<p>Hi, I'm a rising senior at a very competitive high school. Junior year is finally winding down, and nearly all of my peers have planned for internships, jobs, or are attending prestigious summer programs. But due to some unfortunate medical circumstances (that I'd prefer to not disclose), I will be stuck at home all summer. So I've asked myself, "Why not write a book to pass the time?" Many of my friends have praised my writing ability, and it would be a great way to prevent myself from becoming insane from boredom.</p>
<p>My questions are: Assuming that I am able to complete this project, would it benefit my chances if I mail a copy (or at least a manuscript) of my book to colleges that I will apply to? If so, how? And would that remedy my weakness of lacking a job/internship?</p>
<p>(By the way, I have already researched the process of book writing and self-publishing, so I have a good idea of how to get it done. And if anyone is curious, the book will mostly be about my struggles in a super-competitive high school as an 11th-grade student with a long-term illness.)</p>
<p>It sounds like a very interesting idea. I don’t know the policy of supplemental materials for applications at different universities. You may want to research that. I think your long-term illness in itself could be enough to rationalize your lack of work experience when you explain it in the extenuating circumstances section of your application. An internship in high school is very impressive, but for most high school students, it doesn’t happen.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t know how effective sending a manuscript would be considering it would be hundreds of pages long and no admissions officer would have the time to read through it. It sounds like it will just end up being an extended version of a personal essay too, but considering your circumstances, could be interesting.</p>
<p>I kind of agree with Jonathan1, but it would seem like it’d only help if you were applying as a journalism major or something relative. Otherwise, it would just be an additional personal essay with content you probably would already cover in the actual required essays.</p>
<p>I know that they are not going to read the whole thing. But many of my musically-talented friends are sending in CDs, and I doubt that the admissions officers would listen to all of that either…</p>
<p>By the way, I’m not planning to write this book simply to boost my college chances. I’m doing this because I love writing and I have a story to share.</p>
<p>The difference btn a music video or CD is that it’s easily judged. For publications, the rule of thumb is HAS IT BEEN PUBLISHED by an outside publishing house (meaning NOT self-published). This indicates that your work has been objectively evaluated and seen as valuable enough to invest and be published.</p>
<p>I think it’s a worthy project and would probably have many therapeutic effects. However, to think it might be a boost for your college chances is reaching. I think you should just say plainly that it was a summer project and leave it at that (like you stated). Best of luck to you. I hope it’s a very self-rewarding project for yourself. Best of luck to you on your recovery overall.</p>
<p>writing a book is much harder than you think. If you want to write and increase your chances for admission I would suggest contacting your local paper and volunteering to write a story. At my paper they always have guest citizen writers (this depends on if you live in a small town or big city as well). If the newspaper choses to publish your article, you can send the article as supplemental materials. </p>
<p>I would also consider a short story instead of a book for now. Many short stories have been converted into books later. Try writing a short story and then try to get the short story published first. I’m sure many magazines and journals would be interested in your creative non fiction.</p>
<p>thats quite an impressive goal to aim for. If it were me i would write it just for personal pleasure. I algree with the above poster, if you have a gift for writing try writing for a loca news paper, or send them already completed work. who knows, they might love it!</p>
<p>if you published your book it would be great for your college admissions. but unfortunately this usually takes at least a few years and will be very difficult. however, if you succeed then it MORE than remedies your lack of job/internships!</p>
<p>“If you want to write and increase your chances for admission I would suggest contacting your local paper and volunteering to write a story. At my paper they always have guest citizen writers (this depends on if you live in a small town or big city as well). If the newspaper choses to publish your article, you can send the article as supplemental materials.”</p>
