<p>I have two questions. Will it hurt my chances if I do not do the optional supplement essay? I do not feel like I have any more information to add to my application.</p>
<p>Also, will it hurt my chances if I send any recordings of me playing an instrument? I doubt the admissions office would want to hear me playing drums for 10 minutes straight...</p>
<p>No and no. The admissions officers won’t, but they’ll send it to the music people. If you think even the music people wouldn’t want to hear that long a clip, send a shorter one.</p>
<p>Hm…maybe I’ll just do 2 minutes solos on different percussion instruments and put it together…</p>
<p>What about a website portfolio or online resume?</p>
<p>You will not be penalized for not doing the optional essay. However, you will miss a golden oppertunity to let the Admission officers know who you really are.</p>
<p>How would I miss a golden opportunity? My personal essay on the common application shows exceptionally well what type of person I am…</p>
<p>Is it a good idea to send three supplements? I have an essay, an art slide show, and a research paper I would like to send. I fear this might be too much though…any ideas?</p>
<p>Harry Bauld wrote that optional essay is NOT really optional.
Check out his book from the library if you can.
[Amazon.com:</a> On Writing the College Application Essay: The Key to Acceptance and the College of your Choice (9780064637220): Harry Bauld: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Writing-College-Application-Essay-Acceptance/dp/0064637220]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Writing-College-Application-Essay-Acceptance/dp/0064637220)</p>
<p>More than ninety nine percent of the competitive crowd will submitting the essay supplement, so thats a risk, me thinks. I suggest you write it at least, then decide. </p>
<p>My question is this- as a supplementary material, may I attach an essay written about me by a peer? For an assignment our classmates had to interview each other, and the girl that wrote about me actually decided to use it in her project portfolio. I thought a piece from a peer, not a teacher or myself, might mean something. Or is this just too out of bounds? I won’t be submitting anything else other than the extra essay.</p>
<p>The problem is that I have no idea what to write about…</p>
<p>The Harvard 2014 “first sentence of your essay” thread had multiple people who were like “What’s a supplement?” If OP’s completely captured by his application already, there’s no reason for him to add something superfluous. Superfluity would hurt him. I agree that OP should think about whether there’s anything he can add, because if there is, he should. But if he thinks between three different letters of recommendation and one piece of his own writing, he is captured in his application, I am inclined to believe him.</p>