I am applying to Harvard REA. I already submitted my common app but I would like to submit supplemental research papers through the Applicant Portal. When is the deadline for this? The Applicant Portal does not list the deadline. Is it November 1?
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What kind of research paper are you looking to submit? Are you the primary author on a peer-reviewed article that was published in a journal?
If so, it will be adequate to just submit the abstract and the author list, along with an explanation of your role in the work, according to the instructions. That way they won’t have to click on a PDF and read it to get the gist. They can just skim the abstract.
Scholarly articles, research, creative writing or other documents of which you are the primary author should be submitted in the Upload Materials section of the Applicant Portal. This is the most efficient and direct method of submitting these materials, because they will be added directly to your official application. All submissions should include a list of any individuals with whom you collaborated in the production of the work. If appropriate, please identify your research sponsor, mentor, and/or laboratory or research group leader and provide a short description of your particular contribution to the work.
If you are not the PRIMARY author (usually this would mean that your name is 1st on the author line), or if it’s not peer-reviewed, don’t submit it. Just list it elsewhere.
The deadline shouldn’t matter because it will only take you a few minutes to paste in the citation, the abstract, and the description of your contribution. That will be easy enough to accomplish by tomorrow.
If the student is primary author, is there a reason not to upload it? It’s a lot of work to be primary author on an article. Just uploading the abstract if you’ve written an entire article seems a bit of disservice to one’s efforts…
Yes it’s a lot of work, but I’m thinking of the person reading a zillion applications to Harvard. If there is a box to type in text, that’s where I’d do the abstract. That way the reader doesn’t have to open a PDF and look at an article. I think they are much more likely to actually skim the abstract if it’s entered into a text field. They can certainly include a link to the full article, or a PDF if they really want.
It’s also super rare for an undergrad to be a primary author on an article that would impress a Harvard AO. I would want to know what the OP’s article actually is before I could advise them whether or not to upload it. For most articles which include an undergrad as an author, it would be better not to upload it. But that is a distinction that is difficult for a typical undergrad to make themselves.
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A few points from a parent of a Harvard REA applicant (who was accepted) regarding research paper submission:
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Paper does not have to be peer reviewed or published - It does have to be primarily or exclusively the work of the applicant or it is essentially irrelevant in terms of favorable admissions impact.
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Submit an abstract, not the full paper. AOs a) don’t have the time to read a full paper, and b) are unlikely to be expert enough in the subject matter to assess what the full paper reveals about the applicant.
If the AO finds the overall application worthy of serious consideration (i.e. not tossing it directly into the reject pile) AND also finds the abstract to be of interest, the AO will request a copy of the full paper along with a supplemental recommendation from the mentor (or lab PI) who was involved in or helped facilitate the research and forward the paper to a Harvard Professor in the field for a full read.
OP - there is still time to submit an abstract, but unless you think you’ve written multiple research papers that will impress a Harvard professor it would be unwise to submit multiple abstracts.
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My kid was admitted REA with a first author paper that she uploaded along with other additional materials. However, since she also talked about the subject matter and the journey to the paper in her supplemental, the AOs (who talked about the research in her admission file) did not need to open the pdf so I don’t know if they did. I would not have told her to not submit it though; the AOs can open it or not if it’s there, but that’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears to omit. I think it’s asking too much of the AO that they request the paper when the student has had ample opportunity to upload it themselves.
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So it seems like the consensus, from people who have done this successfully before, is to:
Tell them something about the paper either by submitting the abstract, and/or by talking about it in the supplemental. This way they can get the gist without having to open the paper.
There are differing opinions on whether or not to attach the full paper. I’m in favor of providing the link to the full paper, regardless. One thing I would not do is attach the paper without an explanation to the AO. I think they’re likely to be annoyed by that and will appreciate the applicant providing them with info that doesn’t require them to view the PDF.
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I would think Harvard is similar to Yale. Yale notes on their website that the full research paper is more helpful than getting an abstract.
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