Writing Sample Length Limits-How stringent?

[ecritdansleau]

Have any previously successful applicants found that programs either did/didn't care about slight deviations from the number of pages?  If my writing sample ends up totaling to a couple more pages than the requirement, will this be construed as irresponsible/obnoxious by the programs I am applying to?  (for instance, if I submit, say a 15 page

Comments

[tisiphone]

Probably they won't care if they ask for 25 pages and you send them 26 pages. However, sending them 26 when they asked for 12 is likely over the top. Basically, there's really no good way to answer this question.

(I do have to ask if editing a 26 page paper to 12 is the right path, though. Do you have any shorter papers that are good?)

[tangerine42]

Some committees will only read up to whatever their cut-off is, so if you submit a 15 page paper to a program with a 12 page limit, recognize that they may choose not to read your last three pages. I feel like most are more stringent rather than less, but that's just anecdotal. Best of luck!

[circumfession]

I wrote a long response to a similar question, but I can't find that thread...so I hope you don't mind a repeat answer

[circumfession]

Also, as one Romanticist to another...English "folks" tend to be pretty flexible with rules...Romanticists professors and students even more so. My dissertation adviser--a pretty conservative man by most standards--tells me that rules are meant to be broken, as long as you understand why they were made in the first place and you know exactly what you're doing and the effect that it will have.

I'm sure that this isn't the case for all disciplines, but I think it is a strong tendency in ours.