Applying for college can prove exciting for most students. However, writing and proofreading your college application can become a challenge. What should you leave out? How grammatically perfect should it be? What should you include? Well, most students can write their college application letters, though very few will have the technical nous to proofread their pieces effectively. It mainly occurs because students apply for their college late and, thus, always rush to complete and beat the college’s submission deadlines.
How can you effectively proofread your application to your favorite college? College application typically involves more than the application letter, as you have to write an essay. Editing and proofreading these items can determine how successful your application efforts will become. Since mistakes happen, you have to limit them in your application to ensure a better chance of getting that college acceptance.
So how can you go about proofreading your college application to make it as error-free and effective as possible?
Tips on Proofreading College Applications
- Avoid trusting spellcheck. It becomes crucial to avoid wholly trusting tools such as grammar check and spellcheck. Yes, try and become attentive to the green and red squiggly lines but understand that the tools will not capture every error. Additionally, such tools also make mistakes, and it becomes your prerogative to ensure that your application proves error-free as possible.
- Take some time out before you begin editing the application. Try and avoid editing your college application right after you finish writing the essay or filling the form. It will help you have a fresh perspective when editing and proofreading it to capture the missed errors.
- Ensure you have set the platform appropriately. It becomes essential to ensure the correct environment and mindset for editing before you embark on the editing and proofreading. Try and set time for some editing work in a quiet spot, whether you have to review a print or softcopy version.
- Read every question carefully. Most people read essay prompts and college application questions once. However, such an approach can lead to you missing out on addressing borne of contention in the question getting asked. Therefore, reread each question to ensure thorough comprehension before responding.
- Watch out for typical grammar mistakes. Plenty of individuals use words such as their/they’re/there wrongly. Try and use a method such as a cheat sheet for typical grammar mistakes to ensure every word used fits into the context upon which it gets used.
- Change your reading routine. It becomes essential to switch things a bit and try either of the following tips to proofread your documents. Try and read slowly regardless of how weird it feels. Also, read aloud to ensure that you capture mistakes and correct them appropriately. Read backward to let your brain see words in a different light. However, remember that this technique cannot apply to editing content flow, though it can become pivotal in spotting oddities and missing punctuations.
- Review your college application countless times. It will help you check for various things every time. For instance, you can check the content in your initial review and maybe grammar mistakes in your second review.
- Try and obtain a second outlook on the application. It becomes critical to get someone else to read and edit your college application regardless of your prowess in English. Other people will not only spot missed mistakes but also provide a general critique of the application. It will help you edit and make it better.
Conclusion
Proofreading can become a simple and effective process for your college application if you endeavor to consider the guidelines provided. Good luck with your college application!