Personal Statement Typo - Resubmit? Forum

[haver1234]

[Posted this in Personal Statement forum but saw similar posts here]

I have submitted 6 of my (10 or so) applications already when I noticed this mistake:

"Specifically, after law school, I would like to work as a court clerk, and follow this service by working for an organization dedicated to public interest law addressing educational iniquity."

Now, I know the difference between 'iniquity' and 'inequity,' but I realized the mistake a little too late. I've applied to most of the schools I actually want to attend. Should I resubmit?

I've rationalized in my mind that I should just leave it be, that 'iniquity' (def: [among other things and with certain connotations] a gross injustice) and 'inequity' (def: an injustice/unfairness) are close enough that, while it's not the best word, it can make sense in context. Thoughts?

In case it matters, numbers. LSAT: 177, GPA: 3.75. I've sent this out to 4 T10 schools (including my four top choices) among others. Changed it for the remaining schools I'll be applying to. Thanks.

[Hattori Hanzo]

If you just submitted, chances are your file has not been reviewed yet. I'd go ahead and resubmit. Some adcomms really dislike typos. JR:
"Typos, misspellings, and other grammatical errors are pretty detrimental as well. These are fundamental skills for lawyers and not paying attention to these details could indicate that an applicant may not possess the skills or ability to succeed as a lawyer. Proofread your personal statements; don’t just rely on spell check."

[Emma.]

Do you really want to work as a court clerk? Do you mean a judicial clerkship??

[TheTallOne0602]

I just noticed I had a typo on three of the applications I sent in, on my explanation for why I got a 178 the second time around and a 169 the first time around. I just sent them in yesterday. Can I/how do I go about fixing this? Do I call the admissions offices and ask to send in an accurate copy to replace the mistaken one?

[Emma.]

I just noticed I had a typo on three of the applications I sent in, on my explanation for why I got a 178 the second time around and a 169 the first time around. I just sent them in yesterday. Can I/how do I go about fixing this? Do I call the admissions offices and ask to send in an accurate copy to replace the mistaken one?

How bad is the typo? Is it the kind of thing they might miss? Sending in another copy might just draw attention to your mistake. A lot of schools will let you add to your file but won't take anything out, so there'll just be two copies of your addendum in the file.

[TheTallOne0602]

Well basically, I said "so I am not surprised that I did perform to my capability at that particular time" when I meant to say "so I am not surprised that I did not perform to my capability at that particular time."

It is obvious from the tone of the paragraph what I meant to say, but it is also obvious that I had a typo...

[GettingReady2010]

If you just submitted, chances are your file has not been reviewed yet. I'd go ahead and resubmit. Some adcomms really dislike typos. JR:
"Typos, misspellings, and other grammatical errors are pretty detrimental as well. These are fundamental skills for lawyers and not paying attention to these details could indicate that an applicant may not possess the skills or ability to succeed as a lawyer. Proofread your personal statements; don’t just rely on spell check."

I would generally agree with this statement. However, I think this person is referring to personal statements that look like they thrown together in a couple hours. I don't think something a minor as a misplaced comma will have an impact. This is, of course, just speculation.

[IBThatGuy]

If you did want to resubmit, how would you do so?

[flepper]

Contact the school directly. I've had some last minute questions recently and they've been surprisingly quick with answering phones, I think they're expecting these calls. I resubmitted my resume to a couple of schools (one being Harvard) and they had me either mail or fax it right over; depends on the school. Hopefully yours are forgiving.

[IBThatGuy]

Just realized the personal statement I've been using has a stupid flaw in it. I must have done this during my last edit: In a list of three items, I list one item twice.

Instead of "I enjoy food, folks, and fun." reads something like, "I enjoy food, folks, fun, and food."

Ask if I can resubmit?