The Box

Colleges and Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
1

<p>for the box, I'm putting a painting I found from an internet.
Even if I label it on the bottom who the painter is, is this violating a copyright law or something????</p>

2

<p>anyone? v</p>

3

<p>As long as you attribute anything that is not your own, you're in the clear as far as the honor code (and copyright law) is concerned. </p>

<p>One reminder: the box is part of your application, so make sure whatever you put in it says something about you.</p>

4

<p>yep...I don't know if taking a painting someone else made and inserting it into the box is the best way to say something about you though. I'm sure you can do it, but...I don't know, just....the box is not like one of those things where you list your favorite _____ or something. I think they would want something more "you," if that makes sense. although, I really wouldn't know for sure, as I don't work in admissions.</p>

5

<p>omg i love the box. never take it off the application.</p>

6

<p>how about if i put in a puzzle? it doesnt really tell the committe anything about me but it was a really tricky problem</p>

7

<p>Just stick a nice big wad of $100 bills in the box. Im sure the admissions officers will find that interesting :-D</p>

8

<p>ammarsfound - Just remember that admissions officers can only devote so much time to each application. Before you put in a puzzle that's going to take a long time to solve, decide whether you'd rather the people looking at your application spend time reading about you, or completing the puzzle. Of course, if it's a relatively quick puzzle, or if you provide the solution, that's a different story.</p>

9

<p>he-he-he, that's a nice one^^</p>

10

<p>yeah i provided the solution :-)))</p>

11

<p>Am I the only one who is putting an essay in the box? Is that a bad idea?</p>

12

<p>Unless its a really good essay, i think so. The reason they give you the box is because they want to see your creativity or something I suppose. Also with the common app + supplement essays, i think theyll be tired of reading by the time they get to the box.</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
Unless its a really good essay, i think so. The reason they give you the box is because they want to see your creativity or something I suppose.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>no way. I put an essay in the box because there's way more to me than two essays. And I figured I could tell more about myself with 500 words than with a silly picture. My essay is good enough to convince them I am creative.</p>

<p>
[quote]
i think theyll be tired of reading by the time they get to the box.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Well yeah, but they'll probably be tired of reading before they even get to your application.</p>

14

<p>Thanks. I'm going to think about it.
If you don't mind tripnip, what's your essay about? I will not steal your idea. Actually, just tell me is it about some idea you think of, some formula you invented, sth like that (your own invention)? Because I feel like you can't show your creativity without making somethin up on your own..Thanks.</p>

15

<p>You can still be creative using only words. A large number of people I know, myself included, wrote things for our boxes. I spent as much time on the box as I did on my other two essays, and I think it was one of the strongest parts of my application. But if your "essay" looks like something someone might expect to see on a college application, you're going to want to reevaluate your interpretation of the purpose of that section of the application.</p>

16

<p>I submitted [url="<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v70/SahinTC/Misc%20Junk/timur.jpg%22%5Dthis%5B/url"&gt;http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v70/SahinTC/Misc%20Junk/timur.jpg"]this[/url&lt;/a&gt;]... keep in mind, I didn't get in. ;)</p>

17

<p>okay if you put something you made up in the box and it turned out to be wrong, wil it REALLY hurt your chances? will you automatically get rejected?</p>

18

<p>You may want to send a follow-up saying you discovered your submission is wrong and telling what you learned from the experience.</p>

19

<p>I know a friend of mine is writing a poem...which I personally think conveys him rather well...
but I think the reason Caltech gives you an empty box is so they can get a better feel of who you are. I think for a lot of us, we feel that another medium can convey who we are better than another essay.
Ultimately, go with your gut feeling. If you feel that an essay can describe you better than ANY picture can..go ahead! It's your application and it's supposed to say something about you. Make it yours.</p>

20

<p>My box was the best part of my application.</p>