<p>Ok so one of the short answer questions asks about the most interesting fact I learned from research…but I never completed any research in high school. So, how should I answer this question? About anything I learned in school?</p>
<p>You must have “researched” something. It doesn’t have to be a big research project, just anything. I think my son put something “silly” he learned about in biology.</p>
<p>Make your short answers meaningful. Use them to help paint the picture of who you are. Use the research prompt to emphasize some aspect of your history or aspirations, or expand the reader’s view of you in a way that might be unexpected from the rest of your application.</p>
<p>For instance, if you want to be a biologist, I would use some interesting, non-trivial fact about something biological. A weird fact about bats. Something that leads them to think that you’ve gone to the trouble to research something that interests you. There is research going on today in every conceivable field, so do some google searching and maybe even a trip to the library and take this as an opportunity to learn.</p>
<p>Think of your application as a prism, the short answer is one facet. Don’t waste a single word!</p>
<p>Eh, I feel you should either put something that shows your strengths or put something lighthearted. I was getting bored by the end of my app and it was clear that for “Something I didn’t expect from a volunteer experience was…,” they expected me to talk about how fulfilling I found it and how much I grew, but instead. Said “monetary compensation.” Clearly didn’t affect my app too much, as I got into Honors with a scholarship. It’s not a huge deal.</p>
<p>Both of my kids made them REALLY short answers. If you are worried about not getting in, maybe information from the answers could push you over the edge I guess.</p>