<p>My son is an SCEA applicant for Yale. Though he proofread his essays many times and VERY carefully, he discovered a small error when he printed the essay out for his college files. What is the general opinion on submitting a corrected essay? Is there any connotation assigned to it (like the student's being viewed as obsessive/compulsive <em>lol</em>). If it is a good idea, what is the best way to go about it? Will the admissions office take a word doc. attached to an email? Thanks so much for your input! ~berurah</p>
<p>How big is the error?
When my son applied to college, we noticed a small error (he used the word "lead" instead of "led") in his essay. Apparently no one noticed it or it was overcome by other factors, as he was admitted anyway.</p>
<p>There is only one real error, and I honestly think it had to do with the Common App. software because it didn't show that way when he print previewed it. The word "I"--the first word in his last sentence--did not show up at all on the printed copy. Incidentally, there were some spacing issues in another area of the app. that just could not be corrected no matter what he did (like an extra blank line that looked fine before the print preview. So, basically, the last sentence is missing its first word. But, if he sends a correction in for that, he wants to also change one single word choice in another sentence just for clarity. ~berurah</p>
<p>My son is a college junior now and he didnt use the Common Application online. He wrote by hand in the forms and typed the essays on separate pages.
My daughter is using the Common Application online and it is terrible to work with the spacing and the formatting. For the extra line, try doing the reveal codes function in Word. It is the symbol on the toolbar that looks like a paragraph symbol. You may see an extra command that you can get rid of that will correct the spacing problem.</p>
<p>I am not a good one to answer that type of question. I tend to think you are agonizing over something small that will not be the deciding factor when everything else is taken into consideration. But I am the type who agonizes over small things too!</p>
<p>I think the fact that this process is sooooooooooo random leads to agonizing over small things. This is our family's first experience with college apps, though we have five more kids to get through! ~berurah</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply. My son has been thinking about this for a few days, and that was his first conclusion, but then when he thought he might want to change one word anyway, he reconsidered. I personally think that it is unlikely that an entire application would hinge on one error of this kind. Thanks for your advice! ~berurah</p>
<p>Berurah -
I admire you for having the energy to devote to six kids! I keep telling everyone that I couldn't handle going through this process a THIRD time!!!! :)</p>
<p>My energy is definitely waning! <em>LOL</em> I was thinking this last week as I was one of the older moms helping to cook my first grader's Thanksgiving feast! I think, though, that this application process will be our most grueling...my oldest is a typical first-born--driven, passionate, exceedingly bright, and he has set lofty goals for himself. I think that throughout the bunch we will get a variety of needs/desires re: college. </p>
<p>Do you mind saying where your son attends college? I understand if you don't wish to, but I was just curious... ~berurah</p>
<p>My son attends Stanford but the essay with the error which I referred to was for the Honors Program at our state university. He is unusually talented academically and also driven (like your son). He applied to 9 colleges (4 of them were of the HYPSM group) because we weren't certain of his chances at these superselective schools. It was almost a whole year of paperwork, interviews, etc.
My daughter is an excellent student, but not of the "superstar" variety, and has applied ED to a liberal arts college. Hopefully, she will be admitted and this process will be over for us within the next few weeks!</p>
<p>Congrats on your son's being admitted to Stanford! How does he like it so far? My son applied EA to Yale, but is also applying to Stanford, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and three other Ivies. In addition, he is applying to some good state schools. We are from an underrepresented area of the country but have no legacy or other such things. He is, I think, the first one at this school to ever apply to Yale, and he should be a very strong candidate due to a very well-documentd long term passion he has held.</p>
<p>My oldest daughter, who is a h.s. sophomore, is like your daughter--not the "superstar" but a great student and fascinating person with strong passions and interests. We shall see what the future hold for her soon enough! I wish your daughter all the best and I am so happy for you (and jealous OF you) that you are nearly done with all this college app. stuff!!!!!!!! ~berurah</p>
<p>Berurah -
I can't say enough about Stanford as far as being the right place for my son both academically and socially. We are from the East Coast and I wasn't too familiar with Stanford when he applied. At first I didn't understand why he would be interested in such a faraway school when so many great colleges are within a few hours of us. After an agonizing several weeks which included attending the admitted students programs at all three schools, he chose Stanford over MIT and Harvard, which is pretty rare, especially for an East Coast person. After visiting the three schools with him, I felt that Stanford would be best for him and I was glad he chose to go there. He has had some great experiences and opportunities at Stanford which I am pretty sure he would not have had if he went to another school. I am extremely impressed with how much he has matured, how much he has learned, and how well he is taking advantage of the opportunities available to him!</p>
<p>That is so exciting to hear about Stanford! Frankly, it is the one I have the most doubt about regarding my son. We live in the midwest, but for some reason or another, I can much more readily see him on the East Coast than the West. I could be completely wrong though, and he is very adaptable. At any rate, I can only HOPE that we have that issue! <em>LOL</em> We are just hoping for admission to ANY of his top-choice schools! If/when we get to that point, I'd love to hear about your son's and your reasons for choosing Stanford! ~berurah</p>