I’m currently a transfer student and on several of my applications, there’s an option to send supplemental materials (art, music, creative writing, etc). I absolutely love to write–I was editor and writer for my school newspaper and took a creative writing class in high school; I also have a few novels and short stories that I have been working on the past few years.
I have several pieces that I’d be interested in sending to the colleges. However, I’m worried that it may not help my applications, especially since creative writing is not exactly my intended major–I plan on majoring in French and potentially History. That being said, I definitely see myself getting involved in writing-related activities on campus. I feel like my writing would help admission officers get to know me, but would it add too much to the application?
Check the rules for application supplements. If they allow certain creative writing pieces, why not? It can’t hurt.
I think if you have received recognition for your writing (national/regional/school/local awards etc.) then you should definitely do that. Otherwise I think you should at least get your work read over/edited by someone (sorry if this is redundant if you already did). If your work is strong, it will definitely help your application.
A similar situation kind of happened for me-- creative writing/literature wasn’t my intended major, but writing was one of my passions. I was involved in multiple journalism/writing related extracurriculars and received awards at the school, state/regional, and national level for several pieces (for example, National Gold Medal for the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition). I’m in no way trying to brag btw, just trying to explain my particular situation. I consulted my counselor and he advised me to submit a writing supplement, so that’s what I did despite it not being my major.
Do these colleges pose a limit to the number or length of the supplemental materials attached? I think your writing supplements might be helpful; however, I suggest a short piece or an excerpt, no more than a page or two.