Typos in MBA applications
Hi everyone,
I submitted a few apps yesterday and going through the pdf this morning I noticed a few stupid typos in the various textboxes (1-3 typos such as "no" while it should have been "not") but not in the essays.
Is it going to be an auto-ding? English is not my first language but I think adcoms are quite adamant about a typo-free application.
Really pissed about it. I should have checked more carefully. I hyst spent so much time on the essays and doing very well on the GRE and the TOEFL. I feel like I just ruined it.
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!)
Thanks Betsy and everyone else. No big typo so far. I submitted an application yesterday and was extra careful. Resume and essays are typo-free for sure because I got so many people to read them and help me.
I know you are supposed to write the essays 100% on your own but seriously ... if English is not your first language there is no way you can write an essay as good as an American and it can only look bad even if adcoms know you're foreign.
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.
Oh no, even international applicants with degrees from Harvard, Yale and Princeton still have issues with English grammar.
these are not rare occurrences either. i've seen it quite a bit...best examples being students from mainland china.
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.
Exactly what I am afraid of. My essays are way too well written in my opinion. I did get a 30/30 on the writing part of the TOEFL and a 165/170 on the verbal part of the GRE but I still think it's too good. All the ideas are mine but the way to express them is really too slick and nice at times.
mistake on self-report score on application (Originally Posted: 02/05/2014)
so I applied to a program but by accident put my math score in the verbal section and vice versa. I did still upload the unofficial score report which has them correct. I also conducted an interview already with the school and the guy knew I had a lower quant score. I just noticed the mistake I made a few minutes ago. What, if anything should I do? Should I email them, or would that just bring bad attention? It was an honest mistake.
someone please help me: i'm scared to death.
I would call, ask to speak to someone on the AdCom, and explain to them what happened. I'm sure they already figured it out and assumed it was an honest mistake (wouldn't make much sense to lie when you upload a contractory score report). Say you just noticed the mix up, you think they knew in your interview but wanted to make sure that any potential misunderstanding was cleared up. Apolgize for the confusion and be on your way. Odds are it will have little or no effect, but certainly want to make sure that they don't make any assumptions about why you switched the numbers.
Admission people are people too, in fact some of the nicest people I know.
Hey as long as you have good GPA, GMAT, and/or great extracurriculars, I don't think they will fault you over this mistake. Call them and explain the situation, I am certain they will understand.
Heck, I spotted a typo after in my statement of purpose and still got accepted by my 1st choice program.
Grammatical Error in MBA recommendation = FAIL? (Originally Posted: 08/24/2010)
So, one of my recommenders just sent me a copy of the recommendation he just submitted on my behalf for a top 3 MBA program. Its a sterling recommendation with great comments, solid examples, and high stratifications in terms of percent and raw numbers. Here is what is worrying me though: I spotted 2 glaring grammatical errors--one changes the meaning of the last sentence (i.e. can vs. can't), and the other puts an apostrophe in the wrong place (boy's vs. boys'). Any semi-intelligent person would be able to see what the sentence was supposed to mean, but it frustrates me because so much is riding on these letters, and after he submitted it it wouldn't allow him to make any changes.
Am I totally screwed or am I freaking out over nothing?
What else can you do? Submit it. The person reading it knows you did not write it.
no worries man, that will not be the make / break. you have 2 other recs, a bunch of essays, your gmat score, ugrad performance, ECs, etc....that 1 rec is important, but as long as it's somewhat clear what he was trying to say I wouldn't sweat it at all.
MBA Typo (Originally Posted: 01/12/2007)
I noticed a major typo on an MBA app. to a top 5 school the day after I submitted. The number I entered into the total months of fulltime employment was way off, I don't know what the hell happened, maybe just some bad 10 key. I sent the adcom an email to clarify since they'll surely notice something doesn't add up. Does anyone know if this is a big enough error to screw my chances of getting in (assuming that aside from this I was in or borderline)?
you should be fine with just sending an email citing the correction. mistakes like that happen all the time
I guess you will be fine. But I suggest you to talk with them by phone.
B-School App. Mistake (Originally Posted: 01/16/2012)
I just realized that I made an error in my resume that I added to my grad school application. I stated that every semester I received the deans list, but in one semester I was part time, due to taking 3 credits at another school at the same time, and received deans commendation instead( same as deans list but for part time).
I am really nervous about this and I was not trying to deceive anyone. My question is, because I cannot change the application now, should I point this out to admissions and ask to change it or not mention it at all? Really appreciate your help on this, thanks.
hard to say, but generally speaking I wouldn't worry about it. 7 semesters + commendation while you were part time or whatever BASICALLY is dean's list... seems to me like an honest mistake that you shouldn't need to point out
can't say that for sure, but that's my guess
I would not worry about this at all. I don't think it's a big deal. At the end of the day, if the schools find out, they have to make the argument that "Dean's Commendation" is completely different than "Dean's List" and therefore this kid is a liar. I think that is a giant leap that they will have to make if (1) they even find out, which they won't and (2) it even raises a flag, which it won't.
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