APPLY vs. SOLICIT

Hello everybody. I hope you are having a good day.

Today we look at the differences between the verbs apply and solicit. They are similar in meaning, yet very different. They are not the same as their Spanish or Catalan equivalents (aplicar/solicitar), so they can be considered "false friends."

Apply means: to request a job officially or to request a place to study at a university.

Example 1
I applied to three different universities and all of them accepted me! Now I have the difficult job of deciding which one I want to attend.

Example 2
I applied for a job with Amazon and it appears they are interested in me; I have my first face-to-face interview this Friday.

Solicit means: to ask for support or money.

Example 3
The president of Iran solicited aid from the United Nations after the devastating earthquake.

Notice that these verbs are similar in some ways; they are used to request something. However, they are not synonyms, and they often cause confusion. Remember that we apply for a job by filling out an application. We DO NOT "solicit" a job or fill out a "solicitude."

Can you come up with your own original sentences for each of these verbs? You can post your sentences on one of our social media sites (Facebook or Twitter) and we will give you feedback about your sentences as soon as possible.

Enjoy the rest of your day!