Typos in MBA applications

No, most of the time they are reading these very fast. Depends on the typos though. If its like one thing won't matter. 5, yeh that just shows sloppiness.

Ouch. I flinched for you when I read this.

I would like to tell you that adcoms are understanding and don't care that you dropped the t in "not" a few times. But I don't believe that to be true.

However, I'll leave you with this word of comfort. I seem to remember finding a single typo in one of my applications post-submission (can't recall if in an essay or not), and I was admitted.

People get admitted with slight flaws like this all the time. That said, bankerella is right - you certainly don't want to go ahead and type carelessly. It shows that you weren't as careful as you could have been - certainly not the image you want to portray.

As a side note - Don't re-read your essays! You can't do anything to change them, and all it'll do is cause you stress.

A couple things that might provide some comfort: 1) I feel like, although this may completely unfounded, the boxes are less of a big deal than the essays themselves. The essays are supposed to be printed out, proof read, and studied with a fine tooth comb. They are your equivalent to a pitch book. The boxes (which may or may not have spell check) are a little less formal. For one, you don't really have the opportunity to haul your computer in front of peers and colleagues to read your responses. You may not be able to print that info to read, etc. As long as nothing is egregious, and your essays, GMAT, and TOEFL show you have command of the English language, I think adcomms will wink at this 2) I had a pretty bad typo on one of my MBA essays. I started a sentence with a lower case letter as in:. i think this would be the best choice for me . . ." No idea how spell check didn't catch this, but at the end of the day I was admitted.

The long and short of it is: the committee is not going to ding an otherwise outstanding candidate because of one, or possibly more, minor typos. It certainly doesn't help, but if the other aspects of the application do not display a pattern of mistakes or carelessness, it will not be the reason you get dinged.

I know several people who found typos in their applications after they submitted but were admitted anyway. Some were small, like those mentioned above; others were bigger, like mixing up dates for a job or similar (note: this was in the online portion of the app, not the actual resume).

I think as long as there are only a small number of such errors (1-3), it isn't a big deal ... as long as your essays, resume, etc. are not rife with errors.

Like Silchasruin said above, these people have literally hundreds of apps to read in a very short period of time - I doubt they catch most small errors like that anyway. Wouldn't sweat it.

Strongly agree with the advice above to not re-read essays or apps once they're submitted. I haven't re-read any apps I've submitted, and don't plan to do so. No upside, only downside!

Maybee typos in essays are the best way to communicate to the Adcoms taht you didnt use an admissions consultant.

Small typos are fine. It happens, and it's really hard to spell-check some of those pesky boxes and forms. Even on the essays a missing "t" won't kill you. In fact, I noticed a typo on a certain business school's application form. However, please be careful of typos on your resume. Also, please spell the school's name right. I once heard an adcom from UC Berkeley say in front of a room of prospective students that it's important to remember that the school is not spelled Hass. Oh, and I guess I don't need to mention that you should try not to say you feel you are a perfect fit for Wharton when you are applying to Columbia. (Seen it done more than a few times!)

i have met enough international students at M7 schools whose command of the english language is so far below that of native speakers that i'd be shocked if it didn't show in their essays with grammar/syntax errors. admittedly the most glaring issue with these types is the ultra-heavy accents but the underlying english is often suspect as well. plenty of them get in every year. i wouldn't worry about what you described.

quick weigh in wearing my writing coach hat on this sunny Sunday morning (get out everyone!, at least in North America!)

Anyone who is a native speaker of English or who was educated in English should have good grammar and almost no typos (one or two minor ones shouldn't give you a heart attack). But! If you are not a native speaker and do not send in essays with 100% perfect, lyrical writing, I've seen a tendency for non-native speakers to want to look as if they are native speakers, and that's simply not true. It comes off looking way too slick, and it ends up being a red flag.

I make a living helping people write, and the most important thing is for your own voice to sound like you. Otherwise, it all looks manufactured. It would be like Arnold Schwarzenegger sounding like Clint Eastwood. Doesn't work.