So I am applying early action to Yale and I was thinking of sending in an arts supplement for dance. I do Kathak, a type of Indian Classical dance. I was worried that colleges won’t understand the dance form unless they see a video of it, so I thought a supplement would help. I’m also think I’m pretty good at the art form, I am part of a preprofessional performance ensemble in my region that is really hard to get into. Do you think this would help my application at all?
If you want more reference on what Kathak is, you can just look up a video of it, or if you PM me I can send you a video of my ensemble dancing so you can get an idea of my skill level. Thanks!!! Any advice would seriously be appreciated
Just for reference, here are some of my other stats:
Class Rank: I know I’m in the top 5% at least
SAT: 1510
I have all As except for one B+ my freshman year in geometry, and I have pretty much taken the most academically rigorous courses my HS offers
ECs:
Kathak (Indian classical dance)- I’m part of a competitive performance ensemble that performs all over New England and we perform in professional shows; I’ve also won many competitions
Currently studying to get my degree in North Indian classical singing (I have my diploma currently)
I spent two summers working at a biotech company as an animal technician + I had the opportunity to do some lab work
I’m in dance team at my school where I choreographed and taught ballet-kathak fusion pieces + I introduced kathak dance into the choreo
I think it would be unnecessary. Sending a supplement won’t necessarily mean they understand what it takes to be elite, and the adcoms can see devotion and excellence from what you’ve already described without a supplement.
I had high level artistic pursuits but didn’t send a supplement anywhere, and my Yale admiasions officer complimented me on my artistic achievements.
@exyalie15 thanks! That’s exactly what I was thinking, even though it’s just my counselor who wants me to send it. In your opinion, do you think I really have a chance overall?? (I by no means think I have a chance, I pretty much am expecting to get rejected, but Yale is my dream school)
I have heard otherwise - that’s it’s best to send in. My friend’s D is at Yale right now, and sent in an arts supplement. They heard from their college counselor that it was a great way to differentiate yourself from the exact stats they see all day long. And I guess it worked!
@cardust - I may be wrong, but I think that exyalie15 performed classical music at a very high - professional level - in high school. This exceptional accomplishment put her in an extremely elite - but also easily evaluated - group of applicants to Yale. She didn’t need to submit a music supplement to prove her extraordinary music abilities. You seem to be an extremely accomplished classical Indian dancer, which, however, is a much less familiar art form to ad coms than classical western music or dance. IMHO then a supplemental video would really help to bring home to the admissions committee members how special and beautiful your dancing is. Also, in my personal experience, @3mamagirls is correct. My son and his classical music peers all sent in supplemental music videos, and they were all admitted (and are performing in the YSO now). These applicants also had other distinctive features of their applications that helped them gain admission to Yale. But their video supplements were an expression of their longstanding dedication to classical music and performance and therefore an integral part of their applications.
@worriestoomuch hmm i was thinking that too. do you think this supplement could in any way hurt my application? because that’s what im nervous about, i dont want to inadvertently lower my chances of admission
@cardust I don’t think it will hurt at all. In fact, after talking extensively to my friend whose D is at Yale now, I plan on having my D use the art supplement for her dance as well. It can only set you apart from the other applicants. It’s one thing to write this down on paper, but it’s another to actually see it in a video supplement where the art can come alive.
I don’t want to be a wet blanket, but I think that Yale’s official policy should be seriously considered.
An AO will not be a subject matter expert, so supplementary materials, if they might be of a caliber to affect admission positively, will probably be sent to an appropriate faculty member. You do not want the report to be something like, “very capable HS-level dancer, but please, we’re busy here.”
My son at Skidmore submitted an art portfolio, but Skidmore actively solicits supplements. I would place weight on Yale’s statement that it’s for talent “that cannot be conveyed adequately in the rest of your application.” Awards can usually indicate talent adequately. An additional LoR from a dance instructor, choreographer, etc. might be helpful.
IMO, less can be more on applications. Imagine how the Admissions office would react if every STEM student sent a copy of their published research, or if they received every published short story, etc.
In our case, we let DS’s supervisor submit a supplementary LoR which described the published research, his work with DS, and provided a link should anyone care to view the publication. We debated even having an additional LoR, but decided that it was warranted.
In any case, good luck. Please take these opinions in the spirit in which they’re offered.
@cardust - Is there a Classical Indian Dance program at Yale currently? Is there a teacher who you want to study with? If neither of these options exist, do you plan to continue your study of Kathak while at Yale, and how will you accomplish that? Will you start a club to teach and perform Kathak? These are questions that you should address in your essays, otherwise the supplement won’t either add or detract from your application. The reason why accomplished artists, dancers, musicians, writers and scientists submit supplementary materials is because they want to make a persuasive case that those pursuits are an integral part of of their identities, and that they will continue to intensively study those things while at college. There are stunningly beautiful dance studios in the Colleges for dance practice and rehearsals, so clearly dance is valued at Yale. Kathak is an incredibly intricate, difficult to master, and rare dance form (in the US), so yes, if you are as accomplished as your post states, you should submit a supplementary video. But be sure to explain in the body of your application why Kathak has been so important to you in the past, and why it will continue to be important to you in college Best of luck to you!
Will it be obvious to a person who knows nothing about Kathak that you are highly skilled at it, just from watching the video? If the answer is yes, then I don’t see any likely harm in sending the supplement. Honestly, though, I don’t think it would help much–at least not beyond what will already be clear from the rest of the application.
@worriestoomuch I know that there is a club, and I definitely want to continue this at Yale. I also wrote in my application that I combined Indian and Western choreography at my dance team at school, and I really was a leader there. I also am currently doing a senior project on Ballet-Kathak fusion. I wrote my personal essay about dance as well, and how it connects to my cultural identity. Does anyone know if it is possible to call Yale admissions and ask if it would be appropriate for me to send in this supplement?
@Hunt well if anyone wants I can PM them a video of me dancing. I think it looks like I am skilled, but then again I’ve been doing Kathak for my whole life so I don’t know if someone who didn’t know about it would see that skill.
@abracadabri sorry I saw this so late haha. Do you mean for the arts supplement? I mean I ended up sending one, after a lot of deliberation, I think it really depends on how much you think it adds to your application. For me, I felt like it would be incomplete without it.