<p>My daughter is shy and likes to read. A lot. She has also spent a lot of her time drawing and painting. Most weekends she spent time in art classes. She did not participate a great deal in school events and therefore does not have many extra curricular items to submit on her apps. Will this hurt her? She is a great writer and painter. Thanks.</p>
<p>If her ECs are writing and painting, do you have anything show for it - awards, publishings etc?</p>
<p>Sadly, no.</p>
<p>Totally dependent of the level of selectivity of the colleges she’ll apply to. The more competetive, the more “holistic” the admission process where EC’s come more into play.</p>
<p>She is interested in BU and Skidmore right now. Do they take the "holistic"approach?</p>
<p>I might try for an extra recommendation from her EC art teacher, see if she could get involved in school groups that need someone to design advertising posters, etc., and also see if she could put some of those writing abilities to work for school publications. If nobody has done this yet (some schools and individual teachers are MUCH better about this than others), I would also try to help her find contests to enter. I would do this not just to have something to write about on college applications or win awards that could be a long-shot, but to get her used to sharing her abilities and interests with others outside of a classroom setting.</p>
<p>I think that many schools value an inquisitive student who is exceptionally well-read, and who has spent lots of time reading for pleasure rather than just to complete school assignments. (Will this come out in her recommendation letters?) You don’t mention whether she is shy when she discusses books she has read and enjoyed, but being able to talk about her reading should give her a big advantage at college and scholarship interviews, in writing those “why this college” or “why this field of study” essays, and (eventually) in getting the most out of her classes and relationships with professors.</p>
<p>[Freshman</a> Applicants | Boston University Admissions](<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/admissions/apply/freshman/]Freshman”>Boston University Freshmen Applicant Information | Admissions)</p>
<p>[Skidmore</a> College: Apply to Skidmore](<a href=“http://cms.skidmore.edu/admissions/apply/]Skidmore”>http://cms.skidmore.edu/admissions/apply/)</p>
<p>Thank you. Love your name by the way! DD is a rising senior. If she does what you suggest over the next few months, how will that look to the colleges if she suddenly starts participating? Or is that pretty common when seniors realize that they have to get their act together?</p>
<p>tcsoam - I don’t think she is “suddenly” beginning to paint and write, just learning how to apply painting and writing skills (nutured over years of practice) in broader contexts. </p>
<p>With the contests - the hard thing for most students, especially if they have not spent lots of time in competitive sports, is to get used to learning from the experience even if they don’t win awards, and to keep going. With many talented students, the initial reaction to failing to win an award - whether the competition is in science, music, art, or writing - is to conclude that they just do not have enough “talent” and that there is no use to working that hard. </p>
<p>So, I would not begin to do this in senior year solely to have an award or two to show colleges (although that would be nice) but to get used to the process of developing a painting or writing project that takes considerably more work than most school assignments, submitting it for a different type of evaluation, and then moving on to the next project or contest.</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with just having a couple of ECs, and it’s fine if the involvement is outside school. That said, it may be helpful to step up the level of involvement. My younger son sold his origami earrings at a local gallery for example. He also taught a once a week class at the senior center. My older son, had jobs and did some volunteer work with computer programming, helped at the senior center computer lab and also did some small programming projects for professors.</p>
<p>It’s harder to find straight opportunities for art, but many high schools have art clubs that volunteer in the community. She might be able to do art projects with kids through the local library or daycare centers. Some of the galleries in our area have shows that showcase high school talent once a year. </p>
<p>I don’t think it’s uncommon for seniors to realize they have to get their act together. In the applications you emphasize that this is a longterm activity (making art).</p>
<p>I agree that learning to be judged (fairly and unfairly!) is an essential part of being an artist.</p>
<p>While BU and Skidmore may both have an artsy vibe and good programs for your student, the campuses are quite different in terms of large/small and urban/suburban. A student who likes one campus environment may not like the other. Make sure you visit both.</p>
<p>What did she do during her high school summers?</p>
