<p>I'm not necessarily applying for an art college, but I'll take art as a second major or a minor. I'm definitely going to make a portfolio, but I'm wondering how important a portfolio really is in terms of raising chances for admission. I'm not too great and have next to no finished pieces as of right now, but at the moment I'm completely tanking summer and spending roughly 12 hours a day every day drawing, and I'm making pretty noticeable strides.<br>
But I'm kind of wondering if this is a wise way of allocating my summer schedule. I have next to no extra-curriculars (literally almost none) and no volunteer hours (literally none...) so I was thinking I might be better off taking some time out of art and racking up some volunteer hours or something. How strongly does having a better portfolio stack up?<br>
My academics are okay but not great, since my high school offers next to no APs and it's really tough to get a good GPA.
Unweighted is about 3.9 and weighted is somewhere around 4.2. 2380 on SAT I, 800 on SAT II Math and Chem, 790 on US History, 770 on Bio E.<br>
As far as extracurriculars go I'm toast...No officer positions, hardly participated in any clubs at all actually. No competitions or awards. No volunteer hours.<br>
I tutored for a year, did a couple of short internships at the cardiovascular lab at UCSF, and created some computer models for scientists at UCSF in an unrelated project which are going into an article that'll be published in some science journal at some point this year.
That's literally it - no sports no clubs no nothing, and my parents are expecting me to get into Ivies somehow. Letters of rec are likely gonna suck too; I was a total slacker up till this summer and have never even met my counselor.<br>
So yeah...how much does an art portfolio really help? Would spending as much time as I am on it give me a significant boost or should I try to spend some time racking up volunteer hours and stuff instead?<br>
My current thinking is that even if I go volunteer I'm not going to be able to get anything notable done so I might as well just 24/7 grind summer doing art and hopefully mutate into Van Gogh by the end of it after having inhaled so much charcoal and graphite and then come out with some ridiculously-amazing portfolio. Which probably isn't going to happen but yeah.
What would be my best path?
I'd give some samples of my work for reference...if I had any. I'm literally new to art. I took Art 1-3 in school but slacked my way through and never got a single decent piece finished. Started lessons outside of school with a private teacher a year or two ago to help build up my foundations. But at this point I got nothing but half-done still-lifes. I have like no experience at all but I'm spending roughly 4 hours a day painting, 6 hours a day doing charcoal/graphite, and 2-3 hours a day doodling ideas and learning off of deviantart tutorials. So idk... I'm confident that I can at least turn out a decent portfolio at the end of all this even though I'm pretty inexperienced, because over 700 hours of art crammed into this summer can't hurt.<br>
How much does a portfolio really help?</p>
<p>can I ask you few things so we know better what you are really up to?
you can skip if you don’t wanna answer
- do you wanna go to Ivy?
- if so which Ivy?
- any UCs for safety?
- are you having fun doing art?
- if not what would you rather doing if college admission is not an issue and don’t have to fill gaps in your resum</p>
<ol>
<li> I guess so. I don’t find it that necessary; I just want to go to a decent school that’s relatively well-known. It’s my parents who really want Ivy.</li>
<li> Uhh. Stanford and Yale are the only two I’m really interested in. Stanford coz it’s close to home and has a decent art program and Yale because somehow its name seems to pop up everywhere I go. Maybe Brown for the joint-art thing I hear about, and maybe Columbia since I heard it has good art too.</li>
<li> Berkeley I guess. My brother goes there so I have legacy. UCLA for art maybe, although that’s more of a stretch than a safety…</li>
<li> Definitely. I love art.<br></li>
<li> Hang out. Play. Still draw some tbh.<br></li>
<li> I like a lot of artists’ work I guess. The painting I’m working on right now is actually something of a rehashing of different artists’ works. I really like Dali and Rodin though. Dali’s compositions are really interesting, and Rodin’s powerful way of sculpting just really appeals to me. I actually really like the art last year’s rising seniors from my private teacher’s class did too. The technical ability and aesthetic appeal of their abstractions/still-lifes were way higher than most artists I’ve seen. I think out of 8 of them, 6 got into RISD, 4 UCLAs, 3 Stanfords, and 2 MITs, though I’m not sure where they’re going. I know one of them got accepted on the spot to UCLA during an interview and another got a 4 year full-ride scholarship to UCLA but rejected it in favor of Yale… </li>
<li> Yes, stereotypical Asian from the stereotypical Silicon Valley bubble community.<br></li>
</ol>
<p>I do honestly think that I can make a pretty strong portfolio if I keep at it at this rate, though, despite my relative inexperience. I’m going to two separate classes, a more conceptual and open one for 4 hours in the morning, and my private teacher for six hours in the afternoon/evening. He does a lot more fundamental stuff which is kind of boring but I don’t mind, because I literally see myself improving day-by-day. Both of the teachers are amazing and pretty famous in the area.</p>
<p>An art portfolio is very important if you plan to major in any arts programs. The schools will want to see your sample work, etc. I suggest you to look up online for those schools you’re planning to apply and read up on their admissions requirement. Keep in mind that every school has different requirements. For example, Stanford will ask applicants to submit their portfolios regardless of majors, while the UCs do not review additional materials submitted. According to a college admissions consultant specializing in the UCs admissions process, “You should only submit a portfolio if the school/department/major requires it. You may discuss your love of the arts in your personal statement and list any art competitions you participated, but hold onto your work of art as they will likely get lost in the shuffle among the 50,000+ applications being processed at each campus.” Hope this helps.</p>
<p>aghhhh another poor Tiger cub.
thanks for the detailed update. now picture is clear (I think)
best case scenario would be Yale. everyone happy, yes?
have you visited? it is very very different from what you got there. in this book called “the gatekeepers”
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Gatekeepers-Admissions-Process-Premier-College/dp/0142003085[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Gatekeepers-Admissions-Process-Premier-College/dp/0142003085</a>
there is a bit about prestigious CA prep school’s most coveted prospie who got in everywhere makes decision between S and Y. it is more of demographics/ geography oriented and I find it interesting, because my kid chose backward. (No, no, nothing of S or Y, just demographics, whew)
yet being Asian, I bet you can live easily at any elite schools in northeast. even you never set foot in it before in your life.
