<p>hi, my mom suggested that i send a copy of a research or english paper i wrote along with the other essays and questions. Is this a good idea or is it too much?
The school doesnt ask for one specifically.</p>
<p>Many schools ask applicants to send in an actual graded, marked-up English paper. Some schools make it optional. Few, if any, will assign you demerits for sending it in "for not following directions," though -- depending on the essay and how well you did -- you could lose points based on the merit of the essay. If a school doesn't ask for this -- especially considering how many schools do ask for it and how all schools understand they CAN ask for it -- I think that omission is intentional. My assumption is that those schools don't see a graded essay as useful to them.</p>
<p>Bottom line: (a) the act of sending in an unsolicited essay won't hurt you; (b) the prospect of making a favorable impression with the unsolicited essay will be very difficult; and (c) if the essay is bad (which nobody intentionally submits), it will easily diminish one's prospects.</p>
<p>I suggest if you have special talent in an musical instrument or in art, send them an CD of your playing or an art folio. The admission won't mind of that.</p>
<p>I wouldn't recommend just sending that sort of material in and expecting anything special to come of it. Find out the preferred approach. It might need to go to the chairman of the department. Admissions may prefer you to audition in person -- perhaps requiring extra time for the tour/interview. You can't just decide that it's no problem to just send in a CD/DVD/portfolio when that may not be how the admission committee considers applicants who are gifted in the arts. That's way different from sending in an unsolicited graded English paper. If you just send those items in without getting a definitive answer from the schools you're applying to...you're asking for trouble.</p>
<p>You know what they say in admissions? The thicker the file, the thicker the applicant..... Just kidding</p>
<p>Keep in mind that schools get a lot of material to look at, and have a narrow time frame in which to consider it all. So, don't burden them with more unless there is a specific reason to do so.
For example - my child sent a writing sample from 7th grade when applying to high school. Why? Because at the time of application, he had nothing substantive written in 8th grade - and the school had asked for a graded piece of work from the current year. We sent that, of course, but it wasn't very informative.</p>
<p>I have no idea if this is a similar process or not...but I review grant applications as part of my job. We ask for specific things. We do not want things we did not ask for. I personally get annoyed when an applicant send information we did not ask for without getting permission first. </p>
<p>In any case, before we send anything that is not specifically asked for on the application, I am calling and asking.</p>
<p>When I suggest you send in a CD of your music playing or art portfolio, they are not just playing a tune of "twinkle, twinkle little stars" I am talking of high level of playing. I am very sure it would help because both of my children did that, and got excepted with good FA package. The chairman of the music department already knew them when they arrived on campus. Some BS are actually ask for that if you have any talent. I know Deerfield does. Extra English paper would not help for sure,because your test score and school record already show them your academic side of it. You need to show them your special talent other than academic.</p>
<p>I directly asked several schools about added recommendations -- beyond what they expressly solicit. If the recommendations are credible and give a firsthand, closeup perspective on the applicant then the admissions director and two admissions committee interviewers were agreed that they would appreciate having better information. If there are a couple extra useful recommendations -- as opposed to some big shot whose friends with the applicant's dad that the applicant caddied for once -- they'd like to see them. If there are 36 extra recommendations...no thanks. There's lots of work for them to do in a short time frame. The idea is to make their job easier, not more difficult. You need to strike a balance. Better yet, ask directly to see if you're helping them or making things tougher.</p>
<p>A third recommendation is easy to process. A graded paper is somewhat standard for BS applications. A Powerpoint presentation showing your community service activities...well, that's too different to assume that it will be welcome. With regard to CDs for music and multimedia presentations regarding other EC performances...that stuff is already outside the ambit of the application process. </p>
<p>Regarding how to handle music, see this response from szcbassoon:</p>
<p>All I meant was that you should ASK first.</p>