I applied to many prestigious universities with this line in my college application essays.
“It focuses also on the development of a student’s character and gives them various opportunities to do so.”
(By “it” I meant the college or university. I mentioned what it refers to in the previous sentence of the essay.)
The sentence should have been corrected to “his/her” not “them.” I don’t know how I didn’t catch that. Colleges will think that I don’t know proper sentence structure, but I honestly do. I proofread that essay over 15 times. I don’t know how I didn’t catch that error. Should I be worried about this error? Someone told me that colleges are harsh with errors in an applicant’s essay and that even the smallest mistake (or my mistake) can jeopardize my application because there are so many applicants.
Should I contact the admissions office regarding this because I applied to many universities with that error? I’m super apprehensive and worried right now.
are you a first-year student or a transfer student?
colleges are a bit more lenient toward first-year students as they are young and fresh out of high school.
but if you’re a transfer student, it still depends on how selective the institution is. they read so many essays in a day that I don’t think they will care for or even notice a small error like that.
they’re going to be reading your essay so fast just like everyone else’s that they prob won’t even notice something that small. but if you’re worried about it just contact admissions or something. you have nothing to lose & maybe something to gain. Good Luck
Singular they is completely acceptable even according to a growing number of style manuals. The question is whether you care to go to a school that employs pedants admissions officers who don’t realize that the concept of “correct usage” is subject to change.
I understand that it’s probably frustrating to know that you sent this sentence to numerous selective schools. That being said, this mistake is tiny––especially compared to mistakes some people make (inserting the name of a different college in an essay, repeated spelling mistakes, etc.) I would NOT call the admissions office. By calling, all you’re doing is drawing attention away from the positive parts of your application.