<p>Summer activities (or jobs) also count as ECs, and sometimes they help to make a student seem more well-rounded. My one-dimensional mostly-music kid looked a lot less lopsided when she included some of her summer experiences (a museum internship and two stints as a camp counselor-in-training) in the EC list on her applications.</p>
<p>A lot depends on her intended major. If she’s headed into an art-based major, her portfolio will be much more important than ECs, and possibly more important even than her GPA.</p>
<p>She should sit down with her art teachers and discuss this situation. They know her work best, and they are most likely able to be in a good position to counsel her on her options.</p>
<p>BU only considers ECs. <a href=“http://www.bu.edu/oir/files/2011/03/cds-c.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bu.edu/oir/files/2011/03/cds-c.pdf</a> (Section C7)
ECs are considered important at Skidmore. <a href=“http://cms.skidmore.edu/ir/facts/upload/CDS2010_2011.pdf[/url]”>http://cms.skidmore.edu/ir/facts/upload/CDS2010_2011.pdf</a></p>
<p>^Note that “talent or ability” is highly important while EC’s are “considered”, so that’s encouraging. Skidmore rates them both as “important”. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t overthink this though. At both schools they look at more than academics - that’s really all you need to know. If you are applying for a BFA your fine arts will trump academics, but otherwise academics are always listed as “most important” (as they should be.) </p>
<p>She should definitely put together a portfolio. Many schools will take an art supplement and it may be useful later on. I ended up applying to major in art at my college and my AP Art portfolio got me into the major.</p>
<p>Sounds like she does have an EC - art.</p>
<p>I agree. She takes art classes on weekends. That’s a great EC and if she has been doing it for some time, shows plenty of commitment to what people now call “her passion.” For art school, she would need a portfolio, and for colleges, she can submit an arts supplement.</p>
<p>There is a great book called “Creative Colleges” that I got online, and found it very helpful.</p>
<p>She might want to look at other schools. Small ones would include Bennington, Marlboro, Sarah Lawrence, and Vassar might be good too.</p>
<p>You said your daughter likes to read, I would list that as an EC. D2 loves to read, and she spends hours reading, aside from dance, and various other school activities. She is going to list reading as an EC, and list few books she has enjoyed reading.</p>
<p>I am the type of person who supports and values self-motivated creative students and dislikes the idea that such students need to have parents on their case to “win” prizes, "beating out’ other competitors. There seems to be a current drive to rush to create a paper resume for students; here in Silicon Valley the mentality of a lot of students (and their parents, paid counselors) is to actually search for contests to enter (while keeping it quiet from friends/peers), so if you don’t devote a similar amount of time to that – searching for contests to enter! – you are a “loser” in their minds. I wish more people would allow young people the time to enjoy their teen years and thoughtfully develop as opposed to being rushed projects for the Ivy League.</p>
<p>It isn’t always about competition. I recommend you speak with your student about how she can participate in something more this year – that isn’t a bad idea as she moves more toward adult age – whether individual or group-based – that can be documented, and have the STUDENT pick it out. I do NOT think parents should be Tiger Moms picking their kid’s activities that they are then ordered to “win at.”
Then, when she does her apps, mention she should be sure her writing reflects her personality and personal, hardworking, focused style (if appropriate/accurate) – describes her art well, for example, note that she decided to do this or that, she is interested in these activities (art takes time!), and sort of take a different approach so that, hopefully, thoughtful admissions people will recognize this more mature, thoughtful student. There is a risk such a student may be overly modest in her apps. I dislike the overly self-promotional students we find here in wealthy areas of Silicon Valley lately - I find bragging to be in poor taste, though they do get rewarded often. Nonetheless, be sure your student realizes it is ok to describe her work with pride (example: I care for animals a lot, so I have done alot of drawings of them, etc…)</p>
<p>I am hoping your student can articulate her ideas and interests in an essay or statement. I am unfamiliar with the schools you mentioned, so don’t have insights about those places, and recommend considering more schools, too!</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone who has posted suggestions and thoughts about my DD. They are great responses to something that has been worrying me for a while and now I feel a lot better. My DD is a very talented painter with vast intellectual interests - just not the EC kind that look good on a app. Her concentration on her “passion” is what makes her so special. Many thanks.</p>