<p>Hey there, @mathjj and @dbadani!
I’ve been watching the Harvard admissions process carefully over the past few years (though I just joined CC) and have come to the following conclusions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>@Gibby is absolutely right: the papers submitted are of an (unusually) high level. It’s Harvard and they get the best of the best. So think VERY VERY carefully before you submit any research work; you might as well show no research work rather than let your application reflect poorly on your research skills.</p></li>
<li><p>Now, about the essay: from what experience I’ve gained, do <em>NOT</em> write about your research in the essay/supplement if you are not submitting your work. The obvious question that comes up when Harvard reads your essay is that ‘If the research paper is so important to the applicant, why wasn’t it sent?’ There will certainly be suspicions on the quality of your work in such a case. On the other hand, if you’re writing about your research just to show ‘passion,’ again, do NOT do so: passion is certainly NOT enough for mighty Harvard; you might as well talk about something that makes you stand out in the applicant pool. For example, talk about something that you’ve won, something that helped you change the world around you etc. In my opinion, that makes for a MUCH stronger essay as it reflects upon your strong points.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>But again, that’s just my 2 cent of advice. Do what you feel may be right :)</p>