Worst Essay Mistakes Post Submission

[sam500]

Upon submitting an essay describing an experience that shaped me, my first paragraph discussing teamwork highlighted a leader's "incite" rather than "insight".... WHOOPS!

Anyone else, have "DOH!!" moments after submitting?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[phnerd1105]

inb4massamountsofinducedpre-medparanoia

 

[music2doc]

Wasn't in my essay, but in my attempt to very briefly describe a research experience, I put "PI" in without thinking. My advisor, with whom I cosigned everything during the project (the grant proposal, the IRB proposal, etc.), was okay with it and basically said "it won't be an issue; don't worry about it," but I expect that will get me a lot more flack than your little misspelling will get you!

Honestly, though, everyone is bound to make mistakes in their app no matter how often they check and recheck it. Heck, the AMCAS software creates errors -- I had it keep cutting off my punctuation in the experiences even though it was several characters shorter than the limit. I finally just let it go with endings such as ) instead of ). Honestly, unless some adcom is ridiculously meticulous, they are HIGHLY unlikely to even notice the difference.

For your incite vs insight, well...funny, but I wouldn't worry about it!

 

[Soulstice]

Wasn't in my essay, but in my attempt to very briefly describe a research experience, I put "PI" in without thinking. My advisor, with whom I cosigned everything during the project (the grant proposal, the IRB proposal, etc.), was okay with it and basically said "it won't be an issue; don't worry about it," but I expect that will get me a lot more flack than your little misspelling will get you!

Honestly, though, everyone is bound to make mistakes in their app no matter how often they check and recheck it. Heck, the AMCAS software creates errors -- I had it keep cutting off my punctuation in the experiences even though it was several characters shorter than the limit. I finally just let it go with endings such as ) instead of ). Honestly, unless some adcom is ridiculously meticulous, they are HIGHLY unlikely to even notice the difference.

For your incite vs insight, well...funny, but I wouldn't worry about it!

What's wrong with writing PI? Isn't that the accepted way to refer to the head of a lab?

 

[StoicJosher]

What's wrong with writing PI? Isn't that the accepted way to refer to the head of a lab?

He probably said he was the PI even though he wasn't.

 

[Tin Man]

Nope. Mine was perfect.

 

[minerva3121]

I can't imagine any mistake being as bad as this:

Instead of "biological organisms," a university job candidate wrote "biological orgasms."—from Berit Brogaard, associate professor of philosophy and psychology at the University of Missouri, Saint Louis.

(This example wasn't from an actual AMCAS essay but still funny) http://humboldt.edu/career/tips/736/

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I can't imagine any mistake being as bad as this:

Instead of “biological organisms,” a university job candidate wrote “biological orgasms.”—from Berit Brogaard, associate professor of philosophy and psychology at the University of Missouri, Saint Louis.

(This example wasn't from an actual AMCAS essay but still funny) http://humboldt.edu/career/tips/736/

Lol Freudian slip.

I refuse to look at my essay now that I've submitted. Why drive myself crazy over something I can't change?

 

[mauberley]

Lol Freudian slip.

I refuse to look at my essay now that I've submitted. Why drive myself crazy over something I can't change?

Because come interview time you should be familiar with the BS you spouted?

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Because come interview time you should be familiar with the BS you spouted?

I plan to spout completely original BS in my interviews thank you.

 

[music2doc]

He probably said he was the PI even though he wasn't.

Basically. I performed many of the traditional PI functions (came up with the initial question; designed the experiments; wrote the grant, IRB & project proposals as well as the paper & presentations; directed the team; etc.) on the project so in trying to abbreviate to fit in the space available, I used "PI" specifically for that project (but listed myself as a "Research Assistant" elsewhere in the same lab). Was going to go with "Lead RA" or similar but it wouldn't fit. I didn't really think it'd be much of an issue until after I submitted when a couple of people on SDN reacted toward it. All of the admissions people I've talked with, though, have basically said, "Meh... N.B.D., but be ready for someone to throw their toughest questions your way because of that."

