<p>From what I've seen of college admissions reps, their qualifications vary widely. So my question is, what way should I write my essay?</p>
<p>Should I do what "sounds" right, or do I go for the correct grammar?</p>
<p>Let me give an example. </p>
<p>If I were to write "Data were already there" would that be good, since it's correct grammar, or would it be better to write "Data was already there" because that's how a lot of people say it?</p>
<p>I’d say it depends on what schools you are applying to. If you are applying to elite/Ivy schools, I’d go with grammatically correct. If not, it shouldn’t be a big deal either way. My AP Lit teacher pointed out the same thing in one of my essays, but he said if I thought the correct way sounded too weird, I didn’t have to use it.</p>
<p>Data as a mass noun has been acceptable for maybe a hundred years (see [Grammar</a> Girl : Is “Data” Singular or Plural? :: Quick and Dirty Tips ?](<a href=“http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/is-data-singular-or-plural]Grammar”>Home - Quick and Dirty Tips)), so I wouldn’t lose sleep over that one.</p>
<p>You don’t necessarily have to follow the same style guide the admissions officer does. Intentional stylistic choice adds some color to your writing.</p>