I have created a couple Roblox games here and there. Could this be included as a passion project, as I put a lot of effort into these games. In other words, should I put them on my common app additional information section—want to major in comp sci. Even with my efforts, the games I created never gained traction. If I were to put it on the common app, would I also provide my Roblox username or something? Or should I not even mention the games because they could see that the games haven’t gained traction.
That’s not the purpose of the additional information section. What you are describing would go under activities.
No.
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Why do you think you need a “passion project”?
Well, it took me quite some time to find out my passion. It was only junior year, after taking a club, when I figured out that my passion lies in computer science. I started creating Roblox games junior year as a way to “expand my horizons.” Because I realized my passion late, I did not have enough time to build up comp sci related extra curricular activities. This is why I asked the question, hoping that I could include the games?
Your ECs do not necessarily need to align with your intended major. They need to show some commitment to task. Sometimes these ECs show another side to you as an applicant (e.g. many kids have music as strong ECs).
You can list what you have done under activities, as noted above.
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Sounds like a great essay topic
That’s an activity as you list.
People who work at grocery stores, play sports, are in the band, walk dogs at the shelter, work in an old age home, take nature pictures, volunteer at church and more and major in anything and everything.
You needn’t have ECs align to a major. It’s in most cases irrelevant.
You do need at some, not all colleges, things you’ve done outside of class that show you as a person, not just a student.
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I’m not sure why everyone is saying that ECs don’t matter to a major. They don’t always have to align for an applicant to be successful - I certainly agree that there are national FBLA winners who major in a science, lots of kids who have jobs and sports that have nothing to do with any major, etc. But demonstrating genuine interest in a major through an EC can certainly be helpful for most majors, including (and perhaps especially) ones like computer science.
I would recommend including your Roblox games in your activities list. Very few AOs would ever take the time to look up the actual games to gauge traction, so you are unlikely to be dinged for them not being big hits. By including it in your activities list, you are able to show how much time you spent (sounds like it was significant). Also, going back to the AOs not having time to look up stuff like this, there is no pressing need to include your user name. Instead, use the limited space to briefly explain the games in an interesting way.
This approach is usually more effective than talking about the game creation in a supplemental essay, unless there is something unusual or compelling about your process.
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I don’t believe they do but I agree and noted they should be included.
But if OPs activity was stocking shelves at subway or flipping burgers at Mickey d’s I suspect it would be as impactful if not more so.
As for providing your Roblox username, it’s generally not necessary unless the admissions officers specifically request it. Instead, you can mention your username in passing or describe your games in a way that showcases your involvement without explicitly providing the username. The primary goal is to highlight your personal growth and showcase your dedication to computer science, rather than the popularity of your games.
As others are saying, you can and likely should include these as activities, assuming they involved a decent amount of your time.
I’ll just add there is a real art to describing such activities in a way that will be interesting to bored admissions officers slogging through 50-100 applications a day.
There is a widespread temptation to try to make them sound “impressive” in a business-resume sense. Everyone does that and I think AOs are consistent in saying that doesn’t really help distinguish applicants.
But really strong, specific, fun descriptions–THAT can wake them up a bit and cause them to smile.
So I have no idea what you did, but I would ask yourself questions like what would you actually say to a gamer if you were trying to entice them to play one of your games? Indeed, what do you love as a gamer, and how were you trying to do something you would love? You shouldn’t use jargon, but there is no problem using the specific verbs, adjectives, and so on common to the activity.
So, a surfer should refer not to “challenging waves” but to “gnarly waves”, because that creates a strong, specific, fun image. There have to be equivalents of “gnarly” you can use to describe the challenges in your games (or, for that matter, maybe you can use gnarly!), instead of bland words like challenges.
And sure, in an ideal world you could say you created a gnarly game that was played by 1.2 million people (specific numbers grab attention too). But you shouldn’t be overly concerned about what you can’t say. Just focus on making the most of what you can say.
If you do that, you will not only be explaining how you used your time, you will be coming across as a truly interesting person. Which is always a good idea.
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