<p>Hi, I was deferred from MIT EA. For EA, I sent in an arts portfolio and a very short creative writing short story. I am thinking about sending in a few more supplementary stuff. My main essay was very risky, and talked more about my family than me. So I am wondering if I should send in another essay that shows more about me, even though I did the optional essay? Would this supplementary essay just be too much? </p>
<p>Also, I recently just finished building my first scaled model for Architecture and took a few pictures. Despite not intending to major in architecture, should I send these pictures, along with my senior year ECs, as an update to what I have done/accomplished?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for your suggestions on what to do, and any opinions as well as comments.</p>
<p>I sent in an additional essay since I remembered Ben being pretty ok about sending in extra info. Like you, my main essay was not very focused on myself at all, and it was basically a long narrative about something that happened which really impacted my views (but I spent the majority of the essay describing the incident and only tied myself into the picture at the very end). My additional essay was actually one that I wrote for some other college and basically was the story of one day in my hectic junior year told through humorous language. I really enjoyed writing that essay so I sent it in.</p>
<p>(I also did the optional essay in the main app - but I wasn't deferred EA, I applied RD so I didn't really know what they thought about my main essays and whether the optional actually made a difference)</p>
<p>As for other information that you may wish to send in for supplemental, my only advice to you is just that you need to carefully evaluate whether the things you are sending in actually convey an important, coherent part of your character. I think deferred applicants usually have the urge to send in anything they can get their hands on, thinking that this will boost their image as a more "complete" applicant. However, I think this usually just makes your file more cluttered and disorganized. </p>
<p>I would evaluate what you think would be your primary strengths, and tailor your supplemental info to add on to that strength. I think this would make an effective supplemental packet.</p>