It all sounds good what you are doing, stick to it, then.
S in particular is almost never recommended for its art dept, same way as P is. I am sure they are both loaded but lack the air/ lure of Y or Brown, or even H, where art is not as art as we know of but H is H is H.
If only another thousands Asian kids who got stats just like you plus possibly same or better portfolio plus maybe play fiddle or piano galore aren’t in the same old Y pool…</p>
<p>I mean you shouldn’t flip burger if you don’t have to, nor visit nursing homes or do soup kitchen twice a month if you don’t find value in it except for padding resum</p>
<p>I think its worth it to have a portfolio for admissions yes but more importantly as the basic bones that can always be added on to and edited. Once the pieces are picked and photographed properly you can use the portfolio to present for internships or if you ever declare an art minor at your university. An art minor often requires portfolio review and this can be very time consuming to put together while your studying for exams and not concentrating on art. The minor requirements are not nearly as tough as major reqs usually.
Also, one the portfolio is done you can apply to art competitions - and there are a bunch of these - and hopefully receive awards that can be put down in that all important awards section of the common app. This would be a really good thing.
It’s nice to bring along the portfolio on alum interviews and gives you something talk about. Not just the usual boring interview - you’ll stand out.
If you enjoy spending the many hours doing your art, now would be a perfect time to get the basic portfolio done and improve your skills. Dedicating your time to your art is just as valuable as any other ec. Branding yourself as the smart artist will set you apart - 2380 is not typical for an art student.
Try to incorporate your art into some ec’s at school next year - yearbook cover, poster or program for the play, publish in literary magazine, Even if this isn’t complete in the first quarter you could send along accomplishments as supplemental to admissions office.<br>
Good Luck.</p>
<p>you can start something like this
<a href=“http://sfmoma.snaphire.com/[/url]”>http://sfmoma.snaphire.com/</a>
I am obsessed over this museum but can’t point out why. maybe just the right size and right stuff they do.
start something in the summer and continue app period to entire senior year.
just being involved is better than nothing, and it reflect/connect to your passion (magic words!!)
if someone tells you no, talk to someone else. maybe someone your folks know might knows someone who can help you put your foot in the door.
if you do well, that person could become your second (or third) rec letter writer.
museum, is the muse. it keeps you going when you are down.</p>
<p>bears brings up a good point. I read your worried about recs, recs from outside school are just as valid. Work those relationships.
Worth mentioning that Wash U is also great for art and is a prestige school.</p>
<p>I knew but I didn’t say, for WashU is not typical non-midwestern Tiger approved school.
thou they don’t ask for portfolio for general art major wannabe’s admission. you’d be shoo in
if you want competitive scholarship, need portfolio. maybe you could be in the ballpark, they like steady traditional works.</p>
<p>Sorry for asking such a dumb question, but when are the portfolios generally actually due?<br>
My mom says like Oct to Dec, but I remember last years’ seniors working on portfolio stuff up until like January/February.</p>
<p>It’s not dumb at all because it is confusing for kids. even for us grown-ups
make sure to check each school’s website for this year’s admission details, not store bought guidebooks or words of mouth.
it depends on school.
some wants supplement with initial apps, some wants by certain date for scholarships, some don’t want it till they say so.
I am sorry but you got read up and make thuru checklists.
nowadays, mom can do that for you and colleges know how much parents are helping, it is not cheating as long as you do the actual work.
I can bet you there are parents themselves are artist, professional photographer, or hire such people to notch up, catalogue them, or chose which pieces to send to where etc…
those, you are competing against. My hope is that, really selective college would know if your uncle Joe did the portfolio (actual quote from one art school)
follow guidelines. what format, how many pieces, where (pay attention to received-by date and your time differences)to send, how to send.
PS
yes, from parental selective school prep view point, generally should be done by Oct-Dec, if not already.</p>
<p>I was going to say wash u st Louis too. You have fabulous stats. It’s nice that you get to spend the summer making art. Bears I think wash u satisfies tiger parents? It’s hard to get into. my son got in and I was over the moon and bragged…in a tigery way. My son visited and decided it was like hogwarts.</p>
<p>It just gets really disheartening seeing all these threads where all these posters with godly stats ask people to “chance them” for colleges. When I see them showing off all of their club presidencies and internships and varsity sports teams and eons of volunteer hours and their 5.0s and all it just makes me feel like I have absolutely no chance compared to them to get into top schools and that I’ve wasted all my time, which is why I was kind of worried about the importance of my art portfolio. Thanks for all the posts though; some of these are really helpful and reassuring.</p>
<p>heeey switters!!
I hear you, I am solely talking about pure blooded Tigers. for them if relatives and friends in their mother country would never heard of the name, it is not good school to send kids to.
I can bet you Berkeley is better known than Wash U, the same way FIT/ MICA or something. I really think its tedious name “Washington” but in St. Louise MO makes the school “where?” “why?” to anyone who don’t know the game.
you should pat your shoulder for
- knowing it’s value
- your kid was in
- and was scholarship finalist</p>
<p>OP
DON’T go there!!
“chance me” threads are there for pure entertainment. haven’t you noticed how often ridiculous ■■■■■■■■ and cruel expos</p>