<p>It depends on how good you are. Most people send in the instrumental ones and the art ones from what I have heard. The representatives said that they will help your application if they are exceptional (if you are just average and don’t have much of a talent, then sending it in won’t really help). Also they have to see that you have been committed to the subject that you want to send in a sample for (like if you want to send in an instrument one, they want to see that you have been playing that instrument for a long time and have put commitment to it). If they don’t see that you have been committed to it, like only started one or two years into high school and haven’t really won any awards or been any leader in your section, then it isn’t really useful. Essentially it helps if you have won art awards or have been a section leader in a good youth orchestra. If you are not really exceptional and you send it in, then it won’t help. Like if you play for a really good youth orchestra and you have been playing for a long time, then it will help (given that you are really good at it). And that goes for art too. But if you are just average with nothing really special about your art, then no it won’t help. From what I have seen, it is helpful. I have seen a couple people this year who are really exceptional in art (they have won gold keys in scholastic art award or have been sectional leader in youth orchestra) and they have gotten into Duke (note they weren’t like the best in my school, some had around a 3.8 GPA (and they weren’t the best in their graduating class really). One had around a 3.8 GPA and was international too). So from what I have seen and have been told the artistic supplement helps (for people who are exceptional in art that is).</p>