<p>Heyyyy, just wanted to know what ppl were submitting for your space?</p>
<p>probably nothing, I’ve got no ideas and no time left. Hopefully it won’t hurt my chances too much…</p>
<p>i took my upenn optional essay and fixed it up and sent that saying it was part of an autobiography i am writing…it was a good essay and i ran out of time so i just sent it haha</p>
<p>i sent in a bound copy of some of my favorite pieces of my own writing. i also frequently make newspaper collages, so for the front, back, and inside covers i made these newspaper collages that were combinations of color and text which each formed an image. it sounds like your standard 3rd grade project, but it was actually pretty sweet.</p>
<p>Be careful thinking that optional really means optional folks…what optional means is that you are going the extra mile, you have something extra that wasn’t highlighted elsewhere in the app, that there’s more to you than is already there. And don’t you think they REALLY DO want to see that?</p>
<p>I would say unless you are a Westinghouse finalist or have performed on Broadway…optional doesn’t really mean optional. Optional is only for the exceptional. The rest of us put out 110%, willingly.</p>
<p>I personally made a SMALL collage of some articles I’ve written for my school paper, two which were on controversial issues, such as homophobia within my school. I felt since I was Editor-in-Chief I might as well show them some articles I was passionate about.</p>
<p>i made an anthology of all of my photos, did a charcoal drawing for the cover, and wrote and introduction to it in french. and bound it. hopefully that will be a good submission.</p>
<p>My son sent in a pair of earrings - he makes them.</p>
<p>I sent in my first published article, an alternative resume (one giant paradox: it looked quite polished, but all of the details were little things about myself that were more on the quirky side), and a research paper entailing the new cure for MRSA that I discovered at my lab internship (a laymen’s abstract was included).</p>
<p>I just used an essay I wrote for Brown. I was running out of time then. Hopefully it won’t make them feel that I don’t care about it =/ My counselor said it was a great essay though.</p>
<p>@ ilmkmom</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say that not sending in a “your space” part of the application would hurt your chances at admission. when they say optional, they mean optional. adding it may only help you, but they won’t discriminate against applications that do not have that part of the supplement.</p>
<p>I made a mix tape and explained why each song on it was important to me (kinda like the celebrity playlists Itunes used to have). I was able to come out with an eclectic array of songs from Simon & Garfunkel to Flight of the Conchords, and I made a sweet album cover with bears giving their opinions on the songs–I was so sad that I couldn’t think of any amazing bear puns at the time though =(</p>
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<p>CalciumRich, i respectfully disagree. besides showing that there really is nothing else to your application than the materials you’ve submitted, you’re letting all the other applicants have a chance to shine and reach out to the admissions officers in a unique, creative, memorable way. why would anyone want to do that?</p>
<p>with competition the way it is for these schools, it’s a lost opportunity at best. and a representation of your follow-through at worst.</p>
<p>that might just be me, though.</p>
<p>I sent a portfolio of my best paintings, drawings, and photographs of architectural models I created.</p>
<p>I sent nothing.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>Maybe they’ll appreciate not having to read extra stuff.</p>
<p>@sehnsuch</p>
<p>don’t worry. my friend applied and didn’t submit anything extra to Vassar. when they say “optional,” they mean it. She goes there now and she loves it. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.</p>