There is no excuse for careless errors, and having even one on your application can affect the way you are perceived by admissions officers. You have more than enough time to proofread and have others look over your essay. If an error slips through, your readers may assume that you are careless, disorganized, or not serious enough about your application.

Remember that the spell check feature of your word processing program does not catch all possible errors. In addition to typographical errors such as repeated words, the essay may contain mistakes in meaning that can come even in the form of a grammatically correct sentence.

Let these humorous but unfortunate examples be a lesson to read your essay carefully for unintended meanings and meaningless sentences:

• It was like getting admitted to an Ivory League school.

• Berkeley has a reputation of breeding nationalists and communists.

• I’d like to attend a college where I can expose myself to many diverse people.

• I was totally free except for the rules.

• In a word, the experience taught me the importance of dedication, friendship, and goals.

• I have an extensive knowledge of the value of intelligence.

• I envy people with a lot of time in their hands.