I have been working on a personal website for the past couple years detailing my endeavors, awards, projects etc. I have worked a lot on this to give colleges a better understanding of me, so they know what they are getting by accepting/rejecting me. I know for the most part state schools like UCB, Gatech, Umich, will likely not have time to look at this in depth. But how about private schools? My site is STEM based, and I am applying to a stem major. Will private schools look at my site?
Also, I am working on a research publication. I would like to show it to colleges but I know most AO will not have time to read it. Would it be smart to put the full document on my site? It will be close to 20 pages long. Or would it be better to just post the abstract to my paper on my site?
If you are applying to competitive colleges (ones that accept less than, say, 75% of their applicants), you can figure that the AO has maybe 5-8 minutes to read your entire application- your grades, essays, LoRs, curriculum, ECs, etc- and may be reading 50-80 applications a day.* If your research paper has actually been published they will most likely notice that you have a publication; if you are lucky they will read the title. The odds on an AO reading the abstract are miniscule, and the odds on their going to to your web site are even smaller.
Private schools who have small numbers of applicants relative to the number of places are more likely to spend more time on your application; private schools with high numbers of applicants relative to the number places are not.
*do the math:
Consider a generic elite institution that receives about 24,000 applications a year and accepts about 10%. The reading needs to be performed during a 6 week period January 15 - February 28. If each application has 3 readers, each of whom spends 8 minutes on an application, this translates to 9600 reader-hours total or 1600 reader-hours per week. It would take 40 readers, doing nothing else than reading 40 hours a week to read and rank the applications. It’s more likely that an individual cannot process that many per day making the total number of needed outsourced readers more likely well over 100. Going to the next stage, even if the readers essentially knock 80% of the applicants out of the pool, the Admissions Director is left with 4800 applicants to sort out in a 2 week period, a task that would take 400 man-hours at 5 minutes per application.
I agree with the above, but I’ll take it one step further. Check with the individual schools. Some schools my daughter applied to had spots for “would you like to include anything else?” and things like that, and encouraged her to supplement. A few were very specific: “don’t send more than we ask for – automatic no.” If you can’t tell from the website, contact the school and ask if they have a preference. If you’re better showcased by your portfolio and they won’t even look at it, you may do better looking at other schools. You’ll have to decide.
If I were you, I’d make a one page summery of the materials covered on your website that includes the website addy…and send it in anywhere you’re applying.
As cool as your website is…most info can be summarized in one page, and you’ve respected their time by giving them an overview, first…and the option to check it out in depth.
Sure, include your paper on your website. List it on your one page summary, too.
A friend of mine worked as an adcom at a one of the top stem colleges. She said the months spent reading through applications requires a lot of personal time and long hours. Whenever an applicant sent in more data than was asked for, you can imagine how it made the adcoms feel.
My neighbor is an admissions committee member at a very popular school.
She and I talk often.
She’s always told me that kids send portfolios and other junk that just gets thrown out. They don’t have physical space nor the time to surf through additional supplements.
She said if a student can’t read and follow directions for admission requirements, then that means they can’t follow directions at their university and they are put in a “different” pile.
As @Pheebers points out, many colleges have an option for including something ‘extra’- art supplement, a video, etc. However, they are looking for something specific- not a website link that is a shrine to every accomplishment, big and small that you have accrued over the last few years, but some one thing that you believe summarizes you or shows off a part of you that is particularly important. As everybody else is saying, if you don’t edit it down and make it easy for them to see your very best, the AOs aren’t going to do it for you.
In creating a resume, the general rule is to hope that maybe some people will read the first page. There is no hope that anyone will read more. Anything that is supposed to be there and anything that you care about better be on the first page.
I think that the same “keep it brief” rule applies to university applications.
Schools receive scads of applications making it absolutely necessary for admissions to sort through files quickly. However this does not mean that files are read carelessly, erratically, or otherwise insufficiently. Schools have a vested interest in finding those applicants that are best fits for their requirements and goals. You must sort through your information such as things on your resume. While it is tempting to evaluate each entry equally, you must select a handful of clearly, concisely written bullet points.
