Arts Supplment/Portfolio

Has anyone done a live drama audition? What was the process? Did you think it was worth it to do it live vs. send in an audition through slideroom? Have you gotten any indication how much an arts supplement helps your application? I am thinking of doing both live vocal and drama auditions. I would have to fly in so I am trying to decide if it would be worth it to do next Fall. Thanks for any info!!!

I would also like to know. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks!

My son sent in a dance supplement through slideroom. It didn’t seem to help him -rejected early action.

I can’t help much with drama/vocal submissions specifically, but I did submit an instrumental slideroom supplement that I personally felt helped my application. Though music is not my intended area of study, it was an integral part of my application so I felt it was imperative that I expand on that with a supplement. If you are a strong applicant otherwise and have a passion for the arts, I think that it’s beneficial to show that to the admissions committee in a more tangible way.

@tamales and @suzannecat thank you for your replies. Theatre Dept says that it is beneficial to do live portfolio while Music Dept says that they prefer portfolio sent through slideroom. I appreciate your help.

I can’t speak specifically about drama, but I did send in an arts supplement (for music) and the admissions folks told me that it was highly encouraged to do the supplement if the arts were a big part of who you are (and a main feature on your application). Live auditions, at least for music, were preferable to sending a recording at least when I applied. Rumor has it that a live audition that goes well will be more impressive than a good recording (since you could have spent hours trying to get the recording right). It’s also a chance to meet your potential future instructor.

I couldn’t make the live audition (due to a music competition) but sent the recording. In the music department the professor for each instrument will listen to recordings on their instrument. They will then communicate with the department/admissions if they were particularly impressed.

I’m not sure if they do this for everyone, but after I was admitted I received a letter from my regional admissions officer. It talked about things that they particularly liked/were impressed with from my application. Quite a bit of that letter was dedicated towards music. While I’d won some competitions and had some awards, there was nothing that outstanding on my music resume so I’m (guessing) that it’s from the supplement.

@Lagging Thanks! It looks like I will be flying to Stanford next Fall for a live audition! With a ton of luck, maybe, maybe I’ll be on campus one day!