What Do You Do If Your Essay Is Too Short?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,
  1. Know your word count before you start. …
  2. Do some thinking away from your desk and computer. …
  3. Do a mindmap. …
  4. Do another mindmap. …
  5. Make sure you've conducted enough research. …
  6. Look for stories and examples. …
  7. Assign your word count goal to each section of your mindmap.

What do you do when your essay is too short?

  1. expanding the opposing view.
  2. adding an additional alternate view (from a neutral or surprising angle)
  3. adding another case study or example that pushes your own claim TOO far (and then explaining why your argument is not as weak as that extreme case)

Is it okay if my essay is short?

If you can truly get your point across

well beneath the word limit

, it's probably fine. Brevity is not necessarily a bad thing in writing just so long as you are clear, cogent, and communicate what you want to. However, most have pretty tight word limits anyways.

Do colleges care if your essay is short?

For all college admission , it's best to come as close

to the maximum as you can

, as long as you're not filling space with meaningless sentences. For the Common App, I would recommend a bare minimum of 500 words, about 75 percent of the maximum.

How can I lengthen my essay easily?

  1. 1 Divide into Paragraphs. …
  2. 2 Include Long Quotes. …
  3. 3 Avoid Acronyms. …
  4. 4 Add to the End. …
  5. 5 Extend Your Heading. …
  6. 6 Write out Numbers. …
  7. 7 Elaborate.

Is 500 words enough for common app essay?

The ideal word count for your Common App essay is

between 500 and 650 words

. This word count gives you enough space to write an in-depth essay about your chosen topic. Some colleges will state that you can send them a physical copy if the space in the online application isn't enough.

How can I add more to my writing?

  1. Link out. …
  2. Talk about the authors. …
  3. Talk about the study design. …
  4. Explain the study design. …
  5. Explain how many people were in the study. …
  6. Talk about demographics. …
  7. Bring up the journal. …
  8. Discuss the hypothesis.

How many pages is 400 words?

Answer: 400 words is

0.8 pages single-spaced or 1.6 pages double-spaced

. Documents that typically contain 400 words are high school and college essays, short blog posts, and news articles.

Is a 500 word paragraph too long?

1. Paragraph Length Depends on Document Type. If you look online, you'll find advice saying that paragraphs should be between

100 and 200 words long

. And as a guideline on paragraph length, this is fine for most documents.

Does a 500 word essay have to be exactly 500 words?

500-word

essays do not have to be exactly 500 words

, but they should be as close as possible. The essay prompt may say “in under 500 words” or “in at least 500 words,” which would state whether 500 is the minimum or maximum word count.

Should I use all 650 words?


There are no strict word limits

. We suggest that for the first essay (where you choose one of the seven prompts), the extended essay stay around 650 words. While we won't as a rule stop reading after 650 words, we cannot promise that an overly wordy essay will hold our attention for as long as you'd hoped it would.

How many pages is 2000 words?

Word Count Pages (single-spaced) Pages (double-spaced) 2,000 WORDS

4 PAGES


8 PAGES
2,500 WORDS 5 PAGES 10 PAGES 3,000 WORDS 6 PAGES 12 PAGES 3,500 WORDS 7 PAGES 14 PAGES

Is 400 words enough for a college essay?

Writing too much will likely result in your essay being cut off, and writing too little may cause readers to think that you aren't truly interested in their school. If no range is given, remember to stick to

400-600 words

. This will give you enough space to demonstrate your interest and help readers learn about you!

How can I lengthen my writing?

  1. Brainstorm Additional Plot Beats. List all your current plot threads, and then explore ways to expand upon them. …
  2. Deepen Connections Between Characters. …
  3. Add Characters. …
  4. Emphasize Important Character Traits. …
  5. Dramatize Summaries.

How can I make my writing longer?

  1. Add Supporting Evidence.
  2. Ensure that You've Included Everything.
  3. Use Transitional Phrases.
  4. Use Quotations.
  5. Take Another Look at Your Outline.
  6. Review Your Introduction and Conclusion.
  7. Have Someone Read Your Essay.
  8. Read Your Essay Aloud.

How do I make my paragraphs longer?

To make your essay appear longer, try

increasing the font size to 12.1, 12.3, or 12.5

. See which adjustment makes the biggest difference without being too noticeable. Increase the size of periods and commas. Hold down control+F on your keyboard.

What does 650 words look like?

Answer: 650 words is

1.3 pages single-spaced or 2.6 pages double-spaced

. Documents that typically contain 650 words are high school and college essays, short blog posts, and news articles. It will take approximately 2 minutes to read 650 words.

How do you continue a story?

  1. Tip #3: Dust off your other characters. …
  2. Tip #4: Explore your world. …
  3. Tip #5: Ask questions. …
  4. Tip #6: Start at the end. …
  5. Tip #7: Set a deadline. …
  6. Tip #8: Introduce a new character. …
  7. Tip #9: Add subplots. …
  8. Tip #10: Add an unexpected twist.

How do you shorten an essay?

  1. Circle or highlight all adverbs. Take them out. …
  2. Look for a single word or short phrase followed by a comma. …
  3. Delete helping verbs. …
  4. Delete to be verbs. …
  5. Turn some nouns into verbs: “I concluded” is better than “I came to the conclusion.”

