Writing sample FREAK OUT

[lj123]

Hi, I'm new here, and I apologize for not going to introduce myself in the intro thread, but I'm freaking out here and would love some advice!

So, I'm applying for 8 schools this round, have turned in half of the applications, and have been taking a few days break before I finish them up...and it just occurred to me that I may have made an awful mistake with my writing sample. I sent in a selection (the analysis part) of my undergraduate thesis, but the formatting was a mess, and I was so concerned about my PS that I didn't think about it. I wasn't a sociology major, so my thesis is formatted in MLA style...and I single-spaced it (long story, but that's what my current--also not sociology--MA program likes). It came out to 25 pages including references and tables but without an abstract.

I can't do anything about the 4 schools I've already applied to, but does anybody have recommendations for the final 4? Should I go through and reformat it in ASA style? Add a title page and abstract back in? Double space it and cut out parts of it so it's not so long?

I can't believe I didn't think about this earlier... Speaking of which, I've been sending in my PS single-spaced, too... Am I completely screwed, or am I worrying over nothing?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Eskobastion]

Do they state on their application page that writing samples must be formatted in ASA style, doube spaced or that they must include a title page?

If not, stop worrying. I am sure that adcoms concentrate on the content of you writing sample, not its format or spacing.

[lj123]

No, good point. One had a page length limit, but that's it. I'm still not sure what to do about the rest of my applications, but thank you for calming me down a bit. I just got it caught in my head that there's a certain accepted way of doing it and that I killed (am killing) my chances by not following it.

[jacib]

Hi, I'm new here, and I apologize for not going to introduce myself in the intro thread, but I'm freaking out here and would love some advice!

So, I'm applying for 8 schools this round, have turned in half of the applications, and have been taking a few days break before I finish them up...and it just occurred to me that I may have made an awful mistake with my writing sample. I sent in a selection (the analysis part) of my undergraduate thesis, but the formatting was a mess, and I was so concerned about my PS that I didn't think about it. I wasn't a sociology major, so my thesis is formatted in MLA style...and I single-spaced it (long story, but that's what my current--also not sociology--MA program likes). It came out to 25 pages including references and tables but without an abstract.

I can't do anything about the 4 schools I've already applied to, but does anybody have recommendations for the final 4? Should I go through and reformat it in ASA style? Add a title page and abstract back in? Double space it and cut out parts of it so it's not so long?

I can't believe I didn't think about this earlier... Speaking of which, I've been sending in my PS single-spaced, too... Am I completely screwed, or am I worrying over nothing?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

My writing sample is a section of my undergraduate thesis, which uses Chicago style citations (the standard in my undergraduate major). Double spaced seemed wise, but what are they gonna do, look at it and say "Oh single spaced, what a d-bag this guy is?" I certainly hope not! Check for clear guidelines... I didn't notice anything for the first set of schools other than page limits, but Yale, for instance, wants two inch margins on top! Northwestern I think wanted something else screwy. But if they don't say, it's cool. I think double spaced is standard, with 1' margins. I put a summary on the first page on the cover page to give it context but it certainly wasn't a formal abstract. I mean, it's a writing sample, not a formatting sample...

[pip]

I did not include an abstract or title page. I also used 1" margins rather than the standard 1 1/4". So it was really quite a loose interpretation of ASA style. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Maya]

I used MLA style too, and I'm not worried about it. I too come from a non-sociology background, and like others on this board have said, unless the application instructions specifically stated that they required APA formatting for writing samples, I don't think it's an issue!

[lj123]

Thanks all. I was having a nice little panic attack that night, but now I've calmed down and am ready to work through the other half of my applications. Best of luck to everyone who hasn't finished yet!