supplemental materials - to send or not to send

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braindrain
Posts: 158
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:23 am

supplemental materials - to send or not to send

Post by braindrain » Thu Jan 11, 2007 4:39 pm

Does anyone know if you have a publication or a poster or a thesis, whether it is recommended to actually send in a copy to the admissions committee as supplemental material? I can't imagine they would have time to read it, but does anyone know if its typically done or not? I think when applications or web sites mention writing samples that's more for the humanities people and not for us. Is there any consensus on this?

soluyanov
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 1:06 pm

Post by soluyanov » Thu Jan 11, 2007 4:46 pm

Braindrain, I think that any admission committee would like not to receive papaers which are uncalled for. I think that would be enough to include a publication list in your resume.

I really doubt, that anyone in the admission committee has time and desire to look at your article deeper than it's title, even if it is published in Science or Nature...

rjharris
Posts: 101
Joined: Wed May 10, 2006 6:48 pm

Post by rjharris » Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:14 pm

you absolutely do not send in articles, papers, etc.

HOWEVER, if there is something you've published since the application was sent in, you could (and should) send a suppliment to your application that gives the title and a reference (if published)

cazcazcaz
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2006 1:47 pm

Post by cazcazcaz » Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:14 pm

However, you should give the committie that choice. Send your paper, it CAN'T hurt... Unless you attach a note to it advocating genocide or some such

somebody
Posts: 68
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 4:25 pm

Post by somebody » Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:21 pm

yeah i agree with cazcazcaz, at worst they just throw it away, at best you might really impress somebody on the admissions committee, they won't reject you because of it but it might help you get in

braindrain
Posts: 158
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:23 am

posters?

Post by braindrain » Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:47 pm

But, what about an 8 1/2 x 11 version of a poster for a conference. It would be hard to see all the detail that small, but could emphasis strengths as a theoretician or experimentalists depending on what pictures are shown and it would easily show the topic. Pictures should be visible that small. My only concern was that the poster was work that wasn't published and I don't want people to take pre-published work. But, does a poster have the same stature as a paper and for those who would send in a paper, would you send in a poster?

slee
Posts: 38
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 7:10 pm

Post by slee » Thu Jan 11, 2007 6:03 pm

i actually sent in a paper in preparation with my applications (and a full size poster, for some). for the online applications, i just included pdf versions (e.g. for harvard, under supplemental materials + resume, etc). i figured that if they look at them in electronic form, then including the full size poster would be best; if they print them out, then the poster will just get cropped or scaled anyways. at worst, the reviewer will just disregard these materials; at best, they could catch someone's eye. i figure stuffing in 7 or so more pieces of paper isn't going to piss anybody off, especially if they sort of ask for it, right? where did you guys hear that you shouldn't include extra materials? oh well, too late anyways!

somebody
Posts: 68
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 4:25 pm

Post by somebody » Thu Jan 11, 2007 6:06 pm

no i wouldnt send in a paper sized poster because that seems more like somebody desparate and looking for attention screaming, "Hey look at me, I do research!", plus the people on the committee won't be able to read it most likely (remember most of them are over 40 and reminding them of their inability to read small print due to old age isn't a good thing to do while they are evaluating your application)

soluyanov
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 1:06 pm

Post by soluyanov » Thu Jan 11, 2007 6:40 pm

What is the purpose of SOP then???

We are supposed to describe our research experience there. Plus a resume or CV... These documents are designed for this very purpose I think.

I did not include my papers and posters - there are about 400 applicants to an average department, imagine at least 1/4 of them sending in their "research". I don't think any University has enough room to store it. All the applications are printed out to be viewed by the committee, if they also look at the articles and posters - the admission process will last for years.

slee
Posts: 38
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 7:10 pm

Post by slee » Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:23 pm

meh, i don't think that it is such a big deal. it's not like i want them to sit down and read the entire paper; a glance is usually enough to tell if something looks professional or not. if they are really interested in a candidate, THEN they might sit through and read their materials more closely. i'd think that as long as you don't go overboard and submit an 80 page thesis it should be ok. besides, the application instructions usually say if you include papers, publications, etc. put your information on them and that they'll destroy them afterwards, so make copies and what not. so why not send something if they say it's ok? but this is just what i thought when i went through the process, so i might be wrong! but i don't feel too anxious about it either way; if it pisses them off so much to have a few extra pages to deal with then they probably won't be so fun to work with anyways.

as for sending unpublished materials, my astrophysics professor told me plagiarism and stealing results isn't anything to be worried about, at least in our subtopic. things might be different in other fields?

i'd think that an overlong personal statement would be more of a deal breaker. supplemental materials are just that, but it seems like application reviewers would pretty much have to read through personal statements to be fair. i'd be more annoyed if i had to read through 3 pages than if i had to read 1.5 pages with the option to glance through 10. and i've read that even the personal statement isn't such a big deal, unless you write a really bad one (e.g. see the post and comments at http://cosmicvariance.com/2005/12/20/un ... te-school/ ).

again, just my opinion! my applications are mostly submitted, so the point is moot for me anyways.

braindrain
Posts: 158
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:23 am

Post by braindrain » Fri Jan 12, 2007 12:49 pm

Would you still send a paper if you weren't first author? Because if you weren't first author then it would be hard to distinguish what your contribution is.

What I heard about posters was that anyone could make a poster look nice but its another question whether there is real science in there so I can see the benefit of a glance but a glance wouldn't be enough to garner the real substance. But, I agree, if you were a prof. interested in a specific student you may look deeper.

I had a lab supervisor once (in the biology exp. area not our programs) that said his student was accepted to a prestigious program based on the paper she did in his lab. So, I assumed they had the physical paper to look at and not just a title but I could be wrong.

I don't think its necessarily too late. It would have to be FEDexed right now, but I think for some places even the earlier places because they were closed for the holidays are still sorting scores transcripts and paperwork.

I'm glad someone said they print out all the applications. I would image if they viewed everything electronically what a security breech that might cause if they started downloading applications and passing them to lab members, etc...

slee
Posts: 38
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 7:10 pm

Post by slee » Fri Jan 12, 2007 5:38 pm

good point, i wouldn't send something if i wasn't first author.



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