How long is a long essay?

Type of essay Average word count range High school essay

300–1000 words
College admission essay 200–650 words Undergraduate college essay 1500–5000 words Graduate school admission essay 500–1000 words

How can I show my personality in writing?

  1. Write for ONE person. Ugh, the amount of people and places I've come across that ignore this marketing message and think it's acceptable astounds me. …
  2. Write how you speak. …
  3. Be honest. …
  4. Be your ‘authentic' self. …
  5. Great writing is fearless. …
  6. Over to You.

Can I write 1000 words in 2 hours?

Yes,

you absolutely can write 1000 words

depending on your rate of type (or handwriting). In 2 hours time, you could successfully write 1000 words at a rate of 8.3 words per minute. While the average typing rate is 38–40 words per minute which would take 25–27 minutes to accumulate 1000 words.

What is 1400 words in pages?

Answer: 1,400 words is

2.8 pages single-spaced

or 5.6 pages double-spaced. Documents that typically contain 1,400 words are high school and college essays, short blog posts, and news articles.

How long is a 600 word essay?

Answer: 600 words is

1.2 pages single-spaced or 2.4 pages double-spaced

. Documents that typically contain 600 words are high school and college essays, short blog posts, and news articles. It will take approximately 2 minutes to read 600 words.

Are long paragraphs bad?

If your paragraph is over 200 words, it's almost certainly too long. At that point, it becomes difficult for most readers to understand and you're probably better off breaking it up into different subparagraphs. Long paragraphs

are more difficult for highly skilled readers

as well.

How long does it take to write 9 pages?

Writing 9 pages will take

about 1.9 hours for

the average writer typing on a keyboard and 3.8 hours for handwriting. However, if the content needs to include in-depth research, links, citations, or graphics such as for a blog article or high school essay, the length can grow to 15 hours.

Is it OK to go over word count?

First, we'll answer the question directly:

Schools are not out to reject you for going over a word limit by a small amount

. … However, if you can stay within 10% of the word limit for an essay, you probably are okay. Having said that, we rarely encounter an essay that we don't think can get down to the word limit.

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


Most college essays have a stated word-limit

. … You need to follow directions, but as long as the college's online application doesn't cut you off, it's fine to go over the word limit by 10-20 words in a short essay, and maybe by a few sentences in a long essay.

How long is an essay in 8th grade?

In the 6th grade, 80 words are required. At 7th grade, students must write 100 words, and at 8th grade it is

125 words

. There are also sentence requirements. A 5th grade paragraph must have at least 5 sentences (topic sentence, body/support sentences, and a clincher).

Is a 300 word paragraph too long?


Paragraphs get too long

, extending beyond the acceptable research text range of 100-200 words to take up 300 words or more. Often this happens because tokens have multiplied or swollen outside the limits that can be handled easily.

How do you write a killer essay?

  1. Select a Suitable Topic. The topic you pick has a great influence on your overall essay. …
  2. Outline your ideas for topic. …
  3. Craft Your thesis statement. …
  4. The body of the essay. …
  5. Create an introduction. …
  6. Create a conclusion. …
  7. Go through the essay.

How long is a 7th grade essay?

In seventh grade, students write to express, discover, record, develop, reflect on ideas, and to problem solve, and produce texts of

at least 500 to 700 words

.

How long is an essay in 9th grade?

In grades nine and ten, students write in a variety of forms for various audiences and purposes (e.g., to explain, inform, analyze, entertain, reflect, persuade). Students exercise the rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion, and description to produce essays of

at least 1,500 words each

.

How many words is the common app essay 2021?

There are seven 2021-2022 Common App Essay topics, of which you pick one to submit in your Common Application. There is no word limit, but Common App does not recommend

exceeding 650 words

.

How long should a college essay be 2020?

Your essay needs to be

between 250 and 650 words long

. You can't go over the limit—the online form will cut you off at 650 words. The length includes the title, notes, and any other text you include in the online form. Use your 650 words to tell a focused story and help the admissions folks get to know you.

How long is a 500 word essay?

A 500 word count will create

about 1 page single-spaced or 2 pages double-spaced

when using normal margins (1′′) and 12 pt. Arial or Times New Roman font. Your page count will vary though depending on your margins, font style and size, whether you use multiple spaces after a period, and your paragraph spacing settings.

Is EssayTyper legit?

The

site is entirely legal

because its mandate is to help students prepare to write their papers. Moreover, Essaytyper is legal as it fosters originality, and there is no monetary compensation and the documents generated by its essay bots cannot be submitted unless the individual student works on them.

What does 1250 words look like?

Answer: 1,250 words is

2.5 pages single-spaced or 5 pages double-spaced

. Documents that typically contain 1,250 words are high school and college essays, short blog posts, and news articles. It will take approximately 4 minutes to read 1,250 words.

Is 2k words a lot?

2,000 words is around

4 pages of A4

with single spacing, or 8 pages of A4 with double spacing. If you're wondering how many pages 2,000 words is, you may have been asked to write a college essay, long-form blog post, or an opinion piece for a magazine or newspaper.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.