UGH, TYPOS! PANICKING! Forum

[lawschool88]

So as I was reworking my personal statement to fit a word length, I noticed there are not one, not two, but FIVE typos in the original personal statement that I have sent out to like 18 schools! I proofread the thing a ton, but somehow my brain managed to miss the typos! Specifically, I left out a "to" in one sentence, and an "of" in another sentence.

WHAT DO I DO!? I am devastated.

[albusdumbledore]

You shouldn't have re-read it after you sent it. That was your third mistake.

[OGR3]

Nothing. You're fine. They could care less.

Someone applying to WUSTL called it the University of Washington and they were accepted.

[MC Southstar]

Unwanted anal sex incoming.

[lawschool88]

OKAY SO NOW AFTER REREADING IT FOR THE BILLIONTH TIME I HAVE NOTICED ANOTHER 3 TYPOS. THAT MAKES FIVE TOTAL!

All of them are just leaving small words out, as if my brain just fills in the words as I read it and proofread it! WHAT DO I DO!?

[09042014]

OKAY SO NOW AFTER REREADING IT FOR THE BILLIONTH TIME I HAVE NOTICED ANOTHER 3 TYPOS. THAT MAKES FIVE TOTAL!

All of them are just leaving small words out, as if my brain just fills in the words as I read it and proofread it! WHAT DO I DO!?

BTW this is why other people should proofread for you.

But I got into Minn, Iowa and Indiana with the most retarded personal statement of all time (Ok not as bad as prelawdelt). It had worse errors than missing words. It established I absolutely did not understand how to use commas, or how to effectively write a narrative. I got money at all three.

[WhiskeyGuy]

With that many errors, I would quickly have some friends who are good editors look over your work. Then resubmit the essay to those schools that received the faulty version. A couple of typos is probably okay, but not five (or however many you had).

Edit: Resubmitting a typo-less version is even more important for those schools where you are not above median.

[CE2JD]

I wrote a horrible personal statement over about 45 minutes on a weekend and got into UVA ED.

Srsly, my personal statement included threats against the President, semen-stained pastel imprints of my penis, and chicken poo smear on the backside of the last page and I still got in.

NO ONE CARES about personal statements. Your numbers (GPA + LSAT) determine 99% of law school admissions.

[Hopefullawstudent]

OKAY SO NOW AFTER REREADING IT FOR THE BILLIONTH TIME I HAVE NOTICED ANOTHER 3 TYPOS. THAT MAKES FIVE TOTAL!

All of them are just leaving small words out, as if my brain just fills in the words as I read it and proofread it! WHAT DO I DO!?

You can try to send in a revised PS and explain that you erred in sending in a premature copy.

On another note, typos can - and do - matter in the admissions process. I read an interview with the Dean of a prestigious law school. His take on typos was this: "How am I to look at this applicant? If they submitted an application with typos, why should I trust them to handle a million dollar contract?"

Having read that statement, I obsessively hunted for typos in my application...

[09042014]

OKAY SO NOW AFTER REREADING IT FOR THE BILLIONTH TIME I HAVE NOTICED ANOTHER 3 TYPOS. THAT MAKES FIVE TOTAL!

All of them are just leaving small words out, as if my brain just fills in the words as I read it and proofread it! WHAT DO I DO!?

You can try to send in a revised PS and explain that you erred in sending in a premature copy.

On another note, typos can - and do - matter in the admissions process. I read an interview with the Dean of a prestigious law school. His take on typos was this: "How am I to look at this applicant? If they submitted an application with typos, why should I trust them to handle a million dollar contract?"

Having read that statement, I obsessively hunted for typos in my application...

What they say, and what they actually do are fairly different. I'd guess they are reading things so fast they don't catch 80% of the typos people have.

[BenJ]

They will not penalize you if you send in an "updated copy" by email or snail mail. They also probably will not care; people have done worse things and gotten in to good schools. The personal statement means very little. (I recommend no semen or chicken excrement, however.)

[vandalvideo]

I don't think typos really matter all that much on the application unless you're in their 25th percentile. I made a bunch of typos in my application to a kinda-reach school and still got in just fine. Harvard might care.

[calicocat]

You shouldn't have re-read it after you sent it. That was your third mistake.

Haha I finally got up the courage to proof mine after sending all of them in. Not as bad as I suspected (I was ready for misplaced paragraphs and gibberish) but I did find one sentence that could have used another word (an "of" I think). I sounded a bit ESL for that one sentence. Haha it's been haunting my dreams ever since....

[Moose Thompson]

I had six people proof mine. Sent it out, felt great about it. Showed it to a friend struggling with his and he finds "pursing" in place of "pursuing." FML. Hopefully since seven of us missed it, adcomms will as well. LOL. Don't let it stress you out, can't change it now.

[Whatisthis]

I made around three typos in my criminal history addenda (probably not a good place to demonstrate one's carelessness) and I misspelled academic in the heading of my 'accademic' interruption addendum. FWIW, I got accepted at my reach school.

If you sent your statement recently, I would send them a revised copy. If not, don't sweat it.

[Oban]

Essays matter less than most people here want to believe. Sure schools love well written essays, but everyone makes typos, some horrible. Don't dwell on it unless this HY you are applying too. Everyone else just cares about your numbers.

Furthermore, the type of writing you do in law is nothing like what you learned in college/hs, So prior style/skill is less relevant.

[nycparalegal]

I had a typo in my diversity statement and freaked out as well. But, if it's not egregious then don't worry. We're all human. Good luck!

[nahgems]

i had some nasty typos in mine (like i didn't capitalize "I"). i got accepted at the schools i expected with about the amount of $$$ i expected.

[lemonpie]

I was just panicking over a missing comma in the last sentence of PS sent to my top choice.
I guess I shouldn't expect to get rejected over a missing comma?

[Kiersten1985]

Unwanted anal sex incoming.

This.

[lawschool88]

Unwanted anal sex incoming.

This.

Ugh, this is what I feared most.

[jackgrf]

i wouldn't send a revised ps, because then it makes the adcomms more weary of errors in the first version. i'd just wait it out.

[rw2264]

i used understandable and understand in the same sentence of my DS and almost had a heart attack when i noticed after submitting it to two schools. but then again i'm auto admit or yp reject for one and nearly certain for the other according to LSN... so its not a big deal. but its still nerve wracking. stop reading!