<p>While I'm usually a good writer and have most of my grammar down, I recently
submitted my common app essays to a number of colleges such as NYU, BU, Emory, etc using "Its'" in cases when it was suppose to be "It's". Yes, I know that's a stupid mistake and I've always thought that it was "It's", but brilliant Microsoft Word told me my usage was wrong when it was actually correct. Now i've submitted essays with "Its'", which isn't even a word, to a bunch of reputable colleges. So I'm basically worrying like crazy whether colleges usually scrutinize minor mistakes like that. But the rest of the essays were all written pretty well by the way. Anyone with previous experience would be great help, thanks :)</p>
<p>well I mean one instance of it is isn’t bad. BTW “Its” without an apostrophe is an actual word that is very common and is a the possessive pronouns. IE</p>
<p>NYU is well known for its Stern school of Business. (its is correctly used here in context)
It’s (meaning it is) tough to decide which college to go to.</p>
<p>But if you use the wrong form of “its” throughout your essay…it kind of seems like you didn’t care enough to have it proofread by someone or by yourself to the admissions office.</p>
<p>feel free to ignore my opinion because i’m not an adcom, nor do i have “previous experience.” i doubt a single typo would be a big deal, but if you did it repeatedly that might give them the impression that you were somewhat haphazard in proofreading or editing. quote from lehigh’s admissions site: “Common errors such as typos or incomplete information can make or break your opportunity.” i think that’s a bit dramatic, and an adcom would be crazy to cite that as the ONLY basis for their decision. if you’re really worried about it, it might not hurt to research whether or not it’s possible for you to email them the corrected essay. good luck!</p>
<p>Ok thanks so much guys! Even though this is a little depressing … but drac i meant Its’ not Its lol.</p>
<p>I once read an article about a student who said the person who landed on the moon was Louis Armstrong. That student was still admitted despite that mistake. So I think as long as your whole essay was convincing, a minor grammar mistake will not greatly decrease your chances of admission.</p>