Correcting application errors after submission … or not

Hello Ms. Rubenstone, before submitting my application to a number of schools earlier in the moth, I’d say I looked through my Common App a number of times before finally submitting it. However, now, after casually reviewing it again I realize I could’ve made some changes that probably would make me a more competitive applicant. For one thing, I mentioned that I won a full scholarship to study abroad in a country, mentioned that it was awarded by state department, and that I received a school certificate. What I didn’t clarify was that it was a joint scholarship awarded by the State Department and foreign government and that I received a certificate from the school abroad. I also regret not using the extra space to clarify what I did throughout the year in the country. Is it possible to rectify this?

@avemaria18 -It’s fine to send an “update letter” to your colleges if you want to clarify what you accomplished during your year abroad. However, the admission folks probably don’t need to know that you received a certificate from your overseas school. So the focus of your extra submission should be on what you did and learned abroad. But do try to avoid cliches (“I learned about a whole new culture” or “People are very much the same deep down”). Instead, put the emphasis on the specifics of your experiences in your host country and what you gained from them beyond the predictable.

Send this update to the admission staff member who oversees applicants from your high school. If you don’t know who that is and can’t find it on the Web site, just call the admissions office to ask.

Hi Ms. Rubenstone, I just noticed that I mistakenly put ‘AP Scholar with Distinction’ instead of ‘AP Scholar.’ I’ve only taken 3 AP’s so it’s literally impossible for me to have ‘AP Scholar with Distinction’ which requires like 4 APs but for some reason I thought I did. Is it worth it to email a correction to all my colleges?

@kbn2015 -Definitely leave this one alone. I bet that if you polled 100 admission officers, at least 99 of them would not remember what those assorted AP “honors” actually mean — nor do they care. The admission folks will pay some attention to the list of exams you’ve taken and to the scores you’ve earned but not to the needless designations that the College Board doles out.

@Sally_Rubenstone On my transfer essay to USC, I accidentally wrote “by interest” instead of “my interest”. Should I contact them to send in a edited essay? Also is it likely that they will catch this error?

@Skepta -NO, NO, NO! Do NOT send a correction. While it might be mildly irritating for USC admission officials to spot your word “by” and have to translate it to “my,” it will be far MORE irritating for them to deal with a correction email and/or new essay draft. So please let this go. The admission folks will probably see this error, but it will be only the tiniest blip on their radar screens … unless you turn it into something bigger.

@Sally_Rubenstone is this typo going to effect my application? Or will one typo be forgiven?

@Skepta-One typo will be forgiven. If you don’t get into USC, it won’t be because of that.

@Sally_Rubenstone thank you so much for the response! I was truly freaking out and losing sleep the past few days. Especially since I worked hard to get a 4.00 I thought this error would give an impression that I didnt care.

My residency status says non-resident, but I’m in state. I think I choose the wrong box on my application. Will UMD take away my acceptance? @Sally_Rubenstone

@RA2015 Nope, UMD will not take away your acceptance but just notify them of the mistake immediately. A discrepancy could affect your pocketbook more than your acceptance status!

@Sally_Rubenstone Thank you! Definitely need to make sure that I fix this before I commit.

I submitted the common app to two universities, but I forgot to update it with my most recent ACT score which I wanted to report. I know that these are self reported and the official submissions are all that truly matter. Also, the official scores sent in are the correct ones. But, I am still wondering if it is worth it to contact them and indicate that I intended to provide my more recent and higher score. The only reason I am asking about this is because I am worried that they may look at my self reported scores right away to get a basic grasp on my academic performance, and I don’t want them to base their opinions of the rest of the application on inaccurate scores.

So, basically, is it worth it for me to contact them or will the application reader maybe not even notice? I should also note that these universities are among the most prestigious, so the few ACT points can make a huge difference in their decision.

Thank you very much!

