I’m a junior who will likely be applying to T20s next year. I recently had a letter to the editor published in the NY times, online and in print. Should I include this on my application? If so, where?
I would say…no. What exactly do you think this would add to your application?
Also, if you are a junior, you probably want to change the tag in your screen name that says High School Sophomore.
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A letter to the editor - no. An op ed - yes.
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I’m sure you are proud that your letter was printed. 
But I don’t see a letter to the editor as adding value to your application. If it were an opinion piece, that may be an effective supplement.
(oops. Cross posted with worriedmom… but it seems there is a consensus)
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Great minds and all that 
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No, I wouldn’t Include a letter to the editor of the New York Times.
What do you hope to gain out of that? I don’t understand.
We have children, in my city, that write letters to the editor, all of the time. These are elementary and middle school children. They get published.
I don’t know if you understand, but the students who I know, who were admitted into some top schools, were students that showed a specific passion for something.
You are not supposed to cater your extracurricular activities, according to what you think the schools and universities expect. It is not supposed to be “let’s throw everything at the wall and see what sticks”.
Be yourself.
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Thanks for the advice! For those asking, my thought process was this: since only about 1% of letters to the editor are published (NY times publishes 10/day, and the website says they receive more than 1000 daily submissions) I thought it would demonstrate my writing ability and interest in constructive dialogue. I see now I was mistaken. I already have an op-ed in the barrel, so we’ll try my luck with that 
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I appreciate your point of view, but I disagree with your assessment of my motivations. I am being myself: I didn’t send the letter thinking about college apps, I sent it because I legitimately had a good response and wanted to share my unique perspective on a current event. I am genuinely happy it got published. It simply occurred to me that this might be something worth mentioning, so I decided to ask around. There’s no need to condescend.
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No…but after it was published, you considered sending it to colleges. I must be a terrific writer. Or something. My kids and I have both been written up in the Times for various reasons. Never used any of it for college applications. They had far better things they did that really were more significant.
And you will have those things too.
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Point taken.
I must be a terrific writer. Or something.
Jesus, do I really come off that arrogant? I’m trying to ask a genuine question; I’m not inviting passive aggression. Everyone considers their existing accomplishments when applying for college.
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My point is…you will have a LOT of better accomplishments by the time you apply to college. You really will.
I honestly don’t think anything is wrong to include it as a demonstration of writing skills. Let the schools decide if they will consider it or not. Could add in the additional info section so not to take up one of your main 10 activities.
You could write about it in the additional information section if it’s important to you, or provide a link in that section.
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I agree with those who say not to include it. You definitely would not put it in the additional info section…I’m sure you will have much better things to write about there.
I was published in Sports Illustrated and judging by my typo filled chats here, I’m a horrible writer.
That said, having a letter to the editor published doesn’t demonstrate good writing. It demonstrates that the NY Times saw fit that the content of what you had to say was relevant to that day.
And then there’s this - which also would impact your writing - * Letters may be edited and shortened for space.
Bottom line - having a letter to the editor publish is a personal source of pride for you but it adds zero value to a college application.
Good luck.
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How about mentioning or working it in the essays/short answers? Let’s say the prompt is, “What did you do last Wednesday?” You could respond as, “I was elated when notified that I am published in the letter-to-editor section of the NY Times; however, it still did not compare with the joy I felt for Johnny, whom I tutored in math and he got an A- on his latest math test.”
Added in edit: OP, having been published in the NYT is an accomplishment of yours, no less.
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So it may not be writing skills to demonstrate per other peoples advice but schools are looking for students who are curious, ask good questions, etc if the letter shows that sometimes it’s better than saying I am curious etc. my Dd had an Interview recently at an elite school. She was sharing some of the stuff she was researching because they had similar interests and it’s just naturally her personality. She’s naturally a very curious and insightful person- he wrote a very nice email to her saying she was at an intellectual level far behind most typical high schoolers and that out of all people he’s interviewed for many many years, she was the person he was most impressed with ever meeting during interviews. He told her you are a difference maker and will do big things. Another example- my DD visited her friend at another top 10 school and the friend introduced her to the dept person who gave my Dd a private tour of the dept since my Dd is interested in the major. After an hour of the tour, the dept person told my DD, she learned so much in that hour. It’s a year since that tour, unsolicited, the dept person wrote to my Dd this month asking her how college apps are going.
We don’t know what schools are looking for but sometimes it’s those intangibles and real life cases that they learn more about your personality, thought processes, and who you are.
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OP, I am with you that having a letter printed in the NYTimes indicates you said something valuable! From your other thread I know writing and journalism are important to you. You might use the letter in your essay, if it makes sense. It’s an example of writing/engagement/critical thinking, and, frankly, something very very few other applicants will have. By itself, it’s not going to move the needle, but I think it’s a great illustration of important aspects of you. So, it’s not an achievement you would list, but something you might use to illustrate a strength of yours.
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