<p>I just sent a letter off to an Ivy League college in which I talked about what I’d done since I applied. Well, I was in a rush and made some last minute edits, and spelled independent “independant”. It was late in the letter. Would this hurt my chances? I’m counting on them to skip most of the letter and not notice.</p>
<p>You’ll be okay. Some of the people reading it may not even notice, since the word still “sounds” correct with the a. Often, when we are reading fast, we substitute the correct letter for the incorrect one, which may happen in your case as well.</p>