<p>This does seem like a better option, but honestly I don’t think it is going to increase your chances of admission all that much. Grades and test scores are what really matter, followed by ECs, reqs, and lastly, stuff like writing an article for the paper. If you want to write a book, go ahead, but if I were an adcom it would seem a little show-offy to receive a book as a supplemental material. Maybe if you were a child soldier from Africa who wrote a book it would be cool, but otherwise, I think it would be a little weird.</p>
<p>Actually, I’ve thought about the traditional publishing vs. self-publishing issue, and I’m more inclined to try self-publishing because I want full control over what I write. And since self-publishing would require me to handle the distribution and marketing, it would be a great opportunity for me to develop entrepreneurship abilities.</p>
<p>Also, I’ve already written plenty of short articles about a myriad of different topics, so I’d much rather take it up a notch and try a book instead.</p>
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<p>I’m a bit confused; isn’t the purpose of supplementary materials to show off special talents?</p>
<p>Anyways, thanks for the responses so far! Any more opinions?</p>
<p>I did this the summer after my junior year, too (I’m a graduated senior next year, heading off to Barnard in the fall), not because I wanted to improve my chances at getting in places but simply because I love to write. I sent a two-page excerpt in the additional information section of the Common App. My guidance counselor thought it would probably help my chances simply because writing was all over my application (editor-in-chief of lit mag, etc) – not as a huge boost by any means, but merely as a way of illustrating that I am serious about writing and that I do have the ability to craft complex narratives. I did not publish the book, nor do I plan to (I think most people’s first books probably don’t turn out so hot – I think that the story is solid and there were some really good passages, but honestly I just didn’t know what I was doing. I could do more drafts and probably get it to a publishable standard, but I’m more interested in other projects right now), but it was a great experience.</p>
<p>Some words of advice: it is not easy to write a book. You have to have it planned out pretty carefully (which would be slightly less of an issue for you, if you’re writing about your life, but still) and you have to have the discipline to work on it all the time. Furthermore, any first draft you write is (probably) not going to be publishable; revision is critical. I think that the chances of finishing a book and publishing it by November/December, even if it’s self-published, are slim.</p>
<p>I also agree with an above poster that self-publishing is probably not a great idea. I mean, if you want to that, that’s fine, but colleges aren’t going to care if you send them a book you’ve published because that doesn’t mean it’s been validated. They also probably won’t read any of it. If you send a couple of pages that you think are really good, as I did, then they’ll probably give them a look, and if they think they’re good, even if you haven’t been published, it will probably help you. As I said, not hugely, but perhaps fractionally.</p>
<p>881991: MLeigh has given some great advice. Let me state again the bias against self-publishing: anyone with deep pockets can publish anything. There is not a single objective, outside validation of the quality of your work. I’m not assuming that you can’t do it but this isn’t the route to take.</p>
<p>Write the book. Enjoy the process. You can talk about it in your essay if you want to- no reason to send an entire book to admissions people. If you are a good writer, your essays, SAT/SAT II/AP scores, and EC’s will reflect that. Being a good writer is a positive for admissions because, regardless of what people may think, not even the top kids applying to elite schools are all great writers. Really good writing stands out. But I would do it because you want to and you have some enthusiasm for the project at hand. Who knows where it will lead?</p>
<p>I am in complete agreement about not going the self-publishing route. When you say you want “total control”, that is an indication that you think you won’t benefit from any work with an editor-- and since the best writers all work with editors, it’s actually a mark of inexperience and often a misstep to try to self-publish. If you are a good writer and you have a unique story to tell, you may readily find an agent (the first step) without much trouble. Good luck!</p>
<p>Sorry, but self publishing is an exercise in vanity, not an opportunity to market. Your hometown bookstore might humor you by taking a few copies on consignment, but that’s about it. No one takes a self published book seriously. It something wealthy women (and their kids) do because no publisher will publish their work.</p>
<p>With what you’re writing, I’d go for a more traditional publishing route. It might take longer to get published, but you would probably also receive helpful feedback along the way.</p>
<p>Self-publishing seems like a game most people lose in. To me, it just seems like a lot of unnecessary effort for low sales and possible debt from going that way.</p>