Lots of applications ask for supplementary information. Do you think I should include a 16 page research paper in here? Colleges will already know about this research as an EC. I know many colleges prefer keeping applications as succinct as possible. So do you think this is necessary/advised for schools like Mich, GTech, Cornell, CMU?
Thanks
They is an old adage “The thicker the admissions file, the thicker the kid”. No adcom is going to read or even skim a 16 page supplement.
do you think it would be beneficial to include the abstract? This is usually around 200 words @TomSrOfBoston
A summary would be OK. Was this a published paper? If so just put in the link.
it is not a published paper. I did not have time to start and finish that part of the process. Do you think this will make the research look poor, if I do not win a major award and have not been published? I will likely include a professor recommendation with my application though. @TomSrOfBoston
friend of mine wanted to do the same thing, he ended up not doing it because he realized without any recognition for his research admissions basically have nothing to go off of whether the research is good. like Tom said, no one’s gonna read 16 pages, but an abstract alone might not stand on its own/
Yup, not published or peer reviewed makes it less valuable. You could still put a BRIEF summary of the research in additional info.
Sounds like a good EC. Remember that the person who reads your application is not going to have any special knowledge of the area that you researched so will not be able to judge anything about it.
Don’t refer to it as a “research paper” in your application. Instead, find a way to talk about the area that you researched as a particular and ongoing passion (if that’s true). Say that you’ve been “doing research” or “engaged in research” in an area. Having a professor’s recommendations will be more than enough to validate your claim.
Best direction is to learn what your target colleges say, value, allow, etc. It doesn’t sound like you understand what they want. Go to the source. You have a lot of questions that the colleges tend to address.
A research paper isn’t a special tip.
I’d briefly describe the research in the EC section and leave it at that if it is not published in a peer reviewed journal.
ok thanks for the advice guys
Is this the research you started in June? I’d just describe the work you’ve been doing and get a LOR from your mentor.
ok thank you @austinmshauri