<p>What has been your experience including a DVD or other nontraditional material as part of an application?</p>
<p>I am especially interested in dancers or other types of performers who have provided performance or class footage, particularly in cases where the school to which they are applying does not have (or does not have any significant) dance (or appropriate performance) program.</p>
<p>But I'd also love to hear from anyone who had a student with a significant extracurricular activity that he/she chose to describe it in such a way.</p>
<p>I think it depends on the direction of the school- if there is some of the activity on campus and the administration is trying to strengthen it, then it seems lke a good idea to send in a DVD. If there is no way to continue with the EC, it seems like it would need to be explained why the student, who presumably spent many hours a week in dance or other ec, is willing to go to a school where it is not offered.</p>
<p>When D applied last year for Print Journalism, she submitted either a CD or a hard copy as a supplement that had sample articles/photos that she had done for her school newspaper and the local weekly that she worked for. Before sending it, she made sure that the school accepted supplementary materials. She also gave it to several Department Chairs that she met at Open Houses. It also included a Summary of Activities/Honors from the past four years.</p>
<p>I sent a music recording to every school. My current school does not have a music performance major, so it sounds a little like your situation. I do know that the head of the music department evaluated the CD, so at this school at least the admissions officers seem to pass materials on to someone more knowledgeable. I also know that either the recordings were ranked or the department head gave admissions a list of a few of her top choices. It sounded a little like what coaches seem to do for athletes.</p>
<p>Schools have different policies about supplemental material. I never saw a school that didn’t accept supplements, though some schools discouraged it. Many schools specified what to write on the CD so that it would be attached correctly to my file (such as name, an ID number, address, etc.). Some colleges said that all supplemental material would be forwarded to the appropriate departments.</p>
<p>My D sent her artwork on slides to all of her schools. They specifically asked for slides, and not digital media. Interesting in this day and age. :)</p>
<p>I submitted a DVD showing about 5 minutes of two dance performances I did with my Penn application. I’m involved in Irish dance (competitive and performance, for the last 7-8 years) so it’s a bit more unusual, and doesn’t fit with any of the dance groups that Penn has on campus (or at least, not that I’ve found) as those tend to be more mainstream forms.</p>
<p>I don’t know how Penn actually evaluated my DVD (whether the admissions committee viewed it themselves, or whether it was sent to the Performing Arts department, etc) Just as a side note, I applied to the College of Arts and Science, and I’m planning on majoring in biological sciences, so nothing to do with performing arts.</p>
<p>I think the DVD helped me stand out a little more in the pool of applicants. My grades and test scores were all high, and my essays and recs were also good, but I’m sure that’s true for the vast majority of applicants to Penn. In terms of my ECs/awards, I wouldn’t say they’re anything spectacular, or at least not compared to some of the profiles posted here on CC. I’ve won awards at the school/city level, had few leadership roles, partly due to the fact that the activities I’m most involved in don’t tend to lend themselves to those types of ‘official’ positions. Most of the activities I listed though I have been involved in since at least grade 8 or earlier. </p>
<p>The DVD though gave me a chance to show Penn a snapshot of my dance involvement, which otherwise would have been limited to a few short lines on my application (I chose to write my essay on another experience, and I’m not sure if I could have done justice to describing dance in words) The visual aspect I guess “showed” rather than “told” of my involvment (e.g. showing them the polished performances illustrated the teamwork, dedication/practice, energy, etc. that went into it) Irish dance is also one of those things that not too many people know about, so that unusual aspect probably helped as well.</p>
Early first year I ran into the director of the music department at my current college. She remembered my name and recording and said that she gave me her highest review. Obviously I was accepted; I think the EC in general was helpful on my application, and the recording helped to confirm my musical skill, but I don’t think it decided my application. Since I never competed in competitions and only played with orchestras as a guest artist, there was no easy way for admissions officers to determine my level of playing. I was good enough on my instrument that I could have gone to a music conservatory for college, though I ultimately decided not to (for better or worse). I don’t think supplements are particularly helpful unless they demonstrate a high level of skill or talent.</p>
<p>My d prepared a dance DVD in the hope of illustrating the level of expertise she’s achieved in a demanding field, though it’s not something she’ll pursue as a career. She plans to be a history major with a dance minor, and her list of schools ranged from those with a strong dance program with advanced ballet classes (Muhlenberg, Dickinson) to her ED school, W & M, which offers a dance minor focused on modern, with only intermediate ballet. (One of her schools, American, specified that applicants not submit supplemental arts materials.)</p>
<p>Preparing the DVD was more time-consuming than we’d realized. She had to check each school’s website for guidelines, then try to come up with selections that would fulfill all of them in one master DVD. We didn’t want the time/expense of preparing individual DVDs for each school. She ended up with a classical pointe variation, a short modern piece she co-choreographed, an extended jazz combination, and then barre and center combinations to satisfy the requirements set forth in Wake Forest’s Presidential arts scholarship app. She put the barre/center stuff last, in case other schools didn’t want to bother with it. The entire DVD was about 9 minutes long.
