intlrlns Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I've just submitted my applications to WWS, HKS and SIPA. Looked back at my SOPs and found a typo in all the applications!! I missed deleting 'the' in one of my sentences and never noticed it when proofreading! Neither did the others who looked at my essays..I'm hoping that this mistake will go unnoticed but I've already given up on my chances at these places Any words of wisdom on terrible this looks in an application? Definitely going to be careful for the rest but my mind is a little uneasy now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridofme Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I'm just going to give you a little emotional support here, seeing as you appear to have created a gradcafe account just to get some feedback on this typo! I totally get that anxiety levels are high as the wait drags on. I certainly have been doing some crazy obsessing. But I think your concerns that you won't get in anywhere are unfounded. We avoid typos to demonstrate that we are conscientious and diligent, and have a firm grasp on the technical aspects of the English language. I don't think accidentally deleting the word 'the' suggests that you lack these qualities. It shows that you are human, and that one tiny error slipped by in the editing process. I'm going to wager that even the greatest world leaders of our time have, on occasion, deleted or added a word in something they've written. If any school based its admissions decision on such a small, obviously inadvertent error, that would be shameful. Long story short: you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waltlaa9 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I second ridofme's response. Also, as an anecdote, when I applied to my first professional position I realized after submitting my application that I had the wrong date on my cover letter -- a completely random month and the previous year -- because I had edited and revised an old cover letter saved on my computer. I agonized over that mistake, but then still got the job due to the substance and quality of my overall application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alf10087 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I'm just wondering how did you "just submit" your application to HKS when the deadline was like November 30th. MPPgal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPPgal Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Don´t worry especially if you are an international, on my first personal statement (SPEA at IU) I had a typo and I already got accepted so you should be fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumbleBee Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Believe when I say the admissions people can see beyond one typo... Given how neurotic you are about this, you sound perfect for all the school's you've applied to. nickel and ZacharyObama 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intlrlns Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 I am a little neurotic, unfortunately. I guess it comes from really wanting to get in....I've been careful about proof reading since then and because I did my undergrad+job in the US there are no excuses to count as international Thanks for your all your thoughts and comments. I discovered this forum a bit too late... I'm just wondering how did you "just submit" your application to HKS when the deadline was like November 30th. I actually noticed the typo when sending out my SIPA application (due later) which used some material from the other SOPs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alf10087 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Exactly the same happened to me. I noticed I was using a wrong word like in the 6th application. Fortunately, the word was used only on the statements of two of the previous ones. So basically in my 6 applications, 2 of them have a typo. I was very angry, as I spent like exactly one week proofreading every statement and application in order for everything to be perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete-mc Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Applying: Princeton WWS, Duke Sanford, JHU SAIS, Tufts Fletcher, Georgetown MSFS, GWU Elliot May I ask why you didn't apply to HKS? (waltlaa9) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete-mc Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Exactly the same happened to me. I noticed I was using a wrong word like in the 6th application. Fortunately, the word was used only on the statements of two of the previous ones. So basically in my 6 applications, 2 of them have a typo. I was very angry, as I spent like exactly one week proofreading every statement and application in order for everything to be perfect. Alf, congrats on getting in at GPPI. Which other schools are you waiting for now? I know you also applied to HKS like me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alf10087 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Thank you John. I am still waiting from LBJ, Wagner, SIPA, HKS and Goldman. In Wagner I was one of the 7 semi-finalists for a fellowship, and I did not advance to the next phase (only 3 were chosen). However, they informed that the total pool of applicants for that fellowship was of over 250 applicants, so that probably means I am a competitive candidate. Therefore, my confidence of at least getting an admit there is strong. Interestingly, I always felt that my applications to GPPI and Wagner were the weakest. I hope that's a good omen. How about you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giddens Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I'm not from your discipline and have only heard back from 2 schools, but they were both fully funded acceptances and I had typos (small ones..one was actually an extra the) on both applications. I'm sure if everything else is strong, you'll be fine with a minor error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete-mc Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Thank you John. I am still waiting from LBJ, Wagner, SIPA, HKS and Goldman. In Wagner I was one of the 7 semi-finalists for a fellowship, and I did not advance to the next phase (only 3 were chosen). However, they informed that the total pool of applicants for that fellowship was of over 250 applicants, so that probably means I am a competitive candidate. Therefore, my confidence of at least getting an admit there is strong. Interestingly, I always felt that my applications to GPPI and Wagner were the weakest. I hope that's a good omen. How about you? For your info, I saw someone who got in at Wagner (deadhead47). Maybe you can follow up with him: I'm also still waiting to hear from HKS. I withdrew my other applications as I realized HKS is the only school I want to attend (I'm mid-career, so it's a bit different as I'm already more settled). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whats_the_point Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 I'm a little late to this discussion, but I have some experience with this. I applied for an MPA program this year (I already have an MSc from the LSE) and when I was looking through my old SOPs, I noticed that I had misspelled a word on the SOP I sent to the LSE. So as others have pointed out, a typo in it of itself probably won't affect the outcome of the application, if the rest of the application is strong, you're probably okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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