Padding the application w/ extra submissions?

<p>I thought sending in additional material with your application was taboo-- the admissions offices do not want anything more than exactly what is requested. But recently I've read (in books that are a couple of years old) that kids should send in newspaper articles, resumes, videos, pictures etc... Is this outdated info? I would like to hear from admissions people. BTW - for my S apps- we sent in bare bones....now I am wondering...</p>

<p>Probably depends on the school. I can only report that for my alma mater there is a FAQ on the admissions page that discourages supplements. The conventional wisdom for this school is that only a person at or near conservatory quality should send in a CD and that only an artist who has received high level recognition should send in a portfolio. At other schools, supplemental material might be viewed in a different light.</p>

<p>It depends on the school. Some (like Stanford) will throw away any extra stuff without looking at it. Others may even encourage sending a science project abstract, or a graded English paper.</p>

<p>I guess I misread/understood the title.
My mind went to submitting multiple applications to increse chances. Silly blonde moment.</p>

<p>As someone who works in a private school’s college counseling office, I would say it is fine to send some additional info some of the time. For example, a resume, while certainly not required, is fine, if you feel the application does not give you enough room to highlight all of your accomplishments. If you participated in an unusual community service project that was covered in the local paper, include that clipping. Small schools are more receptive to receiving additional material; I would not bother sending it to a large university. Just don’t overdo it - too much additional information, like too many outside letters of recommendation can be off-putting.</p>

<p>My son too AP Computer Science as a freshman, nothing he did in school indicated how much he’d taught himself after that so he had two recommendations from people he’d worked for on computer related stuff. I think it made a difference.</p>

<p>In my experience, kids who sent in a couple of extra recommendations from other aspects of their lives (Major ECs, jobs, etc) benefited from it. Not just more teachers or random famous people, but employers, chorus directors, etc.</p>

<p>I think it is valuable if the supplementary information is the main reason you might get in, and the main reason you want to go to a school, and so on. It should not be just to round out the image you are presenting. If everyone did that, admissions offices would implode. </p>

<p>It is also good to indicate some consideration and courtesy to admissions. For instance, if you are a musician, call and ask if it is okay to send a CD, ask how many selections to send, and how long.</p>

<p>Most activities can be conveyed on the common application form. For instance, a state acting award, or something like that. There is no need to enclose an article on that, just as an example.</p>

<p>Recommendations from outside school can be key, again, if the activity outside of school is a key part of who you are, and you feel that your true passion is not covered in the application or usual recommendations.</p>

<p>I submitted slides of my (black and white, film, developed by myself) photography. I think it probably helped, because it was a major extracurricular, and nothing else in my application was all that extraordinary.</p>

<p>D applied to a few LACs and big unis -not top 20- and submitted music CDs, art portfolios, resumes. They all loved it, gave her tons of $$. Of course, she’s going to the one school that offered zilch - but she did submit portfolio there as well.
If you want the names, PM me.
I remember that BU wanted NOTHING.</p>