Brevity is the Soul of Wit

As William Shakespeare so wisely pointed out, being concise is critical for good writing.

I’ve been editing a lot of personal statements over the last few months, and I deliberately recommend a word count of 750 or fewer for my advisees for a couple of reasons:

First, I’ve found that that number is just the right balance of content and streamlining: Over 750 words for an admissions essay lends itself to meandering writing.

Second, your reader is likely reviewing tens or even scores of applications in a short period of time. S/he is looking to spend as little time as possible on your written materials, while still getting a good flavor for your candidacy. Don’t burden your reader with verbiage.

Having trouble being brief? Here’s a helpful trick: Imagine AMCAS, AACOMAS, or ERAS is charging you $10 per word. How would you keep costs down?

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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