A big passion and hobby of mine is art; i spend a lot of time on it, can I list this as an EC? Also, could I submit a portfolio showcasing some of my talent even if I don’t plan on majoring in anything related to art in college? Would it help at all?
Yes.
Yes, if the college allows you to do so. And it’s semantics, but you are really asking if you should submit a supplement, which is fewer pieces than a portfolio. A portfolio is more needed for art schools.
With that in mind, though, this is what one college (and I know this is not one of your targets) says:
https://admissions.yale.edu/supplementary#art
Depends upon the college. As an example, one college you are targeting is Vandy, and they say:
https://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/vandybloggers/2014/01/application-faqs/
So you need to do two things:
• Check to see if any of your target schools will accept an art supplement
• Get an independent opinion from an art instructor on your work to see if it will enhance your application or detract from it.
Good luck.