<p>How will Caltech see that? Will it lower my chances of getting in?</p>
<p>Some background: I haven't heard of any student in my country that has ever done research, the best students generally 'kill their time' by studying for Olympiads and get medals at international Olympiads. However, I had the chance to participate in a research project meant to learn high school students what doing research implies. I hope that the fact that I did research will make me stand out a little among the applicants from my country. The problem is that my research is not outstanding at all, on the contrary, it is very simple, because we did not have any sophisticated equipment. Moreover, that research is in biology and my application shows my passion for chemistry. This is why I think submitting it could actually hurt my chances. On the other hand, mentioning my research without submitting it can also hurt my chances.</p>
<p>Another reason I'd rather not submit it is because it's in Romanian and I prefer spending the time left by making my essays better rather than translating my research. Besides, I have no idea how to send it in a pdf format.</p>
<p>You will certainly not be penalized for not submitting the paper. While people will probably notice that you didn't, it won't actively hurt your chances. Translating into English would take a long time and probably isn't worth it.</p>
<p>Was the work original? That is, did you find out something new or just do something standard?</p>
<p>By the way, biology and chemistry are treated as a continuum at Caltech, so don't think of the separation between them as being too sharp.</p>
<p>Finally, one tiny thing... "I had the chance to participate in a research project meant to learn high school students what doing research implies." -- the correct replacement for "learn" there would be "teach". Don't worry. The mistake is made in America all the time. :)</p>
<p>You don't need research to get into Caltech. (At least, I managed to get in last year, but the statistics from last year couldn't have changed /that/ much). At least you had it.</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies. My research was about making a database of all the natural plants from my hometown and surroundings. It is somewhat original because nobody did it before, but I think anybody could have done it.</p>
<p>I agree with all of the above. I don't have the language barrier, but I certainly mentioned science fair awards on my application without submitting an abstract/paper. And I was fine.</p>
<p>I agree with the replies.. I did a research project too and i have to start working on the abstract as my project is pretty lengthy, and i really dont know what to summarize! good luck with your application!</p>