So I’m in a bit of a predicament here…I’m debating whether to send a book I wrote and got published to Yale as a supplementary material. It’s frankly a major cornerstone of my application (I dedicated a supplementary essay to it) - which in of itself is making me question if I should send it. I am also a published photographer (I wrote my Common App essay on photography and detailed it further in my activities list). Is it redundant to send either of these materials? Would it hurt my application somehow? And, if not, which should I send?
(Side note…I’m an aspiring poli sci major although art plays a big part of my application).
@bodangles That’s what I was thinking, too. Is it worth sending even if they just take a glance? I don’t mind giving up a copy (obviously) unless it could hurt my application.
Depends on the quality of the book and the method of publication. Like cttwenty15 said not a self-published book. I would probably just send something like a professional-looking photo of it. However, since art isn’t your intended major I would probably not send it. Idk much about these things but good luck uwu
Admissions Officers have about 12 minutes to read a student’s application, which includes looking over their transcript, course rigor and grades, looking at their test scores, extracurricular activities, reading the Common Application Personal Statement, Yale’s required Supplemental Essay, reading the guidance counselor’s Secondary School Report, two teacher recommendations and interview report. And then they have to make notes – all within that 12 minutes.
The more stuff you send them, the greater chance that an Admissions Officer will have to skim everything – meaning an AO will read the first and last paragraph of your essays, do the same with each recommendation and everything you submit. So, in the end an Admissions Office will get a watered down view of who you are. Keep it simple; less is more.
Before presenting your application to an Admissions Committee, a regional Admissions Director will do their due diligence and google you. If you claim to have written a book, your name and the book should easily come up on Google or Amazon. If it doesn’t, my advice is to not even mention the book, as too many student’s (especially international students from India) are self-publishing their works. And Admissions knows what that is about.
FWIW: When she was 17, this recent Yale graduate had her play produced Off Broadway and received a glowing review from the NY Times. Here’s the review: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/theater/reviews/summer-shorts-5-with-ruby-rae-spiegel-review.html. That is the level of competition at schools like Yale. So, if your published work is not of the same caliber, you might want to reconsider submitting a sample, because as wonderful as your book may be, it just might not stand up to the competition.
Assuming you have the title and publication data listed somewhere in your application, that should be sufficient. If there are professional published reviews of your book that are favorable, you might consider including one as a supplement.
Even if it were published by Random House, no. Even if it’s been #1 on The New York Times best-seller list, no. An AO is not going to read it. Feel free to list the publication data and perhaps a sample.