion.

Is it bad to go over word count on college essays?

In the simplest terms, your college essay should be pretty close to, but not exceeding, the word limit in length. Think within 50 words as the lower bound, with the word limit as the upper bound. So for a 500-word limit essay, try to get to somewhere between 450-500 words.

How do you cut a word count in an essay?

How to Reduce Your Essay Word CountRank Your Arguments. If you find you’re well above your word count maximum, the first step is to rank the points you use to substantiate your argument. Focus on the Main Point. Use the Best Verb. Remove Adverbs. Remove Adjectives.