That’s the case at W & M. Their program does not offer the level of ballet my d is looking for - but it’s been her dream school for years anyway. She emailed the dance dept. chair last year asking to observe a ballet class, but the chair responded that she wouldn’t find it challenging enough, and recommended coming for a modern class instead. We did a web search and found two nearby ballet studios that seemed to offer good ballet options - she took classes at each when we visited, and liked one very much. </p>
<p>It worked out well for my d - she was accepted in December! There’s no way to tell, of course, how much her DVD contributed to the positive outcome, but it couldn’t have hurt. (And now we have 7 copies of the DVD for posterity :)).</p>
<p>Thanks, frazzled, for your detailed description, and congrats on the acceptance!</p>
<p>I’d like to think that putting together such a DVD or performance CD would make an applicant stand out in a crowd. I’d hope schools would see it as evidence of dedication and enthusiasm, rather use it to give an aye or nay based on level of accomplishment (given that the school doesn’t offer advanced training in any case).</p>
<p>Muhlenberg offers in-person auditions for dance scholarships. My d did the audition in November, so I would not be surprised if it contributed to her acceptance. (She did ultimately get a scholarship, but decided not to go to Muhlenberg.) If you can swing it, I think an in-person audition, which consisted of a ballet class, a modern class and a 3 minute solo, would be better there than a DVD.</p>
<p>We didn’t send DVDs to other schools; we figured that since we were not seeking to determine the level of accomplishment, her resume (including her assistant teaching and summer programs attended) would be sufficient to show the dedication and enthusiam.</p>
<p>As others have said, it’s a good idea to check with your list of schools to see what they say about supplemental materials, as there ARE some schools that will not consider them. NYU is one of them and they instruct applicants not to bother sending them if they are applying to a major which does not require a portfolio or artistic review.</p>
<p>My D is now junior at Princeton in cognitive psych and neuroscience. They offer only a dance certificate, although of the Ivies they have arguably the strongest on-campus, for credit dance program. She sent in a CD of some performances - to give you an idea of her level as a ballet dancer she had gone for example to ABT New York for the summer etc. but did not have the strength or physcial endurance to become a professional. The dance CD IMO was valuable because a) Princeton wanted more dancers b) under the guise of showing my D dancing what she was REALLY showing was her poise and concentration. For many dancers their dancing shows their self. It’s not just the dance technique. Actually my D’s technique wasn’t so compelling:) - but she had always had a stage presence and grace especially in the adagios that caught everyone’s attention. And that presence was actually a good representation of other of her personal abilities, if I am making any sense at all at this point.</p>
<p>D is not pursuing the dance certificate. But she is now the president of a dance group - dance groups are a big deal, kind of like a capella groups at Yale for example - and performs regularly. So if Princeton wanted by accepting her to strengthen the presence of dance on campus, they got it.</p>
<p>I’d say the CD was a good idea - and that serious dancers have something to contribute that only seeing them dance can convey.</p>
<p>Thanks, alumother, that was a good thought…</p>
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<p>Actually my post was inspired by looking at the supplement for Trinity University. The questions indicated that the school really wants applicants to articulate what they can contribute to the school.</p>
<p>Of course, Trinity University has no dance program whatsoever, so I’m not sure what they would make of a dance DVD.</p>