{"id":"study-supplement-essay-cut-suggestions","audience":"high-school","category":"writing-feedback","technique":"constraints","track":"study","title":"Find what to cut from an over-limit college supplement","free":false,"task":"Your 'Why this college?' supplement is 185 words and the limit is 150. Get exactly 3 numbered suggestions for what to cut, each quoting the first 4 words of the sentence or phrase to cut and giving a reason under 12 words, plain text. No rewritten sentences, and never suggest cutting the two specific details your counselor said to keep.","materialLabel":"Your draft and counselor notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"SUPPLEMENT DRAFT - Harwick College - \"Why Harwick?\" (150 word limit) - currently 185 words\n\nHarwick College is a truly amazing school with so many great opportunities for students like me. When I visited campus last April, I sat in on Professor Lund's marine ecology seminar, where students argued about whether to restore an oyster reef or a salt marsh. I have always been really passionate about the ocean ever since I was a young child growing up. I want to join the Coastal Field Station program, where sophomores spend a semester doing research on Pell Island. Harwick is ranked very highly and has a beautiful campus with nice dorms. I also love that Harwick has small classes. At Harwick, I hope to study how restored wetlands can protect towns like mine from flooding. Overall, I think Harwick would be a perfect fit for me and I would be a perfect fit for Harwick.\n\nCOUNSELOR NOTES (Mr. Fenwick):\n- KEEP the Lund seminar detail and the Coastal Field Station detail. Those are the only things that prove you researched Harwick specifically.\n- Generic praise (amazing, ranked highly, beautiful campus) could be about any school.\n- Don't let anyone rewrite it. Admissions can tell.","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":3},{"type":"maxWords","max":80},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Asking to make it shorter","why":"The AI rewrites the whole essay to fit, and then it isn't in your voice.","fix":"Say: \"Don't rewrite. Just tell me what to cut.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Not saying how many suggestions","why":"The AI picks its own number, and it usually picks more suggestions than you need.","fix":"Be exact: \"Exactly 3 numbered suggestions.\"","checks":["numberedItems"]},{"title":"Not saying how to point","why":"Without quotes, \"cut some filler\" doesn't tell you which sentence.","fix":"Add: \"Quote the first 4 words of each sentence to cut.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Cutting the best parts","why":"The AI may cut the long, specific sentences because they're longest.","fix":"Add: \"Never cut the Lund seminar or Coastal Field Station details.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total and it often lands 20% over.","fix":"Cap each reason: \"reason under 10 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Forgetting where it will be read","why":"AI formats for a screen, with bold and headings that show up as stray symbols in your notes.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text, no bold, no headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Says not to rewrite it","patterns":["(don't|do not|no|never|not).{0,20}(rewrite|rewritten|replacement|re-?write|write it for)","keep.{0,20}(my|own) words"]},{"label":"Says how many suggestions","patterns":["\\b(3|three)\\b.{0,25}suggestion"]},{"label":"Asks to quote what to cut","patterns":["quot","first (4|four) words"]},{"label":"Protects the key details","patterns":["keep","lund","field station","(don't|never).{0,15}cut"]},{"label":"Sets a length limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)","under \\d+"]}],"hint":"Cutting is your job, but the AI can point. Ask for a set number of cut suggestions, each quoted so you can find it, and tell it what must stay.","rubricLabels":["Each suggestion quotes the first few words of a sentence or phrase that actually appears in the draft","The suggestions target generic or filler content (such as 'Harwick College is a truly amazing', 'Harwick is ranked very highly', 'I have always been really', or 'Overall, I think Harwick'), and none suggests cutting the Lund seminar or Coastal Field Station details","Gives no rewritten sentences, replacement wording or shortened version of the essay"]}