<p>After having repressed the memory for a good month now, I'm finally getting around to submitting a supplement for my application in magical hopes that it will make some difference in my waitlist status. Just like everyone else, I'm including an updated list of all my recent accomplishments, but I'm wondering if its worth it to also include some recognition of some of my more comical failures. While outright saying "I fail" isn't exactly something you should be telling a prospective college, I think some in recent months have been so unusual that they merit some form of acknowledgment. For example, I finally qualified for the AIME's, but I messed them up horribly because I spent the entire time proving one of the questions was unsolvable and only latter learned I misinterpreted what I still claim was a vague statement. Now, while that I admit was iffy, I also have a great bit on how no one told me to build a
Sumobot for a Science Olympiad event, so I just handed in a "Sumo Rock". None of these make me look like I'm a complete idiot, just that I'm human and capable of messing up in goofy ways. Is it worth it to show that side of me, or should I just stick with the cliche "I am perfect, let me in"?</p>
<p>I don’t know. It might be worth considering if you think it will set you apart from the rest of the applications. Making the people rereading your application laugh can’t be a bad thing ( at least I don’t think it can), so long as you find a way to spin it to show something good about yourself (sense of humor, good response to failure etc), you might want to give it a try.</p>
<p>Neither “I’m perfect, let me in” nor “Haha, I’m not perfect” is right. Try “I really want to go to this school; let me tell you why. I can handle the work; let me show you how.”</p>
<p>lizzardfire nailed it.</p>