<p>Caltech and Harvard asked for the research paper.</p>
<p>Does this refer to the full research paper with diagrams, equations etc(which is generally pretty large in the no. of pages)??</p>
<p>When I applied, I asked my research mentor to write a supplementary app, which basically I sent to all of my match/reach schools. For a select few schools (Caltech, Harvard, and MIT), I sent my entire research paper (approx 28 pages).</p>
<p>For other reach schools that did not expressly prohibit sending extra material, I sent my abstract in place of the formal research paper.</p>
<p>Of course, I have no clue whether it helped or not, but I was WL’ed at HY, D and rejected by P, and got into MSC. </p>
<p>The primary motivation for this was that I didn’t make semis for Westinghouse and STS, but I wanted to demonstrate that I still did a fair amount of research and wanted the schools to judge for themselves.</p>
<p>Siemens and Intel have their own limits for research papers (20 pages). This includes all graphs, diagrams, biblio, etc.</p>
<p>No I meant, did your son send the FULL research paper to Caltech, Harvard??</p>
<p>what about submitting a PowerPoint presentation to prospective colleges showcasing the research project? or maybe not the actual powerpoint but a printout of the slides or something like that? i feel like that makes it easier to understand cuz papers can get too jargony.</p>
<p>I feel any research(well real research that is …) is much of jargon to the adcoms. They will refer to the profs anyhow.</p>
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<p>I’ve heard your story before. If you read the last line of my post you’d realize that what I said does not apply to your son.</p>
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<p>Yup, so for Siemens and Intel I sent in a shortened form of my paper that was under 20 pages. I still like my full 28-paged version though…</p>
<p>I’m in graduate school and when I was going through the admissions process, it was very common for students to contact professors – much more common than for undergrads. As a matter of fact, it’s often said that if you didn’t contact a potential mentor in science grad programs, you had a smaller chance of getting in. While that’s not the case at the undergrad level, it is certainly the case that a lot fewer undergrads are thinking to contact professors. However, if your kid is planning to do it, I would suggest that they did it more for the practice and the chance that they may be able to work with a great professor rather than admissions. Although they usually make graduate school admissions, professors typically have very little to do with undergrad admissions and they’re unlikely to go out of their way to help a high school student get into undergrad (because a BS is not a research degree, and beginning undergrad students are not going to be devoting 20+ hours a week to their research and do have the skills required to help them with their work in most cases. Teaching undergrads to do research is often viewed as more of a burden than a help, although a lot of professors do enjoy it.)</p>
<p>If you still want to write a professor, remember that they are busy people. Doing so in the fall semester is a bad idea because that’s when they are getting hundreds of contacts from potential graduate students, preparing for their fall conferences, writing new grants, etc. A letter from an undergrad may be immediately tossed out. The best time to contact them is in the early summer, after they’ve admitted their new grad students and already dealt with that stuff, and the spring conferences are over, but they haven’t yet left for summer conferences. I would say end of May/beginning of June is probably the best time.</p>
<p>Also, it is best not to ask them general questions or just write to introduce yourself. That is frowned upon and they really don’t know anything about admissions. Really, it’s best to read some of their research papers (sometimes their websites have them; other times you can search for them on Google Scholar) and/or other writings. Have your kid come poised with an intelligent, non-general, genuine question or questions to ask about the research or what projects said professor is planning to work on in the future. Professors like talking about their research, a lot!</p>
<p>Also remember that undergrads in labs are usually juniors and seniors, and at large/prestigious research universities there may be no room for an undergrad in the first year. (I don’t think my lab has any first-year students, or even second-years for that matter.) Make it clear that you don’t expect to be paid for your research assistantship, you just want to learn. In the future when you become a junior or senior (maybe a sophomore, even) they may include you on a new grant or something.</p>
<p>It is absolutely excellent to start getting research experience now as a freshman, because it is the single most important factor for getting into graduate school and is looked upon favorably at all entry-level jobs and professional schools as well. If you know how to do research, you know how to think critically, and you know how to persist at something even if you don’t immediately get results. Even if your kid doesn’t secure a position right off the bat, encourage him or her to get involved later on.</p>
<p>Also, I am curious about how one of the posters mentioned that his/her “younger S has done extensive research independently, so would not have the opportunity for an additional recommendation from a mentor.” Considering that even beginning assistant professors generally have a mentor, and definitely graduate students and undergrads – I wrote an independent senior thesis my final year of college, but I still had to have a mentor – I’m curious to know what kind of research your son is doing without a mentor.</p>
