<p>Just curious. I used quite a bit of them. My professor told me that they were definitely okay but I just looked it up and a lot of people were saying that it was bad? I already submitted it so I'm done but is it something I should be worried about?</p>
<p>[Sorry I keep asking these questions...I may be freaking out too much.]</p>
<p>I think you are fine. Yeah, I’ve seen some split answers–some people say it’s okay, others say you should avoid them. Personally, I kept them in. I found that when I took out contractions and typed out all the words, I sounded way too robotic and formal, and it read like an academic essay rather than a personal one. I think the best answer is to use whatever suits your voice and makes you sound sincere about what you’re saying.</p>
<p>I didn’t try to avoid contractions in my personal statement last year. Personally, I think it’ll be OK to use as many contractions as you want in yours; the admissions officers almost certainly care more about the content of your personal statement and the overall structure of the message you want to convey in it than some silly conventions of prose.</p>
<p>And there’s no need to apologize about asking these questions—better safe than sorry, right?</p>
<p>If they are concerned about your contractions, then your essay didn’t have the substance needed in the first place. When used sparingly, contractions deliver a personal voice to your story. They are not looking for an academic essay. You’re fine, don’t sweat it.</p>
<p>Contractions make your writing sound weaker. I do not see any possibly of being rejected for them alone tho. </p>
<p>No, contractions, when used correctly, are fine. Bomerr is a contrarian pessimist who has clearly proven he’s been wrong more than once in this forum.</p>
<p>contractions are shorthand. They are legal in writing but it does not change the fact that they are weak.</p>
<p>does not v doesn’t
cannot v can’t
I would v I’d
etc.</p>
<p>Hm I dunno, that seems like an elitist way of thinking because personally, I believe contractions have their own stylistic purposes. Sure, not using contractions is more formal, and in an academic essay, it’s definitely more warranted to avoid them. But in a personal statement (or any form of personal writing), I’d argue that point about contractions making your writing sound weaker.</p>
<p>My take on the personal statement is that it’s about displaying a good sense of writing while also maintaining the integrity of your voice. Some people may choose to avoid them (which is fine), others will find that using them adds sincerity and personality to their words. I’ll use a few sentences of my own PS as an example:</p>
<p>Original: “‘F*g!’ Throughout my life, I listened to this word become the punchline of a joke and wanted to lash out because of how closely it hit to home. I wanted to reprimand its users, knowing its hurtful history. I wanted to say something, but I wouldn’t—because I was scared. Scared of what? Of being outed? Of backlash? I didn’t even know, yet I kept my mouth shut.”</p>
<p>Avoiding contractions: “‘F<em>g!’ Throughout my life, I listened to this word become the punchline of a joke and wanted to lash out because of how closely it hit to home. I wanted to reprimand its users, knowing its hurtful history. I wanted to say something, but I would not—because I was scared. Scared of what? Of being outed? Of backlash? I did not even know, yet I kept my mouth shut.”
(</em>note I only censored the slur for posting purposes).</p>
<p>Contractions are only used twice in these 3-4 sentences (barring the short rhetorical q’s). I don’t know about you, but I feel like avoiding them takes something personal and organic away from the original version. From a stylistic perspective, it feels as if writing out “would not/did not” disrupts the flow of my words, and idk, the original “contracted” version definitely does not read weaker to me.</p>
<p>If more authority is needed, I showed my personal statements to counselors and UC reps (UC Berkeley and UCLA specifically) and they didn’t mention anything regarding my use of contractions, only ways I could improve content-wise. It didn’t seem to faze them at all, and I’m certain not using them wouldn’t have either if I willed it that way.</p>
<p>tl;dr: Life’s too short to be an elitist about different writing styles having one “right way”. There are so many different, diverse ways to express your words, and come on, it’s not like writing is a subjective thing, is it? (<–rhetorical question, just clarifying). In short, just do you.</p>
<p>OK, for anyone who thinks admissions officers care about contractions being used in personal statements, can you honestly imagine any of them saying anything along the lines of “well, he/she said ‘don’t’ instead of ‘do not’ one too many times and ‘won’t’ instead of ‘will not’ one too many times’. I’m not sure he/she deserves to be a student at this school.”</p>
<p>Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?</p>
<p>Exactly, Cayton. This is an asinine argument. Contractions are fine.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If they are coming closer than every three minutes, you should probably get to the hospital or have somebody around you boil water!</p>
<p>@Cayton
I wouldn’t expect a philosophy major at UCLA to be making a straw man argument. </p>
<p>I don’t see anyone saying the admissions officers are out to get applicants who write with contractions. </p>
<p>@bomerr </p>
<p>As if you know what a strawman argument actually is. But by necessity, if your claim that contractions used in a personal statement don’t look good, then it’ll weaken one’s personal statement, and hence, one’s admission prospects.</p>
<p>I just decided to show how patently absurd that is with my example from earlier. Actually, my example is similar to a tactic that lawyers and debaters use to make their argument, called “reductio ad absurdum.” You should read about it sometime.</p>
<p>Are you really going to defend the idea that personal statements are weakened by “excessive contractions”(However you’d measure that)? Do you even have evidence that admissions officers give a ■■■■ about this? I strongly, strongly doubt you do.</p>
<p>But then again, you never have evidence for your claims. This is why people don’t take you seriously on this board, or on any other.</p>
<p>Ah, thank you for everyone’s replies! They helped me calm down a bit :)</p>
<p>@Cayton</p>
<p>Come’on man. This is common English 101 advice and I’m not the only person who knows it.</p>
<p><a href=“Using contractions in college essays? Yes or No? - College Essays - College Confidential Forums”>Using contractions in college essays? Yes or No? - College Essays - College Confidential Forums; </p>
<p>Many of the grammar conventions taught in English 101, such as not ending sentences with a preposition and using too many contractions are no longer taken seriously, even by professional writers and authors. Did you even read many of the posts in your link? A lot of them say that using contractions doesn’t matter to admissions officers.</p>
<p>I’d still likely to see evidence that UC admissions officers care about this and have rejected applicants for it. I don’t think you can supply that.</p>
<p>If you have an English 101 instructor advising you not to use contractions, she shouldn’t be teaching English 101. Like all grammar in the English language, it’s how you use it that’s important. Exclusion of any tool is a disservice to creative and academic writing. Obviously you would not have the same amount of contractions in a academic essay, as you would a creative essay, but to suggest a student should eliminate them from your toolbox? Ridiculous. </p>
<p>There is a reason it’s called a “personal” essay. They want to hear your voice, not a robot’s voice. The most effective essays I’ve read had a balanced, effective use of contractions. The worst essays were written in an academic tone that told me little about who the person was, and incidentally, there were no contractions in those essays.</p>
<p>Bomerr is 100% incorrect in his assessment.</p>
<p>@fullload </p>
<p>“Personal.” That’s the key word in all of this. Avoiding contractions like the plague can make you sound very impersonal. And that’s not something you want in your personal statement.</p>
<p>Contractions are fine. They want you to talk in your own voice.</p>
<p>But if they get five minutes apart, get to the hospital! 
</p>