Using Numbers in Personal Statement

[OneMCATAway]

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i have many different numbers in my PS from age to years and dont know if i should write it out or leave them as numbers!! i have heard many different opinions like if its less than ten write it out, etc, etc.. but does anyone know for sure?!

Also, if i do leave numbers above ten as numbers, can i have a sentence start with a number? any idea?!

Thanks in advance 🙂

 

[nick_carraway]

The traditional rule is if it's less than one hundred, write it out. In practice, most people decide that less than ten needs to be written out.

The rule everyone agrees with is that you should always write out a number when starting a sentence with it.

 

[LizzyM]

The traditional rule is if it's less than one hundred, write it out. In practice, most people decide that less than ten needs to be written out.

The rule everyone agrees with is that you should always write out a number when starting a sentence with it.

In medical lit, numbers less than 10 are spelled out as well as numbers that begin a sentence.

 

[nick_carraway]

Yay! One English rule that remains correct in this crazy world.

 

[witness23]

The traditional rule is if it's less than one hundred, write it out. In practice, most people decide that less than ten needs to be written out.

The rule everyone agrees with is that you should always write out a number when starting a sentence with it.

I learned that if it was less than sixteen

 

[nick_carraway]

I learned that if it was less than sixteen

Then you fail, sir.

Actually now that you mention it, I have the number 25 stuck in my head for some reason. Does it have a significance? 🙁

 

[witness23]

it is a perfect square just like sixteen, and your mom

 

[nick_carraway]

it is a perfect square just like sixteen, and your mom

Ah yes. Perfect squares.

FWIW, OP:

"In nontechnical contexts, the following are spelled out: whole numbers from one through one hundred, round numbers, and any number beginning a sentence. For other numbers, numerals are used."

http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/Numbers/Numbers08.html

EDIT: Y'know, I had no idea the human form was a perfect square until the Body Worlds exhibit and I told my English major GF and she just looked at me like I was a ***** and told me that she knew since she was five. Am I a bad pre-med?

 

[OneMCATAway]

Thanks everyone 🙂

I have a sentence starting with Twenty and a 25 in the middle of another sentence. So I am leaving them that way!!

 

[tallandshort]

On a related note, I was wondering what your thoughts are on using abbreviations in personal statements? Is it ok to abbreviate things such as B.S. for Bachelor of Science degree since that's something every adcom should know? Is it also ok to abbreviate a really long hospital name if you use the name more than once? The first time I used it I gave the abbreviation in parentheses and after that I just used the abbreviation. Like...I volunteered at Hospital Name (HN). I also did blah blah blah at HN. Thanks everyone!

 

[nick_carraway]

On a related note, I was wondering what your thoughts are on using abbreviations in personal statements? Is it ok to abbreviate things such as B.S. for Bachelor of Science degree since that's something every adcom should know? Is it also ok to abbreviate a really long hospital name if you use the name more than once? The first time I used it I gave the abbreviation in parentheses and after that I just used the abbreviation. Like...I volunteered at Hospital Name (HN). I also did blah blah blah at HN. Thanks everyone!

I'm not sure why you'd write B.S. in a personal statement, but I think it's fine as long as it's clear from the context (rather than the other kind of B.S.)

Your hospital example sounds fine.

 

[OneMCATAway]

another question (not about numbers) but when you type in words "--" it will automatically give you a longer solid line but on amcas it shows up as --.

so for example if I say this wasn't this-- but that. is it okay to leave it as --?!

sorry its kinda confusing but does anyone know what im talking about?! thanks =)

 

[akademix]

-

 

[Mattabet]

i have many different numbers in my PS from age to years and dont know if i should write it out or leave them as numbers!! i have heard many different opinions like if its less than ten write it out, etc, etc.. but does anyone know for sure?!

Also, if i do leave numbers above ten as numbers, can i have a sentence start with a number? any idea?!

Thanks in advance 🙂

It depends how you're using them. I'm paraphrasing, in part, from Strunk and White's style guide (remember Charlotte's Web? THAT White).

If it's a number like a date or serial number (January 1, 1990 or Federal Rule of Evidence 403) it should use numerals. If it's just a number (I am thirty-one years old) it should be spelled out if less than a hundred or if it's not awkward to do so (a thousand, but not twelve thousand five hundred three). I would encourage the 'spelling out at the beginning of a sentence' rule as well. So for the most part, in prose like a personal statement, I think you should spell out (scientific writing, with the higher density of numbers, has different rules).

 

[justpremed]

for the numbers, my english teacher in HS had taught me that if you can say it as one word (i.e. twenty and below, and every ten after...thirty, forty, fifty...ninety), then you should write it as a word. if it would require a hyphen or a space when spelled out, you should use numerals

oneMCATaway, i had the same issue when i submitted mine last year. i ended up leaving it as -- and i would say it didn't hurt me too much during the course of the app process 🙂