Admissions people to not have the luxury of searching for hidden gems. It’s not personal! If you think you are a gem, then sparkle from the beginning. The most obvious, comparable entries include classes taken, grades and gap, test scores, etc. Your first goal is getting into the further consideration pile and then provide enough information to become under consideration. Assertions that you will study harder, attend class always, and other means of mending your ways are prospective only within the context of other applicants have already demonstrated strong academic behaviors and attitudes. Saying you dreamed of attending a school…oddly not always the one that received that application…but schools are not in the business of admissions. I found that students who appealed denial of admissions sometimes provided factual information that did support admissions.
Please apply with careful attention to what was requested only, include requested information clearly articulated, and then submit information neatly within timelines. I hope that all the things on your resume were done because they contributed to your growth. Just doing stuff to add to your resume makes it difficult to explain how specific entries are meaningful.
I think TomSr may be thinking about one of your other threads where you asked if doing research would help your app, but you concluded that there wasn’t enough time for it between now and when you apply this fall. My impression was that you haven’t been involved in research, but you thought it would look good so you asked a professor to mentor you on a private project. If that’s the case, I don’t know how adcoms will view your project. Four months doesn’t seem like much time to develop a worthwhile project, carry it out, write and edit a paper, and get it published. If you were helping a professor with their research, I think colleges would take notice of that, but I’m not sure individual projects are viewed the same way.
The reality is that each college has a number of admission counselors-- and that the actual number of counselors is based on the projected number of apps they’re likely to receive. So NO school has counselors on the payroll, sitting around with nothing much to do, hoping to get a huge file from a prospective applicant to help them pass the time.
The short answer to the OP is “No colleges.”
You’re going to have to find a way to streamline your app so that it doesn’t take more time than the other 600 apps on his/her pile.
Just to pile on here no college is going to go to an applicant’s personal website and read it in depth. They have a standardized application and process they use for all applicants that they feel will give them the information that they need to know. It usually include essays (with size limits) and letters of recommendation, which is where they want and expect to get a better understanding of who you are beyond your GPA, test scores, ECs and awards. Your job is to give them that understanding of who you are within the confines of their framework.
Also, in another thread, you expressed surprised that people put so much time into their essays and said something about how you felt you could write them in a day. That was a big red flag to me. It sounds like you are putting an enormous emphasis on your website and research, but consider essays unimportant fluff not worth your time.
Keep in mind that what colleges may feel is most important to know about you may not be same as what you feel is important for them to know about you. They won’t look at your website, but they WILL read your essay(s), so that’s where your emphasis should be. Also keep in mind that essays should not be a rehash of your accomplishments. They are looking for a peek into your soul.
I think admission officers would wonder why you spent so much time creating a website celebrating yourself and your accomplishments instead of going out and doing something more constructive with your time. The application is there for a reason – to summarize each applicant’s accomplishments in a standard format. Admission officers in both public and private schools are incredibly busy and are not looking for more details than a well done application can provide.
In terms of your research, is it with a teacher or professor? If so , you can ask that person for a supplemental letter of recommendation. Other than that it can be a line in as an EC activity. If your research gets published in a peer reviewed journal (which is a long and demanding process) you can include the title of the article and name of the publication in your application. No admission officer will want to read a research paper.
@1Dreamer Thanks for your concern, based on these responses I feel like I should just quit with my website lol. Its not a big deal, I just thought it was something that explained more about my projects. I have already begun my essays, and realize my earlier comments were out of place. There is more to them then I realized.
If I run a company, should I list it under EC along with my research? Also, I do not know if I have time to get published in a noteworthy paper or present my work at a conference. Would AO think my research was garbage then? If I do not win Intel or Siemens for my research and do not get published, will they assume it was not legitimate research right away?
Did you seen my comment/question above? Did you do your research with a professor or teacher? If so, a LOR from that person could be a great way to provide information about your research, your work ethic, your interest in the subject etc.
If you run a company it could go under work experience.
Yes, I have seen your comment. I’m sorry that was a bit ago and I did not respond. But it is with a professor at a college. I have already talked with the professor about writing me a LOR and they are willing to. Is this justifiable for my research?
no college is going to go to an applicant’s personal website and read it in depth. They have a standardized application and process they use for all applicants that they feel will give them the information that they need to know. It usually include essays (with size limits) and letters of recommendation, which is where they want and expect to get a better understanding of who you are beyond your GPA, test scores, ECs and awards. Your job is to give them that understanding of who you are within the confines of their framework.