Dashes in personal statement

[Decicco]

In Microsoft Word, I put two dashes in a row ("--") and it becomes one large dash. However, when I paste this into AMCAS, it appears as "--".

So, which is correct:
This: "This leads me to my favorite extracurricular activity-belching."

or

this: "This leads me to my favorite extracurricular activity--belching."

Thank you!

---

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[mk8]

2 dashes is correct, but one dash is preferred by those individuals trying to squeeze a PS in under 5300 characters. "_-_" could also work but who has space for THREE characters, when two would do.

I don't think any adcom is going to punish you for it, but go for 2 if you have room. Plus it has more of a comedic pause before "belching", looks like that's what you're going for.

 

[Decicco]

I don't think any adcom is going to punish you for it, but go for 2 if you have room. Plus it has more of a comedic pause before "belching", looks like that's what you're going for.

Thanks. But, this is just an example from my head, lol.

 

[8744]

in Microsoft Word, I Put Two Dashes In A Row ("--") And It Becomes One Large Dash. However, When I Paste This Into Amcas, It Appears As "--".

So, Which Is Correct:
This: "this Leads Me To My Favorite Extracurricular Activity-belching."

Or

This: "this Leads Me To My Favorite Extracurricular Activity--belching."

Thank You!

" : "

 

[Lacheln]

In Microsoft Word, I put two dashes in a row ("--") and it becomes one large dash. However, when I paste this into AMCAS, it appears as "--".

So, which is correct:
This: "This leads me to my favorite extracurricular activity-belching."

or

this: "This leads me to my favorite extracurricular activity--belching."

Thank you!

Like pandabear said, use a colon. Dashes are the informal version of a colon.

 

[Decicco]

Like pandabear said, use a colon. Dashes are the informal version of a colon.

Good idea. But, consider this example:

In terms of public legitimation--that is, in terms of garnering support from state legislators, parents, donors, and university administrators--English departments are primarily places where advanced literacy is taught.

Even some single dashes can't be replaced by colons. Example:

Sometimes I would eat half a pizza, other times I would eat the whole thing--it all depended on how hungry I was.

Are dashes ok in cases like this where colons won't work? Maybe I should just reorganize the sentence so it doesn't need a dash?

 

[deleted158872]

5000 characters limit.
Does it include spaces, too ??

 

[Depakote]

5000 characters limit.
Does it include spaces, too ??

5300 characters, including spaces.

 

[Nevadanteater]

Dashes are not informal colons.

They're totally different things.

Dashes are just fine in a PS as long as you're using them properly.

Use a colon in the OP's statement.

Use a dash in your example.

Also, to the OP, use a space on either side of your dashes when you are using them like that. unless you are making a compound word that isn't traditionally a single word.

Also, buy a copy of:

 

[pianola]

Probably one is just fine. You can use two if you're feeling fiesty.

(i.e. I have no idea and there might not be rules about it)

 

[jebus]

Also, buy a copy of:

A: Dashes are awesome. I littered my PS with dashes.
B: Buying this book is an awesome idea.
C: Also buy this book:

D: It burns when I pee - can't something be done about it?

 

[Nevadanteater]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yes, something can be done.

Just buy this book:

 

[Decicco]

I recently found this:

Use an em dash sparingly in formal writing. Don't use it just because you are uncertain about correct punctuation. In informal writing, em dashes may replace commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses to indicate added emphasis, an interruption, or an abrupt change of thought.
...
While there are many more possible uses of the em dash, by not providing additional rules, I am hoping to curb your temptation to employ this convenient but overused punctuation mark.

From http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/dashes.asp

After reading this, I removed my dashes and noticed that it had no negative effect on my essay

 

[Lacheln]

Dashes are not informal colons.

Yes, they are. They are also used in other ways, but in the OP's original example the dash was being used as an informal colon. It isn't that there is no place for a dash in a PS, I would just venture that that place is limited to marking an interruption, as in the next poster's example.

From the masters themselves:

"The colon has more effect than the comma, less power to separate than the semicolon, and more formality than the dash."

"Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary. A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parenthesis."

"Use a dash only when a more common mark of punctuation seems inadequate."

Mmmmmmm, anality. 😀

 

[Asp]

you should write dashes as " -- "
more sophisticated

to really save space, use only a single space between sentences

and I agree that the colon is more appropriate for the OP

 

[harposnarpo]

Dashes = Parenthesis = Commas.

 

[thoffen]

The PS hierarchy is something like this:

interesting
readable
relevant content
consise
....
....
grammatically perfect


Don't worry about these little details. Remember that the people who read your PS are sifting through thousands of applications -- all with similar content. They're not going to put yours on the top of the pile because you know how to use dashes correctly. They're going to choose the one that grabs their interest without putting in a lot of effort to parse structure.

 

[chad5871]

I personally love dashes - they are my favorite punctuation marks. However, I used them for five phrases in my PS and several readers commented that I overused them. I personally prefer using em dashes ("--" with no space between or on either side--so it would look like this) for emphasis. Usually, most of what you'll be setting apart by em dashes is supplemental and could be cut if you need the characters. I ended up deleting two of my phrases, setting one apart in parentheses, and using a colon for the other, leaving me with just a single em dash phrase. In general I think it's a good idea in an essay this short to not overuse a single punctuation mark - mix it up and make it interesting for the reader.