There doesn’t seem to be any directions on the art supplement and how to submit it. I don’t see directions on their website
“Students may submit supplemental material representing a significant talent, passion, or achievement by self-upload THROUGH (caps mine) their UChicago Account.”
https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/first-year-applicants
I saw that but it doesn’t explain where that is and what the specifics are that they are asking.
Do you have a UChicago account?
This will be our main source of communication throughout the admissions process. You can create your own UChicago Account before starting the Common or Coalition Application. If you have already submitted the Common or Coalition Application, you will receive a UChicago Account email with a login PIN. (Be sure to check your junk mail folder if you don’t see the email in your inbox.) Your UChicago Account allows you to:
Check the status of your application
Update information
Apply for financial aid
Change your password
View your admission decision
Here is the page where you create one if you don’t.
My DD included a paragraph about her music background with a youtube link in the Common App “Additional Information” section AND uploaded it to UChicago portal. No idea if it actually helped, but she did get in!
^ My son checked out the question of how this stuff helps when he applied last year, because he had a music supplement (composition and performance). Unlike other schools to which he applied, Uchicago doesn’t send those works along to the respective departments for evaluation. They stay with the Admissions office. No way of knowing whether Admissions has people qualified to evaluate or not. They say they look at the entire application so they probably do look at the supplements. Best guess is that they note your talent and think about it in the context of what you might be doing at Chicago and/or what artistic diversity you might bring to the class. If you are the only applicant who plays the floofloover, that probably helps. Although playing the violin or piano well might also help.
BTW, we know they look at the 2-min video because they’ve mentioned that directly in their comments about the class. So pretty much everyone should be submitting something visual in their application. A 2-min video is simple to make.
I agree with @JBStillFlying. My daughter looked at supplementing with a music piece, but decided against it. She instead DID do the 2 minute video and used it to showcase her cello playing as well as some other things. I’m not sure what your artistic talent might be, but if it’s music, visual art or theater, I feel that any of those could possibly be featured in your 2 minute video somehow.
This is also a great question to ask your admissions officer. My daughter reached out to her AO a few times. It’s a good way to show interest.
My DD is still considering whether to submit something for this or not. She is a musician and composer but doesn’t have a really high quality recording of anything.
Once you have access to the UChicago account, you can see the parameters for submission. I called the admissions office and they sent a link to reset the password for hers. It seems one is created for you if you’ve already started a common app and indicated you’re applying there, even if you haven’t submitted yet? Once you’re in the account, you can access the portfolio. Here’s what those guidelines indicate:
Visual Art
Upload up to 10 image files [JPEG, TIFF, PNG, PDF]
You may also include a link to a public web gallery of your materials [Flickr, Picasa]
Include a description of your medium, and any identifying information about the piece, and an artist’s statement of 3 to 5 sentences.
Music
Upload music files [MP3, WAV]. Please limit total length of files to 10 minutes. Do not submit video.
You may also include a link to a SoundCloud page with your work.
Include the title of the piece(s), composer, and instrument.
Theater and Dance
Upload video files [AVI, MOV, MPEG4, WMV]. Please limit total length of files to 10 minutes.
You may also include a link to a YouTube video.
Include the title of the piece(s), and any other identifying information.
Creative Writing
Upload document files [DOC, DOCX, PDF]. Please limit your submissions to 5 double-spaced pages.
Cinema and Media Studies
Upload video files [AVI, MOV, MPEG4, WMV]. Please limit total length of files to 10 minutes.
You may also include a link to a YouTube video.
Include the title of the piece(s), and any other identifying information.
1 Like
@lilchaz Would you mind sharing how your daughter showcased her cello playing in the two minute video? Did she actually play something or just talk about? I think the two minute video is hard because it is so little time!
@CrazyCatMama - here’s an earlier post from @lilchaz:
“DD accepted ED1! Physics major, music minor. No hooks. 1530 SAT, 34 ACT, 4.0 unweighted gpa, 4.3 weighted, NMSF. She did do the optional video. Recorded in her room by herself - very amateurish, but sweet. She played her cello in the video and just talked about some things that were not highlighted in her app. She’s beyond excited. I truly think it was her essays and the video that put her over the edge. She also had a handful of email conversations with her admissions counselor over the last few months.”
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/21868105/#Comment_21868105
My S also opted to highlight something that wasn’t emphasized in his app. He stood next to a major project he completed for a nearby organization and talked about it. His was well under two minutes. Short is good - you want them wishing you had submitted more, rather than the opposite 
@JBStillFlying thank you! This is super helpful!! My DD only has two weeks to finalize her application materials. We’re almost there!!
@CrazyCatMama - yes, my daughter started her video playing her cello for about 10-15 seconds and then she moved on to talk about other topics. She used a white board in her video to draw unique things about her. At the end she used all of her UChicago direct mailing over the past few years to make a collage. Even though the image of her playing the cello stopped at the beginning, she kept her piece playing as background throughout the video.
Good luck!
@lilchaz That sounds lovely! I just talked to my daughter about reconsidering her video. I think incorporating music (piano composition) in it rather than adding an additional supplement may be a better approach. Thanks for sharing!!