To ADCOM: Have you ever rejected someone’s application off of a few grammatical errors in their primary application?

[KingJaswal]

Hello ADCOM members! I ask this question because I made the unfortunate mistake of looking back into my primary application and notice 3 errors ( one had an extra “me” that shouldn’t have been there and the other two were tense mistakes) and I feel like the cycle is over for me before or even began. Would a few errors put my essay in the “bad writing” category? Any advice or feedback would be appreciated!

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[deleted1139416]

You get one grammatical mistake for every MCAT point above 520. Otherwise your application will burn like Anakin Skywalker.

Seriously though, just chill out. You're fine.

 

[Med Ed]

If the reader likes you app the errors will get overlooked. If the reader does not like your app the errors will be used as confirmation that you are not detail-oriented enough to hold any form of employment, and should therefore become a busker.

 

[KingJaswal]

You get one grammatical mistake for every MCAT point above 520. Otherwise your application will burn like Anakin Skywalker.

Seriously though, just chill out. You're fine.

Thank you for your reply! I really hope that I will be fine but I’ve seen so many SDN and Reddit post about bad writing being the factor that caused people to get rejected. Thats what I am worried about.

 

[KingJaswal]

If the reader likes you app the errors will get overlooked. If the reader does not like your app the errors will be used as confirmation that you are not detail-oriented enough to hold any form of employment, and should therefore become a busker.

Thank you so much for responding! I really really hope the adcom like my application and I dont have to reapply because of the errors.

 

[deleted1139416]

If the reader likes you app the errors will get overlooked. If the reader does not like your app the errors will be used as confirmation that you are not detail-oriented enough to hold any form of employment, and should therefore become a busker.

My HMO network gives me immediate electronic access to all medical notes written by my doctors and pretty much every doctor I've seen has made some error in documentation. One doctor even claimed that I did ecstasy for 6 years and I emailed him and he said "Oh, my bad, I was thinking about another patient".

 

[wysdoc]

Thank you for your reply! I really hope that I will be fine but I’ve seen so many SDN and Reddit post about bad writing being the factor that caused people to get rejected. Thats what I am worried about.

I don't think "bad writing" is the same as "typographical errors". You don't need to worry about these minor mistakes.

 

[KingJaswal]

I don't think "bad writing" is the same as "typographical errors". You don't need to worry about these minor mistakes.

Thank you for responding! I pray that the errors in my activities don’t cost me this cycle.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Unless the program hires and pays retired English teachers who are strict with spelling errors, I think it would be a little concerning (don't we all have spell-check now?) but not disqualifying.

 

[KingJaswal]

I appreciate the response and feedback. It wasn’t a spelling mistake (although it was still a mistake that shouldn’t have happened). I put “became” instead of “become” and “was” instead of “were”. Those were the two grammatical errors. Are these really bad?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I would need to see your sentences. Not all of us are certified with the grammar police.

 

[KingJaswal]

My HMO network gives me immediate electronic access to all medical notes written by my doctors and pretty much every doctor I've seen has made some error in documentation. One doctor even claimed that I did ecstasy for 6 years and I emailed him and he said "Oh, my bad, I was thinking about another patient".

Maybe since the application is supposed to be refined and polished, they consider errors differently than just common documents.

My brain is completely shifted to pessimistic mode and I know the real process doesn’t even start for at least 1-2 months

 

[KnightDoc]

Maybe since the application is supposed to be refined and polished, they consider errors differently than just common documents.

My brain is completely shifted to pessimistic mode and I know the real process doesn’t even start for at least 1-2 months

Please, please, please chill. Your first mistake was submitting before you were absolutely sure it was ready to go. Your second mistake was going back to look at it when you cannot make changes. And now, your third mistake is freaking out.

NOTHING you can do now, and "shifting to pessimistic mode" is not going to help. No one here can promise that no one is going to notice or care, but the odds are very high that is exactly what will happen.

If they otherwise want to bring you in for an interview, a few small mistakes that might not even be noticed are not going to stop them. There are an unlimited number of other things that are more likely to stand between you and an II, given that 80-90% of all applicants at most schools do not receive one.

Once an application is submitted, it is DONE, other than significant updates. This is like baseball -- if you bat .300 on IIs, you will be doing great, so there is no need to stress about each and every one. And be more careful with your secondaries!

 

[KingJaswal]

I am working with an editor for my secondaries now, due to the primary application mistakes because I know I cannot afford to make anymore mistakes from here on out. The uncertainty of how those typos will affect my cycle is the thing that is getting to me.

 

[Goro]

Hello ADCOM members! I ask this question because I made the unfortunate mistake of looking back into my primary application and notice 3 errors ( one had an extra “me” that shouldn’t have been there and the other two were tense mistakes) and I feel like the cycle is over for me before or even began. Would a few errors put my essay in the “bad writing” category? Any advice or feedback would be appreciated!

Just over grammatical errors? No.

Do they play part of a role in a rejection? Yes.

 

[KingJaswal]

Just over grammatical errors? No.

Do they play part of a role in a rejection? Yes.

Thank you for responding, I really do appreciate it! In your experience, would a few grammatical errors cause the adcom to place the applicant in a "bad writing" category?

 

[Goro]

Thank you for responding, I really do appreciate it! In your experience, would a few grammatical errors cause the adcom to place the applicant in a "bad writing" category?

Not in my book.

If you had a few grammatical errors in your app, stop worrying about it. What's done is done and there's no use about worrying about things that you can't change.

 

[KingJaswal]

Understood, thank you for your advice and insight!!!

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Always try to make the first impression a good one. It is harder to improve yourself in an examiners eyes if you have a poor first impression and then improve, vs if you make a good first impression and then make errors. This goes for applications and oral exams too.

 

[KingJaswal]

Always try to make the first impression a good one. It is harder to improve yourself in an examiners eyes if you have a poor first impression and then improve, vs if you make a good first impression and then make errors. This goes for applications and oral exams too.

Yeah definitely, I understand that. Hopefully adcom read my personal statement or meaningful experiences first and then go into the W/A descriptions haha

Now I’m just making sure these secondaries are perfect and hopefully that can show that im not unprofessional or lazy with my writing.

 

[KingJaswal]

Dont mean to bump this back after so long but i know future premeds like me will be looking thru the past threads for hope lol.

UPDATE: Its January of my application cycle and I have received 6 IIs and already got 2As and waiting to hear about from the others so there is hope future sloppy, non proofreading applicants.

 

[a_distant_dream]

Personally, I think having a few typos is humanizing (especially post-ChatGPT).

 

[gyngyn]

Personally, I think having a few typos is humanizing (especially post-ChatGPT).

They will probably add a feature that uses small grammatical errors soon.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

They will probably add a feature that uses small grammatical errors soon.

You can ask it to misspell a few words.

I will say that some faculty are much more critical of sloppiness (given the existence of spell checking in the document), but holistic review focuses on you and your story. Who knows if the schools that didn't take you beyond screening did this, but I'm glad you found schools that didn't take this so seriously.

 

[KingJaswal]

You can ask it to misspell a few words.

I will say that some faculty are much more critical of sloppiness (given the existence of spell checking in the document), but holistic review focuses on you and your story. Who knows if the schools that didn't take you beyond screening did this, but I'm glad you found schools that didn't take this so seriously.

Definitely a thought that crossed by mind but I’m honestly eternally grateful to have any success in this cycle.