Hi CC,
Can we use self-made projects that we may have worked on outside of school/on our own in the college admissions process? For example, if I made some Microbial Fuel Cells that I then implemented in nearby water sources (without outside help) then would this improve acceptance chances? For projects such as this, there aren’t really any contests or anything definitive I could show was the outcome (other than harvesting the energy for personal stuff/cleaning the sources of water)
Thanks
And what about even stranger things, like solving a rubik’s cube blindfolded. In other words, to what extent do college admissions look into your activities?
Can you present your work at science fairs or conferences?
It is best if you can get some kind of recognition or public use or something for it. Personal projects can be listed and can help a bit, but it carries more weight if you’ve done that.
Write about this in your essay.
yes absolutely you can list: you do not need verification or recognition. Listing personal acitvities is your chance to show the real you. I just think you have to keep it authentic-plausible
Yes, definitely personal projects are considered. My son did a lot of personal projects and only a few of them were for formal research papers or contests, the rest were along his path of exploring different things. One of his personal projects ended up landing him a really great job and IMO that project, job and recommendations from his employer were major reasons he was accepted at a tippy top college.
In his apps, for at least one project he described why he was interested in the subject, what research he did on the subject, how he put together the project, how he monitored the outcome and why all these things tied into what he wants to do in college. It made a lot of sense. Did he have an award or certification for it? No. But in some ways I think it is also powerful when a person examines what interests them just because they are that interested; not for a grade, not to win a contest, not to impress someone, just because they’re curious.
If there are things that interest you, don’t wait for a science fair or a specific school club to do them - just do them.
Thanks to all who responded.
Yes, for some of my personal projects I’ll be able to present them at science fairs and enter in competitions, but for others, I can’t, which is why I had questions about college admissions.
Milee30, thanks for the insight and the example of your son. There are a bunch of things I’m interested in doing, regardless of what I receive out of it, and it’s good to know that these personal projects may serve a greater purpose down the line.
I hope it helps you like it did him. Have to say, I worried about him for a little while because so many of his interests and time was spent on things outside school and organized teams/clubs. For Christmas a few years ago he asked for a list of the most bizarre books. Esoteric subjects (some of them I couldn’t even pronounce) by foreign authors, really boring and weird sounding stuff. I felt like a horrible mom getting him that stuff for Christmas, but he was thrilled. Turns out it was some of the research for what he was interested in learning and building on.
Sometimes being a little different and weird works for you. 