So I made a little bit of a mistake on my Common App. When it asked if I attended any other school, I said “yes” but put down the wrong school. Instead of Example High School, I accidentally selected Example Adult School, which surprisingly, has the same address and very similar CEEB code. On my transcript, it says Example High School. Should I contact the schools I applied to about this little mistake?

@matthewjenum - It’s fine to send an update letter with your new scores. Although, as you’ve noted, the admission folks will use the official ones, a direct email to your regional rep at each college will help expedite the process and make certain that there isn’t a lot of lag time between when the new official scores reach the office and when they are coded into your file. Keep the note brief and friendly, perhaps tossing in some succinct mention of why you want to be at that college or a reference to a newsworthy item involving the school. Above all, don’t say that you “forgot” to add the new scores to your application. Simply say that you have new scores that aren’t reported on the Common App.

@NoSleepNoLife -This minor error is very understandable. It certainly won’t affect your college outcomes, but you might save some confusion in admission offices by sending an email correction to your regional rep at each college.

As I just said in the post above, as long as you’re writing this brief note, feel free to toss in some succinct additional nugget about the school. But if you’re copying and sending the same note to multiple colleges, be ultra-careful about sending the correct comment to each school. You don’t want to be telling the admission folks at Cornell how much you love the weather and music scene in New Orleans!

Hi Ms. Rubenstone,

Yesterday, I was sending my FAFSA and realized that I completely forgot to add my social security number on my Common App. It said on the Common App that the SSN is required for financial aid through FAFSA, so should I contact admissions offices or will the SSN on my FAFSA alone be sufficient?

Thanks

Hello Ms. Rubenstone,

I’m a sophomore in community college and I just submitted my application to USC, my dream school… I’m having a mini heart attack because I made a few errors. The application was due by 11:59, I submitted my application at 11:59:30 but from what I read there is a short grace period… This was my first time using the common application, and I was worried that at midnight it wouldn’t let me submit anymore, so when they had us review and sign, I signed as quickly as possible.

Under future plans they ask what is the highest degree you intend to earn, and I selected Business Bachelor, instead of MBA. This wouldn’t be so bad, except that I’m applying for a real estate/public policy bachelor and I expressed interest in my essays of potentially pursuing a MBA.

Another mistake was that I accidentally omitted my second choice major. I think I was torn between two different second choice majors and saved it, thinking I would add it in later. The common application only requires one major choice from the drop down menu for USC and once it showed the green check mark I thought it was complete. In the writing supplement I refer to both my first and second choice majors explicitly.

Also, I was having a problem when editing the common application and it kept deleting my paragraph spacing, so I added in extra spaces, which then resulted in leaving a large gap of maybe three spaces between each paragraph. This error resulted in the last three lines of my USC supplement essay to be pushed to the next page, and it all looks very odd.

I have a 4.0, work experience, letters of recommendation and I worked really hard on my essays. I’m not sure if I should email USC or give them a phone call about this. At the same time, I don’t want to draw attention to mistakes, that are for the most part clarified through my essays. I just don’t know if a college can accept you to a major if it was only mentioned in an essay…

This is my first time using college confidential and appreciate any advice on this.

Thank you,
Taylor

@Axlevision22 -You should definitely contact all your Common App colleges and add your SS #. One of the reasons that many colleges want the SS # on the Common App is so that they can match up the applicant with the financial aid forms. Although there are other ways to do this (e.g. name + high school + address), comparing SS#'s is most reliable, so definitely add yours in. Not a big deal that you forgot it but potentially problematic if you don’t make the correction

@tayloralext - It’s fine to send a BRIEF correction to USC explaining that your submitted application omitted two important details … your plan to earn an MBA and your second-choice major.

However, I don’t recommend commenting on your essay-spacing issues. These turn up frequently on the Common App, and admission folks are used to them. If your list of corrections is too long, it could make you seem incompetent … or whiny.

But by sending just a couple quick updates on your future plans and your #2 major, you won’t do yourself any harm and, in fact, might do yourself some good.