<p>Hi I'm a dancer, but I have very minimal formal training (ballet and jazz for about two years when I was younger). I mainly do bollywood (different from classical indian dance) dancing and kpop dances but I am branching out into hiphop and I've performed onstage many times before. This is something that takes up a lot of my time, but I can't really say it in my application anywhere since I'm self-taught and i'm not on a dance team or anything and it's not even a classical type of dance. However, I am a very good dancer, so my video wouldn't suck or anything.</p>
<p>Would it be worth my time to send in an arts supplement to the schools I'm applying to? I'm already writing my common app essay on dance. I'm not applying as an arts major or anything, but would it be ok to send it just as additional information?</p>
<p>My stats:
GPA: 3.4 UW (my school doesn't weight APs)
SAT: 2210 (waiting on my november scores, which should be higher)
SAT2: Math2-720 (will be retaking in december and taking one or two more)
APs: 10 in total
ECs: Technology Student Association (awards at state and national level, multiple chapter officer positions and state officer position)
Academic Bowl
Science Olympiad
Math League (awards)
IUSD (Indian US Society of Delaware) Youth Committee (Secretary, President)
Tennis
Be Educated (raise money to build libraries in 3rd world countries)</p>
<p>oh yeah, and would it be helpful if i sent in a recommendation letter from the director of be educated? ^^ he's a family friend so he'd write a great letter. or would that be too much?</p>
<p>Schools I'm applying to:
University of Delaware
Penn State
Fordham
University of Miami
Boston University
Wake Forest
NYU -Stern
University of Southern California (Marshall)
UVA</p>
<p>I'm trying to find ways to cover up my low gpa. Please help! :D</p>
<p>bumpppp bumpity bump</p>
<p>Your GPA is not amazing, but your SATs, especially math, are pretty good, so your list of schools is fine. You sound like an intelligent girl and I like your Be Educated connection, which shows you’re not just a geek and you reach out for the betterment of humankind. If the dance is not professional, you may look foolish because the kinds of videos you’ll be compared to is girls that have taken ballet for 10 - 12 year, girls that have taken ballet and jazz professionally for 10 years, or girls who have the professional training and also competed as a group or individually. When those girls learn Bollywood, it looks great, but when an amateur (self taught) learns Bollywood, it’s not very impressive or tight. You should get a professional dancer’s opinion of your dance you plan to submit. Your application may do better without it if the dancing is too obviously self taught or simple.</p>
<p>Thank you, I think I’ll either get a professional dancer’s opinion or post a link to a video here on CC for people’s opinion. However, I do think I’m skilled enough to be compared to those other girls, especially since my genre of dancing is completely different from ballet and jazz.</p>
<p>I just don’t if it’s worth it to send it in though if I’m planning on being a business major (I want to possibly minor in dance). I also don’t know how I would go about getting a rec from an instructor since I don’t have any. My main goal is just to get across that dance is very important to me, and that I want to continue it more formally in college. Would it just be enough to write my common app essay on this topic? Or would that be weird too since I want to be a business major?</p>
<p>And should I send a rec letter from a director of be educated, or will colleges not like getting so many recs?</p>
<p>Wondering the same thing, since I breakdance (btw, I’m NOT a noob who’s sloppy and has 2 moves total) and I want to make a supplemental to stand out. I really hope we’re allowed to submit non-“classical” dance videos =/</p>
<p>BTW, strangely enough, we have pretty much identical stats and we’re applying to the same schools (minus PSU, Delaware, and Wake Forest) :O</p>
<p>You need to check those college’s policies about supplements that are not required. Some schools state they will not be reviewed or discourage them. Adcoms don’t have a lot of time or inclination to review extras. And, likely won’t be intrigued if you apply as a business major. Some schools will send a not-required performance related supp over to a faculty member in that dept- but only if they are interested in your app- ie, you’ve passed a few rounds.</p>
<p>Here’s info re Wake Forest, from their admissions dean:
*Should I send supplementary materials with my application? </p>
<p>Scrapbooks demonstrating your love for college X? No. DVDs of your student body president campaign speech? No. Tapes of your garage band? Probably not. Slides of art work for which you have received awards? Yes. Newspaper clipping showing you as Boys Nation President. Yes. If you have significant accomplishments which have been recognized outside your own family and circle of friends and you believe those accomplishments should be considered in your admissions decision, submit supplementary material … but be prudent. Admissions officers have a lot to read! *</p>
<p>Thanks, I have an interview with USC tomorrow so I’ll ask the guy about specifically.
I’m still wondering if it’s ok to write my common app essay on dance or does it not really matter what you write it on as long as it’s good?</p>
<p>And can anyone help me with if i should send an extra rec from be educated?</p>
<p>I’m still wondering if it’s ok to write my common app essay on dance or does it not really matter what you write it on as long as it’s good?</p>
<p>As A USC alum mom, I would not advise writing about dance, since you are applying to the USC’s Business school.</p>
<p>^isn’t the common app essay supposed to be on anything the student wants? It’s not like we HAVE to write about something business-related for or common app essay just because we’re applying to a business school, right?</p>
<p>^Saying you can write on any topic-- well, it shouldn’t always be taken literally. It’s a college app and your one chance to present yourself. A dance topic would somehow have to show she has the maturity, perspective and skills the b-school wants to see in its admits. Can it be done? yes. Is it a natural, winning idea? That’s what OP needs to rethink.</p>
<p>^But isn’t the common app essay an opportunity for someone to write about what he/she’s truly passionate about? IMO it’d be way better to write about something I feel strongly about than a generic essay on why I want to do business. Plus, USC’s supplemental essay question already allows students to address why they want to major in X. It’d be really redundant to write about business in both the common app essay and the supplemental.</p>
<p>Didn’t say generic about why you want business- said show yourself as someone the b-school (or any college) wants, that you have the qualities they value. </p>
<p>Eg, in writing about your love of dance, rather than just focus on the details, what you did when, how much you love it, how people reacted, etc, you can include persistence, maturity, rebound, etc. If b-school is your goal, you could show willingness to take risks, time management (something that “passion writers” often forget,) how you work your role into the team’s efforts and goals. That sort of thing. And, rememeber “show not tell.” Make any sense?</p>
<p>ok here’s the meat of my essay:</p>
<p>i discovered my love for dancing 6 years ago
there weren’t any opportunities in my town to pursue it so i taught myself
it brought me closer to my culture, and made me become more involved in my indian youth committee, which was dying at the time and i found ways to raise money for it and get everyone who was disinterested in it involved again
when i branched out into other types of dancing, it was because my korean friend introduced me to kpop and i started learning the language and i branched out into other cultures and languages too (im bilingual, almost fluent in another language, and am learning 2 other languages)
^so basically im talking about how my love for dance opened my eyes to so many other things that i’m also passionate about and made me work harder on my own time to do things i didn’t have the opportunity to do</p>
<p>my 2nd choice major is international relations, and im gonna be talking about both majors in my usc essay, so my common app essay should tie in right?</p>
<p>^ that sounds like it will be a great essay! The kind that admins will remember. For USC, be sure to let them know how excited you are that you would have the opportunity to study all 3 areas there.</p>
<p>I would find a way to talk about it in some of your application essays. While I am not familiar with the essays for some of those schools, a lot of them have short, supplemental essays in addition to the main personal statement that might be a really good venue for that sort of thing.</p>