I’m freaking out because I literally spent hours “perfecting” my essays and I failed to notice a couple of gaping errors.
“on the road were a litany of cars” – plural v. singular verb
“The playlist was full of songs, among them are x, y, and z” - comma splice
Currently kicking myself for not seeing those earlier. How negatively will these affect me?
AO’s are skimming the apps because they have an average of 12 minutes per app. Comma splices are not their focal point, and honestly, if you are someone they want to accept, would a comma splice change their opinion?
I agree with Multi here. Even the first mistake is relatively minor and I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t even notice it. Also, I might be wrong here since I’m not viewing these in context of the whole essay, but shouldn’t the “are” in the second excerpt be “were” considering you were in past tense prior to the comma?
@Multiverse7 @kons99 thank you both for your help. yes you are right kons, but the sentences I put up are not what exactly what is in my essay. In my essay, they are both present tense. Good catch, though!! Lol
That’s good because I don’t think “a litany of cars” is proper English.
lol the litany part is actually what I put… according to Webster it can mean “a sizable series or set”
dang now i feel now it may not make sense
No worries, it’s probably correct usage. I just never heard the word used that way before which doesn’t mean anything!
Not really the precise word choice, even if definition 2c suggests series. When not used to mean the invocations, it refers to something troublesome. As Webster shows, “A litany of complaints.” You may have meant a procession of cars.
What’s done is done. If the rest of your app and supp is good, that’s what will matter more. They can ignore small things.
@lookingforward @Multiverse7 thank you both. I do realize that litany was used pretty much incorrectly. I hope that will not hurt me because I wrote my best supplemental essays for Stanford. Also, what do you mean if the rest is good? Like in terms of stats and all?
^^ stats, other essays, teacher and other recs, ECs, awards and other accomplishments, hooks etc.,etc,etc.
I know it is hard but you really should try to relax and not hyperfocus on every little aspect of your application or what someone posts. Your apps are out into the universe and all you can do at this point is see what happens. Focus on finishing HS on a high note and make sure you enjoy your time that’s left. You don’t get to relive these days!
Good luck!
It’s not all about stats. After those (and rigor) pass a bar, it’s about the “you” that you presented and how. And how that matches what S wants to see in applicants. Beyond stats/rigor.