creative writing portfolio.

<p>I’m considering Columbia as one of my top choices but I’m curious if Columbia will consider my creative writing portfolio in its admissions process.</p>

<p>If they don’t, that’s pretty unfortunate for me.</p>

<p>If they do, I have several questions:</p>

<li>Who (at Columbia) will be evaluating my CW portfolio?</li>
<li>How long/short should my CW portfolio ideally be?</li>
<li>How much of a role do you suppose it would play in the admissions process?</li>
</ol>

<p>cheers, and thanks in advance for your replies.</p>

<p>I'm pretty sure they <em>suggest</em> that you do not submit extra writing samples. Check the supplementary information section to make sure.</p>

<p>It's an art supplement. Why would they discourage that?</p>

<p>Im not sure about this but I think that art supplements only refer to artistic and musical pieces. Paintings, photographs, recordings and all that jazz. </p>

<p>Creative Writing does not fall into that category and they strongly suggest against submitting such things.</p>

<p>It does at Princeton and Creative Writing is an Art.</p>

<p>A lot of top colleges only want to see a supplement if you've won an award in that category (i think Princeton, Stanford, etc). Columbia doesn't say that, but even so it's safe to use that rule as sort of a precedent. I emailed my admissions officer and told him about the blah blah blah state writing award I won and could I pretty please send a writing sample. He said sure. </p>

<p>As for how much of a role it might play in the process, I don't know. Probably not that much; sometimes (esp if you submit a huge portfolio), they may not even get the chance to really go through them.</p>

<p>Yeah, it is an art. But between the Iliad and Oprah's bookclub there's a lotta Ugly Betty fanfiction out there.</p>

<p>It's probably the ''cheapest'' art for a desperate a college applicant to immitate or attempt. Do you not think that the Admission Officers not get their share of Alma Mater poems as it stands?</p>

<p>It's not to hurt your chances of getting in or fuel some sick joy; I know (oh how I know) the nerve-wracking college application process. It's just that in all honesty....I think it would be a waste of paper, more likely to harm you than anything unless you have some credentials and awards to back it up.</p>

<p>well, i've won one or two awards (on the commendatory level for an international writing competition) and my supplement won't be more the six to seven pages, just to answer some of your concerns. i think i'll probably not submit a creative writting supplement if it has any chance at jeopardizing my application though. </p>

<p>i just don't want to miss out if it's the one thing that might be needed to push my app across the "threshold".</p>

<p>If you're confident that it's good writing I don't think it'll harm you. At the same time, submitting six to seven pages (if I'm reading you correctly) is probably not a good way to make the admissions committee happy. The writing sample I provided with my app was 450 words - just basically a short essay.</p>