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Hey everyone,
I just finished my final round of edits for my personal statement. I got edits from one particular professor who I trust very much, and he only listed one change.
I used the word "Cognizant" in my paper. As in, "Cognizant of this fact, I decided to do X."
My professor told me to simplify the word "Cognizant," but I honestly don't think it is a complicated word. Additionally, only 1 other person told me it was too complicated of a word (out of ~16 people who read my PS).
What do y'all think? I could easily just replace "Cognizant of this fact" with "Conscious of this fact."
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41 comments
@leahbeuk911
I'm of the thought that if the LSAT expects us to understand words like "eschew" or "preponderance," then we should expect law school readers to understand words like "cognizant."
But c'est la vie :blush:
Simplicity is key. Keeps the flow going. Also simplicity doesn't have a negative affect on the sophistication of your piece.
@uhinberg359 said:
p.s. I just remembered how awesome your PS was. So maybe I'm biased :)
https://i.imgur.com/C6e6i.gif
@pcainti665 said:
Haha that was my exact thinking. Even if it is not a complex word, the fact that it is causing such a debate on this forum is reason enough to change it.
People will generally debate about anything though, haha. It's a good thing to have healthy debate. You shouldn't, however, use that as a reliable rubric on what to change in your PS. I also don't think the use of a word as common in most people's lexicon as "cognizant" is at all controversial...
Judging from some of the comments above you'd think you were using disestablishmentarianism in your PS or something, lmao.
p.s. I just remembered how awesome your PS was. So maybe I'm biased :)
You could even just use a colon. Sometimes two clauses are so obviously related that there is no need to use an extra word to join them: use a colon.
You'll do well I'm sure. Keep us posted on the good news :)
@acsimon699 Haha that was my exact thinking. Even if it is not a complex word, the fact that it is causing such a debate on this forum is reason enough to change it.
I don't necessarily think the word itself is too big/Small, complex/simple, cuz that's kinda subjective as we can see. But it does seem rather controversial -- just the fact that it's causing a debate. So when we use a word in such a nature, we are kinda inheritantly putthing a bet on the reader (admin officer in this case) a bet on which camp is he/she in? Would they be like: "wt...this kid is trying way too hard" or "mmm, very well use of a word..good job" ya know? So I agree that you've changed it, but not bc it's right or wrong, but bc it's on the safe side. We do wanna impress the reader in our PS, but probably not in a controversial way.
It's not too complex. It's a god damn SAT word.
I think people talking about context and connotation are hitting the nail on the head.
I would personally stay aware from 'conscious' because it has a deeper emotional connotation. Being conscious of something can be associated with insecurity or feeling anxious about something. I think cognizant is more neutral in conveying awareness.
That said, you could also just say of "Aware of X," or "With X in Mind."
I think it totally depends on the full context and how it flows. I don't think the word itself is too pretentious or complex, however.
I am now more cognizant of the word cognizant then I have ever been before.
https://media1.tenor.com/images/84c1cd4874f2990964a48d0345760d03/tenor.gif?itemid=5026737
@uhinberg359, Yes, I agree that it might be on the wordy side. :)
@samanthaashley92715 I'd say that entire part of my personal statement in which "cognizant" is used is much more academic, and it's deliberately so. Nonetheless, I changed the word to "Recognizing" :)
Wow, a whole lot of good comments. I think if the paper as a whole is written "simply" then change it. I personally use the word cognizant when writing and speaking so to me its fine but it depends on how you are using it and the overall tone of the paper.
@figueroa10040 said:
What do you think about this: "due to this fact"? I'd need to see the paragraph to get a better idea.
Never, ever use "due to this fact"! Unnecessarily wordy; "Because of this" is much better.
It seems like a simple, "Knowing this," would suffice. But I also use words like suffice, so what do I know? haha. I like @uhinberg359's point though, that it seems best to default to the simplest word that works. Especially since it is a personal statement and it sounds like the rule of thumb is to make them lean more toward casual than academic. I think either is probably fine though, your voice should just be consistent.
What do you think about this: "due to this fact"? I'd need to see the paragraph to get a better idea.
I agree with @samanthaashley92715. Do some self reflecting and thinking about whether you are coming off genuine in your PS with the word. As long as you are true to yourself and not trying too hard to impress, I think you will be fine.
There are a ton of comments on here, so I'll be brief. The readers can tell when they are reading something in a student's authentic voice. If the rest of your paper is overly academic or casual, it will seem like you are trying to inject some academic words into the page to make it sound more academic.
@pcainti665 It's not a question of big/small. Cognizant is just too stuffy.
There is almost no situation in which "cognizant" is superior to "aware." Using more complicated words than necessary does not reflect well on the writer. There are style guides that give this as an example of overly fancy language that should be avoided.
@jhaldy10325 @ohnoeshalpme804 That's what I'm sayin!
I honestly don't think it's a big word and its placement within my paper flows! Idk. I think the fact that it is causing some debate may be reason enough to change it. Maybe "Recognizing this fact," etc.
I use "cognizant" all the time and have never thought a thing of it. Is it really that big a word? I say if it's the right word then use it.
@pcainti665 said:
@kevinjameslin834 Transitional phrases generally use referential phrasing back to the latest statement. You know, so you don't sound like a robot with disjointed sentences.
Additionally, recall the note I received was "simplify."
The note probably says simplify that particular word to be nice as I said before.
Do you need the referential phrasing? Could you use one of the plentiful transitions in our language that doesn't require referential phrasing? Alternatively if you think it is indispensible, keep the referential phrasing and ditch the word cognizant. Maybe something like, "This fact heavy on my mind..."?
You don't have to connect two thoughts with the exact structure you did the first time you wrote them. There are tons of options.
If you are dead set that your prof definitely was intimidated by the word cognizant and your use of it must be perfectly fluid I'm not going to convince you otherwise so I'll leave. But it seems more plausible that your use of it was awkward.