Mistake in application - but not your typical.

<p>I applied to Duke ED and got rejected, so I applied to WUSTL ED II. Since I used the online common app, I basically copied my Duke app that I had used, completely revised my essays and sent it out. Now the problem:</p>

<p>Even though I checked my app at least twenty times before I sent it out, I had not caught this one HUGE mistake:</p>

<p>I had written “Trinity College of Arts & Sciences” for “Special college or division if applicable.” This is Duke’s arts & sciences college; WUSTL’s does not have a name.</p>

<p>Is this as big as a problem as “blahblabh blah and that is why Duke University is my dream college?”</p>

<p>Would they notice?</p>

<p>Should I contact them right away about the error?</p>

<p>One thing that makes me feel better is that WUSTL has a pre-application data form that all applicants are required to send out, and it’s basically the first page of the common app (where my mistake was) plus a few additional info. This makes me think that they won’t actually look at the first page of my common app and go straight to the second, because it’s pretty meaningless if they already got all the info on the pre-application data sheet.</p>

<p>Thoughts?</p>

<p>Contact the admissions processor assigned to your file and tell him/her to please make the change on your application. Don’t go into explanations about how this name came from Duke, etc. Just say it was an error on your part. I think making the correction is good because it shows that you are both meticulous and considerate of this college individually.
Normally, this kind of thing does turn colleges off, but here it is softened by the fact that you are applying EDII, which is binding, so it is clear that you are now commmiting to the college if accepted.</p>

<p>why dont u say that it was a mistake in your part and you got confused with different college applications online and accidentally forgot to correct a mistake.
ur applyin ED2 so it shows ur interested. contact the college and get it changed, before they find it and stop feeling confident about u.</p>

<p>If WUSTL’s supplement is actually a clone of the first page of the common app, and it’s been filled out, do you think it’s worse the risk of making them find the mistake when it would probably not have been discovered?</p>

<p>Also, is it really wrong in assuming that they will not be reading page 1 of the common application because I already filled it out on their preapplication data sheet?</p>

<p>It’s worth it to clarify it because if you don’t and they find it, it will look sloppy and impersonal. Clarifying a mistake is always preferable to and diffuses the issue much more than just hoping you can get by without being noticed. You can clarify without blowing it all up. I really liked ntek511’s answer. It’s honest and clear while keeping it simple. And again, your EDII status does show you are not using wustl.</p>