Should you submit extra documents?

"Is there anything more that I can do to boost my chances of admission?" Many students ask us this question. They hope that adding extras to their application will make it stand out, so they include award certificates, research papers, theses, and additional recommendation letters.

In general, we advise that you submit extra documents only if you think that it is absolutely necessary and will help to clarify certain aspects of your application. Some examples are thesis abstracts and one page letters explaining the reason for a low GPA.

If it is not essential, extra documentation will hinder your application. Although you want to distinguish yourself from the competition, admissions committees have an enormous number of applications to process. Extra documents can be distracting. Your time will be more wisely spent improving the required application materials rather than trying to include extra information.

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 Here are some suggestions to help you decide whether to include extra documents in your application:

Are there any aspects of your application that you are concerned about and would like to explain further?  If your reasons are valid, you may want to include a letter of explanation. For example, if you did poorly in a particular class or school semester due to illness, family emergency or other extenuating circumstances, a short letter of explanation may help. 

Another area that may warrant further explanation is your research work. The admissions officer may not have time to review your entire research paper, so you can include a a thesis abstract of less than one page. Keep in mind, however, that admissions officers are not required to review any extra documentation.

Many students ask us about sending additional letters of recommendation. If you are planning to do this, do not select someone from the same university or company as your other references. Remember that additional documents containing redundant information are useless and distracting.

Are you adding information that will increase the organization and accessibility of your application? If your application is organized, the admissions officer will spend less time sifting through your application and organizing it, and more time learning about you. For example, a thesis abstract summarizing the key points of your research will save the admissions officer the time of having to look over a 40 page research paper.

Do you have any special awards, certificates, or other documentation demonstrating your proficiency in certain areas? Some students feel it necessary to provide evidence of their language proficiency, technical skills, work promotions, or other achievements. This may be helpful to your application. Please remember to submit these documents in English so the admissions committee can read them!

Don't waste your time showing off! To display their creative talent, some students submit video tapes, CDs, and other multi-media productions. We generally do not recommend doing this because it takes needed time away from the actual preparation of your application. If you have extra time on your hands, why not review your application one more time?  Most admissions officers do not have easy access to a VCR, movie projector, or CD player, and do not have time to make the special effort of viewing these unnecessary productions. Use your time wisely and focus on the content of your application. Of course, students applying to creative programs such as fine arts, film production, and fashion design are required to submit creative materials.