 

[docbrill]

I misspelled the name of my first choice in state school in my Personal statement AND in the description for one of my experiences!!! Generally, I am a very good writer and speller, but for some reason I thougth the school's name contains an extra letter. I don't know if I should even submit a secondary application. I am pretty sure this destroyed my chances

 

[music2doc]

I misspelled the name of my first choice in state school in my Personal statement AND in the description for one of my experiences!!! Generally, I am a very good writer and speller, but for some reason I thougth the school's name contains an extra letter. I don't know if I should even submit a secondary application. I am pretty sure this destroyed my chances

Why would you mention a school in your PS? In an experience (if you did your research there, for instance) then sure, but saying "I want to become a doctor...and the school where I want to go is XYZ University" probably isn't going to go over so well. At least it wouldn't around here.

 

[iniquus]

I misspelled the name of my first choice in state school in my Personal statement AND in the description for one of my experiences!!! Generally, I am a very good writer and speller, but for some reason I thougth the school's name contains an extra letter. I don't know if I should even submit a secondary application. I am pretty sure this destroyed my chances

I hope you didn't explicitly state it was your first choice in the personal statement/experiences. I don't think that would bode well with applications to other schools.

 

[Flamen04]

I misspelled the name of my first choice in state school in my Personal statement AND in the description for one of my experiences!!! Generally, I am a very good writer and speller, but for some reason I thougth the school's name contains an extra letter. I don't know if I should even submit a secondary application. I am pretty sure this destroyed my chances

Hopefully, you didn't mention that you wanted to get in your first choice in state school in your PS. That's shooting yourself in the foot if you're applying to other schools lol

 

[iniquus]

Hopefully, you didn't mention that you wanted to get in your first choice in state school in your PS. That's shooting yourself in the foot if you're applying to other schools lol

Yeah, pretty sure he meant just the name of the school as a place he did one of his extracurricular activities.

It could be worse--he could have written about why he wants to be a dentist and his first choice dental school.

 

[docbrill]

Yeah, pretty sure he meant just the name of the school as a place he did one of his extracurricular activities.

It could be worse--he could have written about why he wants to be a dentist and his first choice dental school.

You are right, I just mentioned the school because of an extracurricular *activity I did there. But thanks for the encouragement, I guess it could have been worse

 

[docbrill]

And no, I didn't talk about school preferences or any schools for that matter. I "only" misspelled the school's name. Other than this, I have been told my PS is pretty good. But I don't think this would matter to the school. Oh well...nothing I can do about it now.

 

[mauberley]

I misspelled the name of my first choice in state school in my Personal statement AND in the description for one of my experiences!!! Generally, I am a very good writer and speller, but for some reason I thougth the school's name contains an extra letter. I don't know if I should even submit a secondary application. I am pretty sure this destroyed my chances

At this rate, you probably won't even get into Vassar.

 

[flatearth22]

So I accidentally copied and pasted my PS for law school instead of med school (I'm applying to both this cycle just in case) and submitted it on AMCAS. My law school PS mentioned my desire to pursue malpractice law and protect patients and the public at large by keeping ineffective doctors out of the hospital and clinic. I only realized I had copied and pasted the wrong PS when I was going over my AMCAS PDF a few days later....doh!

Hopefully some schools will overlook my PS and give me an interview and acceptance

 

[StoicJosher]

So I accidentally copied and pasted my PS for law school instead of med school (I'm applying to both this cycle just in case) and submitted it on AMCAS. My law school PS mentioned my desire to pursue malpractice law and protect patients and the public at large by keeping ineffective doctors out of the hospital and clinic. I only realized I had copied and pasted the wrong PS when I was going over my AMCAS PDF a few days later....doh!

Hopefully some schools will overlook my PS and give me an interview and acceptance

Is this the extreme form of out-there sarcasm you were talking about in some other thread?

 

[docbrill]

.

 

[minerva3121]

So I accidentally copied and pasted my PS for law school instead of med school (I'm applying to both this cycle just in case) and submitted it on AMCAS. My law school PS mentioned my desire to pursue malpractice law and protect patients and the public at large by keeping ineffective doctors out of the hospital and clinic. I only realized I had copied and pasted the wrong PS when I was going over my AMCAS PDF a few days later....doh!

Hopefully some schools will overlook my PS and give me an interview and acceptance

Is this the extreme form of out-there sarcasm you were talking about in some other thread?

No, he is recycling an old story from another poster:

I accidently submitted my AMCAS application with a personal statement taken from my applications to law schools, about how i would make a great attorney, and about my future goal of entering the field of legality and malpractice as it pertains to healthcare...somehow they didnt catch it and ill be entering Johns Hopkins (MS1) in the fall.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=741640#post741640