<p>What about'em? I'm hoping to apply next year (rising senior) and am curious about the effect they have on your application. I mean, depending on the content can they make or break the application?</p>
<p>I've done a lot of 3D modeling/animation work and would think it'd be wise to show it off, but haven't gotten any ideas of what other people do since pretty much every supplement on YouTube seems to be for MIT Sloan.</p>
<p>Also, can you talk more about yourself, maybe covering things you might not have gotten to in the essays or interview? (Although the interview I've heard is quite comprehensive - and the interview at least [url=<a href="http://mitadmissions.org/apply/freshman/interview%5Dcan%5B/url">http://mitadmissions.org/apply/freshman/interview]can[/url</a>] make or break the interview.)</p>
<p>So, yeah. Tips for the supplement?</p>
<p>
Yes, and no. Yes, they can certainly help. Even hugely. MIT is an evidence based institution. Saying that you are good at art or music (for example) is nice. Having the relevant faculty review your portfolio and tell the admissions office “yes please” evidences that you really are that good. That can certainly assist with an application, but like any other part of the MIT application, that alone is not enough to get you in.</p>
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For the record, I think that there’s a distinction to be made between 1) showing things that might not have been covered elsewhere in the application and 2) talking about them. I can’t imagine a video monologue would be a very effective supplement, no matter what the content. But showing a project or skill that wasn’t covered elsewhere could be very useful.</p>
<p>I made a website for my music supplement, showcasing my music resume (including competitions, etc.), along with video and mp3 clips of me singing. I think it definitely made my application stronger. </p>
<p>If you choose to go this route, make sure that the photos/videos/whatever you take are of reasonable quality. You want to put your best foot forward! :)</p>