Hey! I’m currently a first year in the school of art at CU. My GPA was about 3.8 unweighted and got a 31 on the ACT (didn’t take the SAT). The school of art admissions doesn’t really care about grades, to be honest with you, as long as you’re not failing out of any of your classes. I’ve heard of a girl in my year who got a 2.0 in high school. But do keep in mind that GPA measures your work ethic to some degree, and that is so so so important esp at Cooper because it is very very demanding. more than you could ever expect.
As for portfolio sizes, you have to send in at least 5 original artworks, but the rest can be digitized. From what I remember from last year, you have to send in about 20 works, including your 5 originals. And yes, everything you send in must fit inside the box (it isn’t very big, so be mindful of what you choose to include. my box was bulging when I sent it in). For the hometest, they do give you the option to send in a printed copy of works that don’t necessarily fit inside the box.
As for the hometest, yes. about half of my pieces were 2D pieces done on some kind of papery surface, so it wasn’t a problem in terms of packing it inside the box. I did an animation piece which I included the file inside the flash drive I sent in, but I also included drawings and paintings that I used to create the animation. I also did a sculpture piece which obviously didn’t fit inside the box. I sent in both printed and digital images for that one.
And lastly, for art and your work, DO WHATEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IS YOU AND EXPRESSES WHO YOU ARE. Also, especially for the hometest, create something completely outside of your comfort zone, something nobody would really think of. Cooper values creativity over techniques when admitting students because techniques can always be taught.
I would say don’t think too much about what Cooper wants from you, but think about what you want and what you wish to create, because there are so many different people here with various spectrums of style, interest, etc. do whatever the hell you want to do and most importantly, do what makes you happy because you can make good art when you’re happy.
Sorry this comment got a bit long, haha. Best of luck to you with the application process! I know it’s stressful, but at the end, you’ll be okay, whether you’re admitted or not. Yes, Cooper is a great school but it’s not the “holy grail” as many people make it seem like. You can do it!