[clairdeluned]

that I made a typo on my Princeton supplement. On the Quick Takes, it asks for an adjective I would use to describe myself. I used "feisty"...though I spelled it "fiesty" (maybe I was thinking "fiesta" in Spanish? I don't know what I was thinking)....I wouldn't be so concerned if it were a college that wasn't super-competitive, but...it's Princeton. Do you think the admissions officer would just reject me, PO'd that I didn't catch the error? What should I do?

[iceberri]

I don't think there is much you can do at this point if you've already submitted it. If it makes you feel any better though, one of my suitemates dug up her application from last year and found several typos in it, heheh.

I also remember royally screwing up my Cornell application last year: I edited out the last sentence of one of my short essays and then wrote something in, but it didn't logically flow. It was the type of sentence which was fine at first glance, but if you gave it a second look, you'd be like "What is this girl trying to say???" I was pretty mortified at first, and I couldn't bear to tell my parents, but I still got in -- with a likely letter no less.

All in all, I think admission officers take into account that we're humans. The impression I got from the admissions process was that Princeton cared a lot more about the character of a person that came through in the app. I only say this because the girl I disliked from high school had a slightly higher ranking than me, slightly higher SATs, and similar ECs (though I suppose mine were er... slightly more notable) but she got waitlisted. I would like to think that it was her kiss-up attitude that really turned off the interviewer, but I guess I'll never know. *whistles*

[clairdeluned]

^ Whew okay, thanks, that makes me feel a lot better. I was really freaking out for a while

[AiLing]

I doubt an admissions officer would seriously reject you just for a typo - unless you spelled the name of the school wrong or something =P You'll be fine.

[saera]

Didn't Cambridge or Oxford do a study about how people don't read every letter? Something like that. So they might not even notice! =)

[HtyPotter]

it's fine. People here, including the people who read over the applications, 1) skim quickly, and 2) are not as @nal as you probably think. The quick takes are just that: quick takes. They'd rather it not seem like you spent too much time on them.

This post has been edited by HtyPotter: 08 January 2006 - 09:26 AM

[jho]

^Isn't it better if it looks like you put more effort into it? *confused* I don't know.. Just wondering 'cause my application is huuge.. I submitted alot of my artwork (in CD format of course), alot of newspaper clippings that I thought were relevant, etc..

[iceberri]

Including artwork/music CDs can work for or against you. It's important to show that you care a lot, but only put those supplements in if you're confident that whoever looks at it will be wowed. If they're nice, but not extraordinary, it will work against you especially if you placed a lot of emphasis on it.

[Tamago86]

If you think that's bad, my brother put "40 year old virgin" as his favorite movie when applying there..shows he has variety and a sense of humor I guess!

[HtyPotter]

^Isn't it better if it looks like you put more effort into it? *confused* I don't know.. Just wondering 'cause my application is huuge.. I submitted alot of my artwork (in CD format of course), alot of newspaper clippings that I thought were relevant, etc..

Not really. I've spoken to some people here and have sit through orientations by admissions people, and the quick takes section is just a small way for them to get to know you. It's really not that hard to figure out who is being fake and who is being genuine. Basically, what they want to see is what your personality is like and how you can handle a conversation. Basically watercooler stuff. Think of them as a colleague wanting to get to know you. If I were to come up to someone and discuss politics or interests, I'd raise an eyebrow if it takes them hours to figure out what they want to say, and then need props to demonstrate it.
For example, if I was asked what my hobbies are, and I write: "I like to read Russian novels in my spare time while composing music to accompany my poetry," they'll think I'm full of sh*t. It won't impress them at all.

This post has been edited by HtyPotter: 10 January 2006 - 10:11 AM