How to make an essay longer without repeating myself? I'm 200 words short

[George]

I have a college application essay due tomorrow and I'm 200 words under the limit. I've said everything I have to say. My friend said "just add more fluff" but my English teacher always says "fluff is obvious."

What actually works? I tried adding more examples but now I'm just listing things. My mom said to describe things more, like instead of "I was nervous" say "my hands were shaking and my heart was pounding." That actually helped a little.

Any other tricks? I need 200 words and I'm desperate.

 

[Wella]

George, the "show don't tell" thing your mom mentioned is literally the secret. Instead of "I learned responsibility" write about the time you forgot something important and had to fix it yourself. Instead of "I'm passionate about science" describe the moment you stayed up all night researching something just because you had to know. Stories take more words than summaries.