i really blew it this time.... please advise!

[brownemily22]

i submitted my amcas application last night and afterwards i realized that i forgot to add any paragraph breaks in my personal statement. i had them in the original document but they got lost in the transfer and i guess i missed it on my proofread.

what do i do?!?!?! this significantly weakens my essay and amcas will not let me change it ( i already called and begged in vain).

any suggestions or similar stories?????

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[CyclinE]

no worries - it happens to everyone. There is absolutely NOTHING you can do about it, cause amcas program cuts out any try to put a break in. spaces, tabs, indents...all gets removed.

 

[Tweetie_bird]

don't worry about it so much!! Formatting should be the last of your concerns. Last year was the first time they sent online, and there were TONS of students whose essays looked like one big block. Yet, they got multiple acceptances.

it will be tough to read, but don't forget that ad coms are probably like machines....they have read so many by now (already!) that the only reason your essay will stand out is because of how GOOD it is.....not because of some formatting issues.

Take it easy, girl!
Tweetie

 

[rosa]

I did the same thing...

I figure that a million other pple have done it too and that something so trivial as this would not affect the admissions process. Besides...I think the adcoms have access to the online version of the amcas...am i wrong on this??

 

[nero]

i put the spaces and made new paragraphs and everythign, and still when i went to print app it made it into one big block.........i doubt that is going to affect anything..

 

[Random Access]

Online, paragraphs breaks stop meaning anything. Everything runs together anyway. And committees read millions of essays. They care about content, not about spacing.


-RA

 

[brownemily22]

thanks for the support everyone. i feel much better...
you know, i am usually the most laid back, mellow person. i never ever would get nervous for tests or finals. nothing. but this process has me acting like a strung-out, neurotic mess.
well, it's good to know that i can respond to pressure well...

 

[Doctora Foxy]

I didn't read the other replies, but don't worry! Same thing happened to me and lots of other people last year. I still got interviews and got into med school with one big paragraph for my personal statement. Also, I applied Oct 3rd, so you're still early compared to me!

Originally posted by brownemily22
i submitted my amcas application last night and afterwards i realized that i forgot to add any paragraph breaks in my personal statement. i had them in the original document but they got lost in the transfer and i guess i missed it on my proofread.

what do i do?!?!?! this significantly weakens my essay and amcas will not let me change it ( i already called and begged in vain).

any suggestions or similar stories?????

 

[DW]

i'll just throw another "dont worry" comment. my ps turned into one big blob this june, and i have three interviews already. it works itself out when the med schools get your amcas apparently, so you'll be fine

 

[MyEyesMesmerize]

Why does everyones statement turn out that way? I made spacings in my personal statement and when you print it out it shows 5 nice block paragraphs. All i did was hit enter twice after each paragraph. It only affects you in that it counts as characters used. Regardless, many applicants had the whole one block statement and got in so u'r fine.

 

[CaNEM]

If you want them to have the edited version of your statement, include a copy of it when you mail in your secondaries, perhaps with a little note saying that you're attaching an "updated" version.