When processing your college application, it is absolutely critical that you proofread every part of your application and make sure everything is in order.
After doing so, have someone else read it. A new set of eyes will catch mistakes that you didn’t. This may be basic common sense, but it is also the downfall of many applications.
Many schools accept the Common Application, which makes the whole process easier for students. But this leads to a common and embarrassing error: listing the wrong school. If you’re writing one essay and plugging it into different applications for different schools, you’ll want to make sure that you’re changing the name of the school each time. Admissions counselors are thoroughly unimpressed when they read the wrong school name somewhere in your application. It sends a signal that this school isn’t your top priority, or just that you rushed the process and aren’t a detail-oriented student. It is a bad sign either way.