<p>It was surely a bad idea, but in my anxious state of waiting til 3-10, I decided to read over DC's essays and short answers. Sadly I found two mistakes on one essay (spelling/typo and small word omission). I wonder if this is too petty to be bothered thinking about, or if BS reviewers take these things seriously as an indicator of the applicant's ability, and it will put DC at a disadvantage? I have heard that there should be no mistakes? Anyone out there know the answer to this?</p>
<p>Yes, the mistakes show that DC wrote the essays on his or her own . . . without parental assistance or interference. And, notwithstanding the two small errors, that’s a good thing! So, you’ll have to find something else to worry about. :)</p>
<p>dodgersmom: of course, the AO also usually get a copy of a graded essay: so they have a baseline to compare the essay to (presumably the best) the DC normally does in school (unless overeager parents are helping on routine assignments too…)</p>
<p>Whew, thanks! Now, anyone have any ideas what else I can worry about?</p>
<p>eileenbeth: I’m sure you’ll think of something to worry about, if you try hard enough ;-).</p>
<p>To amuse you, I managed (as a parent) to do the mistake of mentioning the wrong school in one of the parent sections I did.</p>
<p>Everyone screws up… It’s par for the course.</p>
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<p>Ohmygosh! And lived to tell about it?</p>
<p>That was my worst nightmare throughout the application cycle. Had I discovered after the fact that I’d made such a blunder . . . well, I’d have been on strong sedatives for weeks, at least. Kudos to you for being able to laugh about it!</p>
<p>That’s OK. Last year, DS told Andover dir of admissions that Exeter was his first choice (really was). Director was red in the face laughing when he told us that was about the gutsiest thing any kid had ever told him. Needless to say, DS goes to another BS.</p>
<p>OMG, that is such a great story! I would have admitted him just for being so honest! We should start a “blunder blog”. My spouse also accidentally mentioned the wrong school, but only to a tour guide. He will never live it down - my DC wanted to write an essay about it (a difficult experience and how you dealt with it…) - taking father on tour and wanted to run and hide!</p>
<p>In my case, I dropped a note to the AO of the school, and apologized. They see it all the time… Both by kids and the parents. The difference is that such mistakes adults take for granted, though kids find them mortifying…</p>
<p>Thankfully, I think my son managed not to put his foot in his mouth about his preferences; though any of the top three schools he applied to would be genuinely fine with him (and with me).</p>
<p>@BusterDad: Actually, DS didn’t think he put his foot in his mouth. Had any other school asked, he would have given the same answer. He’s just that kind of kid. @eileenbeth: The Andover dir DID appreciate the honesty and said that DS was just the kind of kid they like to have on their campus, but the results went otherwise. Perfectly OK, though. DS is loving Choate.</p>
<p>I’m glad it turned out well for your DS. I think my son would also answer forthrightly if the question had been put to him, but he’s cool with any of his top three schools. I’ve tried to not bias him too much by being an Andover alum myself; I’ve always had very high respect for the competition…</p>
<p>I just read “Kindergarten Wars” about applying for K in NYC. One of the admissions directors wrote that she got a gushing “first choice” letter from one of the applicants saying how much she loved the Pemberley school. Only problem was it was sent to admissions at the Evergreen school. I cringe at doing something like this…</p>
<p>As horrifying as that is, it shouldn’t knock you out of the box if you would otherwise be getting an acceptance letter. For college, the Common Application discourages students from revising their Common Application essays to customize them for each college. But some people do it and that leads to these sorts of miscues. One admission officer at one of the most competitive liberal arts colleges talked about this thing cropping up several times each year. She said some people get admitted, some people don’t. That’s not what will make or break them. But the rejected applicants who see the mistake later will always wonder and she said you don’t want that monkey on your back.</p>