Why Research Matters:
Top US universities such as UPenn and Caltech revealed that 30% and 50% of their admitted students respectively showcased their research projects in their applications.
CCIR Academy’s online research programs are some of the most rigorous and competitive academic programs in the world, with Summer 2023’s acceptance rate reaching 20%.
CCIR’s professor-admission system and its competitive global admissions process makes participating in the research experience a great achievement in and of itself. Many alumni graduate from the program with:
- High-level research papers supervised by top-tier university professor mentors
- Academic Evaluation Reports written and signed by their professor mentor
- Letter of recommendation tailored and personally written by their professor mentor
- Publication at academic conferences and peer-reviewed journals (including both undergraduate and graduate levels)
- Valuable experiences and connections that reflect in college admission essays
Here’s how CCIR students and alumni stand out from the rest during college admissions:
Common App Activities
As a CCIR student and alumni, you are able to list CCIR research as an activity on the Common App.
Helpful Tips:
- Include the overall acceptance rate of your cohort to showcase competitive admissions.
- Mention the university that your professor mentor is affiliated with.
- If your program takes place during your school year, selecting “During school year” under Timing of Participation showcases your passion and commitment to academic pursuits as well as impressive time management skills — something the admission officers look for.
- If you’ve received a competitive CCIR Merit Scholarship/Financial Aid — congratulations!— Another competitive statistic to showcase your excellence.
If you prefer to highlight your relationship with your professor mentor (especially for 1-on-1 Research Mentorship students), you can use a template like this:
Personal Statement and Supplementary Essays
Choosing to write about your CCIR experience in your PS or supplementals gives you a competitive edge. Not every student has the chance to undertake this level of academic challenge during high school. This will no doubt help you stand out.
Some essay ideas:
- Taking the initiative to go above and beyond traditional extracurricular work by applying to CCIR
- Navigating dense reading materials and generating your own research paper
- Balancing research, other ECAs, and school work
- Your relationship with your professor mentor
- What you learned from your peers from around the world (for Future Scholar students and alumni)
- Your publication journey
Resume and CV
CVs are who you are professionally on a piece of paper. Make sure to include all of your achievements and highlight your CCIR experience to showcase your passion, curiosity, resilience, and ambition.
Your CCIR Section could look like this:
School-Specific Supplementary Materials
A number of top-tier US universities encourage applicants to submit for their research as their supplementary application materials.
Columbia Undergraduate Admissions
Generally, you are asked to briefly explain your research and include your research mentor’s information. You may also need to submit your final research paper or an abstract. If your paper has been accepted at a conference or journal—a huge achievement for high school level students—you will also have the opportunity to specifically highlight this information.
Some schools, such as MIT and Columbia, will ask you to submit your mentor’s information or recommendation letter. Feel free to email your professor mentor. They will most likely be happy to draft a well-rounded recommendation for you and upload the letter directly.
The harsh reality is that admission officers may not have the time to dive into your 20-page paper on machine learning in computer vision due to the sheer number of applicants. This is why highlighting your publication and/or mentor reference is critical.
Here’s an example of what a CCIR research experience could look like on the Columbia University’s supplement section on CommonApp:
Conclusion
As of 2021, nearly 80% of CCIR alumni who applied to US universities were admitted into a US News Top 30 university. This is testament of not only our students’ aptitude and hardwork, but also our professor mentors’ care and dedication.
CCIR is here to support every student to excel academically. The research that our students do in the program will continue to impact their academic journeys and even get published as alumni. If you are a CCIR alumni, you can always talk to our Academics Team who is happy to provide you with continued publication support.
