There is a classic line in the Navy, which, forgive me, has a salty element:
ATFQ.
Answer the ___ question.
Not only write, but re-write multiple times, check for redundancy, errors not catchable by Word tools. Read it aloud for tone. Ask a parent or English teacher to read it, for a fresh set of eyes. Are fancy words chosen when a clearer, shorter word would do?
The biggest check of all, though, is reading the original question/prompt slowly and thoroughly, and checking the draft answer for:
- Did I answer every element of the question correctly and thoroughly?
- Did I assume or misunderstand any part of the question?
- Did I organize my draft so answers to the question flowed in a readable, logical manner?
- Did I miss anything?
When I was in graduate school in the Navy, taking a lot of essay exams, I would write ATFQ on a piece of scratch paper and do a quick bulleted outline of the major points I needed to hit to fully answer the Q. Kept me centered on the task at hand. One time I forgot to scratch out the ATFQ I had written lightly in the margin of my answer sheets, and the prof got a real kick out of it. He was a Harvard Business School prof on sabbatical teaching at the Naval Postgraduate School, and he commented he appreciated the organization of my answers, kept saying “ATFQ” and laughing.
The OP’s DD can’t do anything about this now, so it will have to be a valuable lesson for the future, though there may be some mitigation through the BGO-related suggestions in other posts. Her error will serve as a good guide for others who have not yet submitted arguably the one piece of the application that is most reflective of the individual applicant.