I tell students all the time that spelling and grammar are the most important things when sending a prospectus, draft paper, or application. When faculty see typos or poor grammar, it is hard to see past those errors into the content of the document.
As students start to send their applications to be a part of the new research, it is soooooooooo important that they do spell check and grammar check, and follow directions. In the virtual world, the first impression that one makes is through writing. Certainly, one wouldn't go into a job interview with dirty jeans, shoes untied, or dirty face. I think that grammar, spelling and following directions are correlates, in the virtual world with how one presents themselves in the real world.
Don't misunderstand me, I am not angry or frustrated..... actually, I am sad that some folks may not be chosen due to their lack of attention to detail. I know that many professors will look at a student's prospectus and see errors in grammar or APA format, and not take on the dissertation committee due to this. Basically, everyone loses.
I wish there was a way, in the virtual world, not to have grammar and spelling be the first impression... but it seems that it is.
I agree completely with Dr. Giles. When we (online faculty) only have so much to go by with regard to information about/from students, grammatical and spelling errors along with typos automatically detract. This can be true even if beyond these surface items, the student brings considerable substance to the equation.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking from a social psychological point of view, there is much data within the field of *impression management* to note how important such presentations are. We form impressions online, no doubt!