Brevity

I've started editing a lot of medical school essays of late, and I want to give a shout out to the importance of brevity. I focus on a work count of 700 or fewer for my advisees for a few reasons: First, I've found that that number is just the right balance of content and streamlining. Under 700 words for an admissions essay leads to a lack of substance, and more lends itself to meandering writing.

Second, your reader is likely stuck 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.

Here's a helpful trick: Imagine AMCAS or ERAS is charging you $10 per word. How would you keep costs down?