<p>So yeah, I want to submit an art supplement, but I have no clue how. Do we print out the pictures of our work and mail it to them? I heard something about linking them through common app to a website with your works displayed? Are there more specifications (i.e. max file size, dimensions, required info like medium)? How do you even submit one through the common app? Is there a button to push? Where do we post the link?</p>
<p>Sorry if it sounds like I'm asking 38470 questions. I'm just really confused. Any help would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Hey, good question, I’m also trying to figure out the same things right now! After setting up a common app account, I did see a “supplement” link next to the name of some colleges. Is that how you submit art supplement?</p>
<p>Read the requirements on the art supplement form in the common app. Submit 12 or so images in a single pdf with explanations at the bottom of each image–e.g. title (if appropriate), medium (watercolor or whatever), original size, and whether done from a photograph or life. I suggest sending a hard copy “composite” with your Art Supplement (this will go paper clipped with the Art Supplement form, your art resume, and your letter of rec from an art teacher)–on good paper with your full name, date of birth, and the name of your high school designed nicely into the layout somewhere. On this composite you can have either a sampling of everything in your portfolio or just a few of your very best pieces. Take some time with this piece as the layout ends up being a piece of art in itself. You can also use this composite as the first “page” in your pdf portfolio. Your pdf should be a small file size as they are all busy and the last thing you want to do is try their patience with hefty, slow loading files. Burn the pdf onto a cd, label with your name, high school and date of birth, and send with the other items in an envelope to the admissions offices. Make sure the school you are applying to accepts the Art Supplement from the Common App. You can call and ask if you can’t find it on their website. Most do, some very few schools (like Yale) have had their own requirements unless they’ve changed.</p>
<p>The school should give you the information you need on this. From our search, we’ve learned that some schools prefer you to present your works in person. Of course, this isn’t always possible. There was one college web site that went into great detail on how to take photos of your work, if you were sending it to them. Here’s an example of what Rochester Institue of Technology wants to see:</p>
<p>Thanks so much wrist, toledo, and Synth! Those were really helpful. </p>
<p>Is it worth sending in art supplement if I’m not planning to become an art major? I took only one art class at school throughout all three years, but I’ve done a lot of painting and drawing outside of school on my own. I’m planning to list art as one of my ECs so I thought I should supplement the application with a few samples of my artwork. Do colleges only want art supplement from majors? It sounds like that from the supplement requirement. And is the art instructor recommendation mandatory?</p>
<p>you’re welcome, xrCalico. I’ve helped a number of applicants with the technical end of getting art supplement portfolios together (scanning, shooting, helping them decide which pieces to include, making the pdfs and cds) and none was an art major. I’ve also helped art majors, but they have different requirements. The supplement is just that–a fuller picture of who you are, but it’s extra. Yes, the Common Ap Arts Supplement requires a letter of rec, but in your case, perhaps you could ask that one art teacher to mention that most of your portfolio was created on your own.</p>
<p>At some of the top 10 schools Art Supplements matter significantly in
improving your chances of being admitted. The assumption
here of course is that the material you are submitting is
of appropriate quality. Most applicants do not intend to pursue Art
Majors at these schools.</p>
<p>Schools where your supplement can make a difference (anectodal):
Princeton & Stanford (both very high impact); Brown (high impact).
I am not sure if the supplement makes much of an impact at
Harvard, Yale, MIT, Caltech, Upenn or Duke.</p>
<p>Great! I’ve been debating on whether to send in an art supplement, and after browsing through various other discussion forums on this subject and hear from you guys, I think I really should give it a try. So, if I want to include a watercolor painting that’s 22 in by 30 in, I should just take a picture of it with a regular camera, right? since the painting doesn’t exactly fit in an average scanner? Or, is there a more technically correct way of scanning artworks?</p>
<p>Thank you guys so much! Just to clarify, art supplements must be physically submitted right? At least it seems that way for Harvard and Stanford. I’m just making sure because I was planning on doing the common app and supplements online and would like to simply provide them a link. </p>
<p>Also, from Stanford and Harvard’s guidelines, it seems I can’t make a CD that contains a PDF portfolio, right? That would be much preferred to those dreaded 35 mm slides, but if it’s not possible, then I suppose I’ll just have to use the slides.</p>
<p>Lastly, I’m planning on attaching a resume to include additional EC’s (darn 7 slots on the common app). The arts supplement requires an additional arts resume. Should I submit both a normal resume with my common app and an arts resume with my supplement? Furthermore, should I omit my art-related activities on the common app resume and put them all on the arts resume? I’m not sure, seeing as how they seem to be reviewed by different departments. I definitely want the adcoms to note some of my significant art awards, but I don’t want to be redundant in including the awards on both resumes. </p>
<p>Thanks again for taking your time to help a desperate applicant out!</p>
<p>^^^ Yes, arts supplement is a form that you send in via mail. Make
sure if you are sending to Stanford that you follow every nit picking rule
they have for mailing.</p>
<p>You can include additional ECs art or otherwise in the ‘Additional information
Section’. The Arts supplement usually requires a detailed resume (detailing
your repetoire, awards, honors, performances etc.) </p>
<p>If you have national level awards in art make them prominently visible in your
app and in the additional info section. You can repeat them in the Arts resume.
Top schools respect such awards immensely - do not be shy. If your reader does not
want to read something they will skip it.</p>
<p>Synth, are you sure about that? I’m also wondering the same thing the OP addressed. I’m very art-oriented with my EC’s, so my additional information section would be dominated by art related activities. The same activities would probably be on my art resume.</p>
<p>The real question, then, is whether or not the adcoms read both resumes. Looking at the guidelines set forth by Stanford, it seems that the art department only looks at the letter of rec and the artwork, but not the actual art resume. In that case, I think it WOULD be redundant to include the same activities on both resumes and forcing the adcoms to read the same thing twice – I’d definitely be wary of wasting their time.</p>
<p>I could be wrong on that though. I’m not entirely sure who reads the resumes. Clarification would help though. Thanks OP for bringing this up – I never thought about that until now.</p>
<p>Also random question, do the adcoms actually see your work or is it just the art department that does?</p>
<p>xrCalico–since it’s not for reproduction, a digital photo is fine. (unless you’re really fussy in which case you can take it to one of the Kinko’s that has an extra large scanning bed!)</p>
<p>Different schools do it differently. From what I understand, the norm is that they send the portfolio to the art department and get written comments. That’s why I suggest adding a printed single cover sheet (composite) that has a sampling of the portfolio pieces for admissions to see. It would go with the Art Supplement form, art resume and letter of rec that admissions does see.</p>