I think that is interesting, insightful, and accurateđ. Old parents have old habits that die hard.
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The serial comma (aka Oxford comma) is still taught. Or at least I was taught. And itâs still included in most, but not all, style guides. Iâd read nothing into that.
The use of one space at the end of a sentence is in every style guide. I only learned of the double space rule from my great-grandfather during one of his âwhen I was a boyâ stories; my parents never even used it.
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Interesting. Iâm 46 and both my husband (same age) and I were taught the 2 spaces rule. I grew up in Canada and heâs from Virginia. 
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Itâs the âHarvard Commaâ, please. Go USA!
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Nope. My students use Oxford commas routinely. In fact, Iâm pretty sure that the Oxford comma is preferred these days.
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In the late 80s I was also taught about 2 spaces after a period. And in teaching mechanics to students, I definitely included the series comma, whether one wants to credit Oxford or Harvard.
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Wouldnât saying the assumed part out loud be a red flag?
âI want to attend [Ivy League college] because I want to work as an investment banker, because that is where the money is, and because investment bankers get to take risks for privatized gains, while their large losses get socialized through government bailouts because the finance industry is essential to the economy.â
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the two spaces after a sentence rule was all due to a typewriter not being able to adjust spaces automatically like wordprocessing programs can after a period. For me, in college, we started on typewriters in the mid-late 80s; and at the end of college the the computer switch came; and it was at work in the early 90s where i trained myself not to have two spaces. My parents still do it though!
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I was taught to do it in the mid-late â80âs as well. I only recently learned that it has changed 
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I know that the âtwo spaces after a periodâ is correct because I won the chocolate bunny in the typing contest in 9th grade.
My kids know the Oxford comma rule, they know the difference between their, theyâre, and there, know to, too, and two are used at different times, and have beautiful cursive handwriting. I think my daughter scored so well on the ACT/SAT writing sections because her writing was so neat and her writing style simple. Catholic schools still teach the basics.
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Are we saying double spaces and Oxford commas are red flags in college applications?
If not, perhaps time to get back on-topic?
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The scary thing is: Yes, this whole subthread spun off of someone saying (seriously? comically? not sure) that Oxford commas and double spaces are red flags in college applications, because they signal that they were written by older individuals rather than the Gen-Zed applicant.
Which Iâll agree asymptotically approaches maximal silliness, but hey, here we are.
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The AO might not read between the lines correctly each time.
Maybe getting rid of LORs would be better.
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I told my daughter - âI donât care who you date, so long as A, they treat you well, and B, they use Oxford commasâ.
Standards are important.
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I think there are some schools that embrace this (maybe their thought is that the perceived privilege could translate into future donations?) I personally know a student who had versions of all of the above and got into a very popular, low acceptance rate school with grades that did not match the Common Data Set.
Re: teacher recommendations - Iâm happy to see more schools making this requirement optional. There are plenty of great students who for whatever reason, donât interact with their teachers other than in the traditional teacher/student way - either because theyâre a bit introverted, or they donât like the teacher, or they donât have time to âhang outâ with the teacher in between classes or after school. It can be very hard for some students to find recommenders who they feel would write an impactful statement. It doesnât mean these arenât remarkable students in every other way.
Since in most cases, the student doesnât get to read the recommendation, they have no idea whether it helps their application or hurts it.
My daughterâs counselor changed 3 times over the course of her high school career. I canât imagine her senior year counselor knew off the top of her head, without prompting from my daughter, that she played a varsity sport for all 4 years or spent several weeks over the summers volunteering as a counselor at a Special Olympics camp that was sponsored by her high school.
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Agree. I wouldnât call this a red flag.
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My daughter also asked last spring, which is the recommendation from her school.
Itâs not anymore thanks to word processing. It makes you look old!
Oxford comma is always correct, however.
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except for this essay which got the applicant into NYU:
I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.
I woo women with my sensuous and god-like trombone playing. I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in 20 minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love and an outlaw in Peru.
Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass celloâŠI am the subject of numerous documentaries. When Iâm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang-gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.
I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I donât perspire, I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mailâŠLast summer I toured New Jersey with a travelling centrifugal force demonstrationâŠMy deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.
I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.
I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago, I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four-course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prize-winning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis. But I have not yet gone to college.
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This Hugh Gallagher classic has been a favorite of mine, ever since I first read it about 25+ years ago 
Itâs brilliantly written and probably even more applicable today - what with all the âeliteâ schools seeking the perfect candidate.
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