How to Write About Research in College Application or Common App?
by
Indigo Research Team
&
Published:
August 14, 2024
Last Updated:
November 14, 2024
If you are a high school student or a parent of a high school student and have already thought about how you can highlight your achievements in the form of a research paper on your college application, this article is for you.
Indeed, conducting research and possibly publishing it in scientific journals is a remarkable achievement for a high school student. Therefore, it is a good idea to mention it to the admissions officers to make you stand out from the crowd. And in fact, there are a lot of places where you can indicate this. Read below where exactly.
Yes, of course. After all, let's be honest, this is often the reason why high school students conduct research (to impress the admission committee with their achievements).
But before we begin, it is worth noting that a significant research experience at highly selective colleges or universities can make a difference, but it won't speak for itself. You will have to help the admissions officer understand how it is part of your story and how it adds an edge to your overall application.
Make an impactful first impression by sharing not only your research findings but your transformative journey. Share how this journey has helped you refine your research skills, interests, and values.
Elaborate on how this research experience added to your growth and shaped up your personality. Talking about positive research contributions, such as advanced problem-solving ability, can help your application rank in the common application honors section as well.
One of the most widely used ways to submit a college application is through the Common App (Common Application) online. This is a special online service that allows you to submit your application to more than 1000 colleges at once.
So let's start with a description of how the sections of honors and awards in Common App can help you share information about your research with the chosen colleges.
Colleges love to see how productive you have been in spending your time in addition to formal clubs. Don't worry if you feel I don't have any awards or honors. Your research can cover up for that.
Make conscious attempts to elaborate on your motivation behind selecting your research project. List them in order of importance. Make sure your research makes it to the top three on the list. It would reflect positively on your unique experience and speak about your passion.
Briefly describe your experience, but make sure you include important details such as how many people worked with you in the team, how many people peer-reviewed your paper, and the name of your professor.
Example: Australian Educational Research, U. of Newcastle (Researched contempt. education issues w/ Prof. Gore; Halogen Foundation International Comp Winner.) helped in successful admission at Stanford and Princeton.
There is a section for honors and awards common app. If your research did very well, you have recognition up your sleeve, such as the best research paper or chosen to be published in a journal, then this is the place to add them.
Completing the Honors section in the Common App is not as easy as it seems. Take a quick look at how to fill the Common App Honors Section to get an expert opinion.
Use the 100-character limit wisely to describe your award. It’s always good to add some context about the award by writing a small description.
Have a look at this Common App Walkthrough that would steer you in the right direction with respect to functionality. It's better to streamline your profiles according to the Common App format.
Supplemental material is not mandatory but provides information that can be added to your college application. If you have completed a final report, created a presentation, or done a research project that speaks of who you are and reflects your passion, add it here.
If you opt to submit a supplement such as a research paper, it needs to be a good one. Saying you did a good research paper and showing how good you were are two different things. Make sure your paper is thoroughly proofread and your research advisor backs up your claim.
The common app has space to include your resume. You can mention your research in your resume if you think it's fitting. Make sure to summarize your research experience in bullet points in your resume. It will be similar to your activities list.
You can add both qualitative and quantitative bullets. For the qualitative bullets, mention which skills you developed. Which part of the research project you took the lead in? Don’t forget to add the name of the program or institution, dates, and mentor's name.
For the quantitative part, write which data you found. Which computer programs did you learn? How many people were working with you and what did you accomplish?
This is your chance to narrate your story by quoting scholastic achievement examples.
Your research project may have a small role in your statement or be the main event to highlight. Your research story should speak of your passion.
Some students include IB extended essays and use their research experience to tell a story about themselves:
No one besides you can talk about your research projects. Show that you are capable of talking about your complex research project to non-specialists, leaving the interviewers in awe.
Also, if the interviewer inquires about your interest in this specific university, you can casually bring up how you have worked under one of their professors during the research project or an internship.
Further, you can subtly mention you have stumbled upon their department's research reports while doing your research, and you found them fascinating.
Recommendation letters from experts serve as a good impression of the work that you have done in class. Your teacher can be a strong advocate who can speak about your creativity and independence during the research project.
Usually, students have their mentors submit recommendation letters advocating for their skill, passion, knowledge, and yearning to learn. Like a cherry on top, it would be incredible if your mentor is also a faculty member at the university you are applying to.
This way, they can speak about how you will be a great fit in their university environment.
As much as a research project is important for a college application to stand out in the common app awards section, it's not a guaranteed way for your application to be noticed.
Also, it does not mean that the student who does not have a college application backed by a research project will not stand out.
Research experience is not just a box you are trying to check on the college application. It's about strengthening your passion, developing new skills, exploring your interests, and sharing something exciting with the community.
If you’re looking to do some research to enhance your college application, our High School Research Programs can give you a good headstart. At Indigo Research, you can begin your research any time throughout the year, so plan to publish your research accordingly which will help you build on skills and knowledge.
Honors in Common App include research projects, awards, or recognitions. Listing these would make your application stand out by speaking about your passion. Colleges have an eye for students who bring diverse interests and talents to the institute.
You can list five awards. For this you have to write a brief description (100 characters or less) for each reward. You can write the name of the honor, the meaning or purpose behind it, and the year you received it.
It's in the education section of the common app. First, it will ask for how many honors you want to list since they are limited to five. So, you may want to list the most important ones and represent your academic achievements to the best.
Yes, colleges check and verify your extracurriculars through counselors and teachers. They do so to confirm the involvement of the student in extracurricular activities.
Some colleges ask for proof of extracurriculars. It will be mentioned in the requirements sections. If a college is not asking for it, you don’t have to provide proof of extracurriculars. Colleges usually ask for proof of top-level accomplishments. For example, if you win an international piano competition you can provide a certificate for that.
If you are interested in doing research in your high school, consider joining our research program. We will pair you with top professor whose expertise is the same as your interest and we will guide you to leverage your research experience in your college application.
