<p>I'm already submitting an optional essay/abstract that puts my research in context of future plans and etc., but is it too much to also submit my Common App essay? I think that it would really add to my application, as it connects to my short answers and research. But I don't want to seem desperate or anything.</p>
<p>Similar question with regard to recommendations: Two math/science teachers (the humanities letter is already taken care of) thought that they were writing my letters, but in reality I had only requested one of them on Naviance. So I now have two letters, which are both apparently very good. One of my teachers already sent his in via fax, should I ask the other teacher to submit theirs as an optional letter? Me research mentor has already submitted a supplemental letter, so that would be a total of 4 Too many?</p>
<p>The only metric that matters is whether the additional material adds useful information to your application, and nobody can really judge that but you.</p>
<p>@akashdip Astro all the way! Are you applying this year as well?</p>
<p>@iceui2 I actually thought that the reason MIT had its own essays was because admissions officers didn’t want to see one single polished essay, and the Common App didn’t allow them to customize the application to their likes. That being said, I guess it would make sense to express myself as much as possible in the short answers, but I know that I cannot get my Common App idea across to them in 250 words.</p>
<p>I’ll ask my college counselor to see if it adds something new to the application. But even if it doesn’t reveal anything new, it certainly helps to tie certain aspects of my application together. Thanks for all of the input!</p>