essay was really good but in the 5th paragraph I had one typo
that it AS mine, should have been that it WAS mine
it’s only one letter, do you think they’ll catch it? I know that having good essays are really important at UChicago specifically
I’m honestly really mad at myself. I read it like 10 times and never caught it. I’m really paranoid now. Do they care about this stuff? Like will they think that I was being sloppy? Has anyone ever made a typo like this before and gotten accepted?
Don’t beat yourself up over this. Sure, they’ll catch your typo, but one error won’t make or break your application. You’re definitely not the only person who has ever misspelled a word or forgotten a letter on an application to a highly-competitive school like UChicago. If you need any consolation, read the articles below. Best of luck.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/11/12/on-college-oops-theres-mistakes-on-my-college-application/
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20398585/ns/us_news-education/t/typo-your-college-application-may-get-you/#.WkyUflQ-cWo
thanks!! those articles makes me feel better lol
No,you are not doomed because of a single typo. Relax.
At a school like UChicago, they’ll definitely notice that the wrong word was used. But it’s a place that prides itself on being quirky and one of the essay prompts even asks you assume the school made a typo and to respond to that. So either be at peace and don’t sweat it or go all in and own it with a funny follow up note about what your typo meant (if you’re not naturally funny, don’t go this route, stick with being at peace.)
I still have a copy of my old Booth application from 1990 (cringy, I know) and recently noticed a typo (Frence instead of French). I know I double-checked everything: once as I finished up the section, and again once the application was complete. In those days there were no online application capabilities - everyone used a high-end typewriter such as an IBM Selectric on a paper copy. Still, very easy to make corrections as long as you caught the mistake early; if you didn’t, then a neat correction via White-Out and black pen was acceptable. B-Schools were brutal about stuff like attention to detail and I knew one or two unlucky individuals who were unfortunate enough not only to have a typo in their app. but also to have it pointed out to them during the interview! Oops. In my case, I was accepted with scholarship so my typo, if noticed, wasn’t enough to ding me.
My impression is that UChicago has always been a bit more civilized about this stuff. They know it’s harder to produce an out-of-the-ballpark essay than not. If they see you as a good fit, one typo is really of no consequence. If you aren’t a good fit, a typo-free essay won’t save you. Strive for perfection in all things but don’t beat yourself up if you fall a tad short of the mark now and then because we all do. And - very important - stop reading through your apps once they are submitted.
I know people with many typos who got in. My coworker got admitted with a full ride even though she basically butchered a sentence. I am currently deferred from EA (thinking I was getting rejected) even with two sentences being written in Spanish by accident. Don’t over think the situation, because there are students who did much worse than a single typo.