<p>From the multitude of advice I've gotten about college admissions, one thing I've heard time and time again is that you need to shape your application to create a sort of "identity" that reflects who you are. That wasn't really eloquent, but I hope you guys get the picture. Well, basically I have a ton of ECs just like everyone else on this site, but my interests really lie in dance, politics and volunteer work. I think I've reflected these interests through my ECs but I don't know if they speak for themselves. I guess what I'm asking is if any of you, namely those who were accepted to Columbia, have advice about how to "craft" your application. Also I've heard that most Columbia students, despite how diverse they are, have a certain interest, activity, passion (for lack of a better word) that they excel in/ are extremely knowledgable about, etc. I think I'm one of those people but I really don't know how to express that in my app. </p>
<p>Also, I've searched this thread for a while now, not the mention the columbia website, and they make it pretty clear that you can submit supplemental materials, but they will not view any DVDs you send. I know that the Common App has an arts supplement that allows you to send a DVD, but Columbia doesn accept the common app. Is there any way that I can send a DVD that they'll watch. Perhaps to the dance department? If not, I guess I'll just send a professional resume.</p>