<p>Did you just write that down??? OMG Thanks!!!</p>
<p>Julliet said:“Also, I am curious about how one of the posters mentioned that his/her “younger S has done extensive research independently, so would not have the opportunity for an additional recommendation from a mentor.” Considering that even beginning assistant professors generally have a mentor, and definitely graduate students and undergrads – I wrote an independent senior thesis my final year of college, but I still had to have a mentor – I’m curious to know what kind of research your son is doing without a mentor.”</p>
<p>Julliet: Thank you for your informative post. My younger S research involves mathematics, epidemiology and computer programming. He has developed a novel mathematical model for use in his area of interest. He has had no guidance whatsoever and just proceeds at his own pace in his “spare time” and continues to improve and expand his work. Not being a lab-based research project has helped enormously. His high school has no program for scientific research and the school district could not even muster a regional science fair this year. Thankfully he went to ISEF last year. But he does get enthusiastic encouragement from some of his teachers who are very proud of him and in a very humble manner cringe when named as his sponsor for competitions.</p>
<p>Piccolojr: I’m sorry you did not meet my younger S at ISEF. He is in your .1%. He was told by a judge that almost all of the projects at ISEF (and State) are “university driven”. And he has run into rejection from shallow minds who require the university stamp to believe in his work without independently reviewing it. But that has been countered by others (at ISEF and other competitions) who have recognized his work as a novel idea, scientifically sound and an advancement in the field.</p>
<p>How does one find a mentor exactly?</p>
<p>^it can be very difficult to get a lab position at a prestigious research university but you shouldn’t have trouble at some lower tier state schools. pretty much you have to contact the PI yourself and try to earn a position in their lab.</p>
<p>At these competitive colleges, there are hand fulls of kids conducting either independent or mentor supported research in high school with the hope of making it a “hook” for college. </p>
<p>With so many research papers, it is very likely that the adcoms themselves will just glimpse it as something that helps, without understanding the research. </p>
<p>If you really want to hit the spot I encourage your kid to enter national/internationally recognized science competitions. ISEF, STS, Siemens Westinghouse, and Symposium are the big ones. Winning an award from these competitions is a big deal to colleges, and will make you kids work stand out. I do believe that more then 50% of the finalist at STS in 2008 are going to Harvard (go figure). </p>
<p>The harder route is to publish in a peer review journal. </p>
<p>Of course he/she can write one of the main or supplemental essays on their passion/interest for research. But to communicate that the research is a big deal, I think it is essential to have it go through some sort of review/competition and gain some merit.</p>
<p>Don’t sent any supplements with the app. to Stanford. they hate research supplements (I tried). Alot of tech schools i.e. Caltech have the opportunity to enclose a 20 page pdf of research.</p>
<p>At these competitive colleges, there are hand fulls of kids conducting either independent or mentor supported research in high school with the hope of making it a “hook” for college.</p>
<p>That’s scary … but I guess the colleges do understand the real from the fake ones, don’t they?? But I would go in the essays with how the research is an important part of my life and my ideas, my personal without much delving into the details of the research. Wouldn’t that be alright??</p>
<p>knickknackpatty: I have a Dartmouth related question, can I PM you please??</p>
<p>Like any other EC, research UNTO ITSELF will not get you in, nor get you very far. Doing well at research–being published, receiving awards, etc.–will get you somewhere.</p>
<p>It’s just like any other academic EC.</p>
<p>I don’t think that’s right! Research (real research that is) is very, very important notwithstanding any awards that’s been bagged by it. If a student has some really good scientific advancement under his belt, no award can really portray the importance of it or lack of awards underplay its importance… that’s my point of view. Scientific research is not quizzing or debate my friend!</p>
<p>^ Meant no disrespect to researchers. I am one myself.</p>
<p>And because of how important and how significant it is, doing well at it carries far more weight than doing well at, say, quiz bowl or chess club. But still, doing it without receiving recognition can signify that perhaps you were not very good or perhaps that you were doing it for the sake of college applications. </p>
<p>Regardless, simply researching will carry SOME significance, but not necessarily a lot.</p>
<p>^I know (and know of) people who got “recognition” (nationally) but only did research for the sake of college apps. It works both ways.</p>
<p>Here is my sense having gone through the admissions
process this year:
Though MIT or Caltech might admit you for who you are
based on your research passion, it is unlikely H,P or S will
do so unless you have competitive awards.</p>
<p>Regarding Post #54:
Most of it reflect my sentiments and understanding.
Motives however are unimportant in this
limited context. Your motives are quite secondary
and not necessarily visible to the adcom unless you
flount it? Sometimes motives evolve. Sometimes they
devolve.</p>