Hey everyone,
I'm applying for USC Spring 2010 but here 's the thing: My personal statement runs for 1500-1700 words when the limit is 1000. However the adviser at my colleague is telling me that it's O.K., that it " reads well " and the fact that I over-stepped the boundaries should not be an issue, considering it's not " too long ". He stressed that the 1000 word limit is a guideline and not a rule and people reading the
admissions " want to know more about me, that's why they are doing their job in the first place ". He also said that I should not ask the
university whether I could send a 1600 word personal statement, as they would surely reply " no " out of principle, but if I send it in a
straight-forward manner, without asking anyone, it would be A-OK.
I'm a bit unsettled about this whole thing and would appreciate any kind of input you guys can provide.
Thanks in advance.
I'm applying for USC Spring 2010 but here 's the thing: My personal statement runs for 1500-1700 words when the limit is 1000. However the adviser at my colleague is telling me that it's O.K., that it " reads well " and the fact that I over-stepped the boundaries should not be an issue, considering it's not " too long ". He stressed that the 1000 word limit is a guideline and not a rule and people reading the
admissions " want to know more about me, that's why they are doing their job in the first place ". He also said that I should not ask the
university whether I could send a 1600 word personal statement, as they would surely reply " no " out of principle, but if I send it in a
straight-forward manner, without asking anyone, it would be A-OK.
I'm a bit unsettled about this whole thing and would appreciate any kind of input you guys can provide.
Thanks in advance.