Absence of word limit in essay prompts

word count dilemma

I am applying for a particular program that requires one to answer essay prompts similar to those of the commonwealth shared scholarship, Chevening and the likes.

However, there is no word count limit in sight. I messaged the admissions committee and all they said was, and I quote, 'There is no character limit for the motivation letter. However, bear in mind that it should be personal and succinct to be efficient.'

How do I navigate this?

The rule of thumb for scholarship essays is to write no more than 500 words. How the applicant chooses to spread the word count into the paragraphs is a personal decision. Some applications allow up to 750 words. The correct count, when none is given is somewhere in-between 500-750 words. Normally, students opt for 600-650 words. Provided they have enough information to present relevant to the discussion.

The only way you can write the essay properly is by outlining your response first. Once you have an outline a draft maybe written and expanded as needed. However, keeping the presentation on pourt and easy to read is fear more important than the word count. Reviewers prefer and appreciate concise discussions due to the heavy volume of essays they need to complete per day. Too long and the reviewer may not read it through. Too short and not enough data may be supplied. The writer has to balance it on his own. Use the wordcount explanation I provided to help you decide.