Does it make sense to submit an art (photography) supplement to Universities even if I am not applying as an art major? I have listed photography as one of my activities in the ‘Activities’ section of the Common App.
I don’t see why submitting that would be necessary unless you were going to an art school or for an art major.
No, not necessary. If you were a future art major, your portfolio would normally be forwarded to the art dept for evaluation and they would make a determination regarding your potential. But if you aren’t an art major, that would be a waste of their time and yours.
If you know you’re exceptional at it and photography is very important to you/your application, I would even if you’re not planning on pursuing it.
@N’s Mom
Not as a necessity, but perhaps as a way of showcasing my photography, which I have mentioned as an activity?
Do you have any awards for your photography? Have you participated in any art shows? Is one of your recommenders someone who has taught you photography? Those are all worth including in the application. But the schools aren’t going to admit you or reject you on the merits of your art, since you aren’t applying an art major, so there is no reason to submit a portfolio. They may or may not bother to look at it - but it isn’t going to influence the decision.
I get that you are proud of your work and what you’ve accomplished, and that’s great. But if you aren’t an art major, photography is just an EC like playing a musical instrument, a sport, or volunteering.
I think it depends on the school and your level of involvement. My daughter considers herself an artist and is very passionate about creating. She definitely has a talent, but she’s nowhere near world-class and is not even the best artist in her school (and has never won an award for her work). She’s not very involved in organized ECs, but spends a lot of time pursuing and improving this artistic passion on her own. Despite this she has no interest in pursing art as a career and intends to study chemistry. She will still be including an art portfolio to every highly selective school she applies to. She is an artist and she wants these schools to be able to see that (in addition to reading about it in her Common App essay).
dedex, before your D goes to all that trouble, it might make sense for her to talk to a few of the schools she’s applying to and ask if they will even look at the portfolio. I’m not suggesing that your D’s art work isn’t an important part of who she is, or isn’t good, or doesn’t reflect genuine talent - but when it’s only an EC and not a potential major, there really isn’t a reason for the school to review her work. Just as they don’t want tapes from all the musicians who aren’t music majors. Or copies of the poems and stories from the writers. There just isn’t enough time for admissions to review the work in that kind of detail.