<p>So I put down on my resume myself as a Semifinalist in an international piano competition. This is legit.</p>
<p>I sent in an art supplement, but when some people at Harvard listened to them (after I already mailed it to Harvard), they told me that:</p>
<p>a) The recording shouldn't be on an upright piano
b) The recording quality itself is poor
c) The difficulty of the pieces is not high enough
d) The playing itself is not particularly impressive</p>
<p>Will this ruin my application? I am worried it will cast doubt on my international piano competition semifinalist lol. I talked about getting tendonitis in my additional info section as a reason why I haven't played piano much since freshman year...</p>
<p>If you called and asked, then you can always call and ask again (anonymously, if you’re embarrassed, asking the effects of a negative art supplement)</p>
<p>Harvard is above all an academic institution; your ability to play a musical instrument is really secondary to your potential as a scholar.</p>
<p>If you are accepted, rejected or deferred – it will have nothing to do with your musical ability. Several years ago, a student I know was accepted to Juilliard because of masterful ability at piano, yet he was waitlisted at Harvard. Obviously, this student’s music ability had no bearing whatsoever on his application. It will be the same with your application.</p>
<p>How are you saying that playing an instrument is completely irrelevant in defining who someone is? both as a person and on paper. Harvard is not an institution that harbors only academic overachievers. They want people who can also have different passions, quirks, and personalities. Saying that having a passion in music or an instrument (in reality it shouldn’t matter what kind of passion it is) has no bearing whatsoever in entrance to this world’s most diversity-driven university is just wrong.</p>
<p>I think what gibby is saying is that you won’t get rejected because of a bad performing arts supplement. </p>
<p>Harvard is above all an academic institution. Being a champion of multiple international competitions won’t get you into Harvard if you have subpar grades in high school, low SAT/ACT/SAT IIs, hastily written essays, or poor recommendations. While having this high level of talent looks good on an application, it’s only one part of the application.</p>
<p>^^ Thank you. What I’m saying is that Harvard judges each applicant first on academics and secondly on EC’s. I know many students at Harvard who are just okay at their EC’s, be it in music, art, theater or dance. Harvard accepted them because they were top scholars, not because they were top in their EC field or because of their passion for EC’s. Not everyone there has the abilities of a Yo-Yo Ma.</p>
<p>Academics are just a basis. There are more great scholars than Harvard can accept; grades get your foot in the door, but after that it’s your ECs or international awards that get you in.</p>
<p>^^ You need to do a bit more reading of how Harvard reads applications. Teacher recommendations are far more important than EC’s and international awards. Here are just a few quotes from William Fitzsimmons:</p>
<p>“Our applicant pools are more homogenous than ever,” he said. “So recommendations are more important than ever.” He shared that at Harvard, recommendations are ranked from one to six based on the strength of the endorsement of the student."</p>
<p>"Recommendations from secondary school teachers and counselors are extremely important at Harvard and at many other colleges, particularly those with selective admissions processes. Faced with more academically qualified applicants than places in the freshman class, our admission officers review the two required teacher recommendations and the counselor report with great care, often commenting on them in writing on “reader sheets” in each application.</p>
<p>We often project the recommendations themselves onto large screens so that all members of the Admissions Committee can see them during the subcommittee and full committee review processes in February and March.</p>
<p>Recommendations can help us to see well beyond test scores and grades and other credentials and can illuminate such personal qualities as character and leadership as well as intellectual curiosity, creativity, and love of learning. Along with essays, interviews, and other materials in the application, recommendations can offer evidence of an applicant’s potential to make a significant difference to a college community and beyond."</p>