I’m not sure if this is something people do, but I’ve been wondering whether the 150-character descriptions I’ve written for my 10 activities accomplish what they should. Might anyone be willing to look over them and let me know if I should change anything (e.g., order) or take a different approach? I’ve copied them below. Thanks so much!
Astrophysics Researcher
Researched strong gravitational lensing & tidal disruption events. 2x ISEF finalist; AAS presenter; RNAAS sole author; 2nd paper under MNRAS review.
NASA SEES Intern
Model/data validation for 7,000+ TESS light curves & identified 5 microlensing candidates. Presented at NASA symposium; team selected for AGU.
Private Pilot
Earned FAA Private Pilot Certificate; flew solo, cross-country & at night in Class B/C airspace; applied navigation, systems & emergency procedures.
Jazz/Classical Pianist
Jazz combo pianist; nationally selected for Disney World performance. Classically trained at Interlochen & [program]. 1st prize [program] & [state] piano festival.
STEM Education & Public Outreach
500 hrs STEM; developed exhibit from my research, trained volunteers & ran planetarium shows. Led 200+ campers; [program] instructor.
Accompanist/Arranger/Coach
Accompanied 50+ students/ensembles; arranged musical theater/jazz, coached rehearsals for competitions & concerts. Learned repertoire in 1-2 days.
Family Caregiver
Care for dad post-stroke: lead speech/reading exercises, taught him to cook via modified techniques; assist with mobility & PT, drive to appointments.
NASA Citizen Science Researcher
4,000+ NASA citizen science classifications, 3 projects; analyzed microlensing, galaxy redshifts & WISE data for brown dwarfs/planetary-mass objects.
Science Policy/Advocacy
Published science policy op-ed in [newspaper]; wrote testimony used in senator meetings re NSF budget cuts. Polled 100+ students on research access.
[university] Math Circle
Solve Putnam/AMC/USAMO problems in combinatorics, number theory, graph theory & logic; present rigorous proofs & introduce Project Euler solutions.
These look like some great ECs you’ve been involved in!
My first thought is that there are a lot of acronyms that someone not familiar with the fields you are mentioning may not know. I also don’t get context as to where and who you’re doing the research with. If you just removed it for privacy, feel free to do the (program) etc substitutions you’ve done.
Some of the ECs don’t really tell me what you did, or how you made an impact. I’m on my way out, but I’d be happy to give you more detailed feedback later.
I’ve included your previous forum link indicating that you are a prospective physics major aiming for the best schools with top-ranked programs.
Remember, admissions people will be reading & evaluating your application, not necessarily instructors, professors, or staff associated with the mathematics or physics department, unlike graduate school admissions.
You need to ensure that admissions will read & understand your list of 10 activities & accomplishments exactly how you want them interpreted during the application evaluation.
You might expand these in the additional info section with more detail on each. A paragraph on each should suffice, I would share if the research is on your own or somewhere with a mentor. Provide a link to the RNAAS article (that’s an article not a paper, correct?)
What does 500 hours stem mean? The rest is fine.
I have no issues with the rest, the acronyms are ok as you don’t have the room to write them out.