Don’t a lot of schools have Research Supplements? I know Columbia has one (https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/first-year/supplementary-materials).
Also are you guys saying that universities don’t really look at the Supplementary Materials part of the application? https://admissions.yale.edu/supplementary
Is first authorship really that common? 
Re @2Devils I think my school has a similar process, but I’ll check with my GC - thanks for sharing!
Re @brantly I think for all the schools I’m applying to, I’m allowed 2 letters from HS teachers, 1 from the GC, and a research supplement or another additional supplement/LoR… Am I missing something or getting this completely wrong?
Re @cptofthehouse What do you mean by “personal channel”? What more can I do to make my work stand out - given that it is genuine and is published? Would it make me look BAD to submit these things because so many people are doing it?