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Extracurricular Activities
Charts and Resumes
Additional Submissions
Non-Required Materials
Students may choose (if allowed by the specific college) to send materials with their applications that are not explicitly required. Additional letters of recommendation, portfolios of art work, video clips of musical performances, and videos of athletic contests are the types of materials most commonly considered. Rest assured that each college will require of you everything it needs to make a decision about your application. Do not feel compelled to send additional materials! Additional materials should speak eloquently to one of your skills, talents, or interests that cannot be captured by the required documents.
Letters of Recommendation
Each student’s application will be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from the College Counselor whether the college requests one or not. Most applications also require teacher recommendations – usually one or two. Peer recommendations are occasionally requested, and some schools offer an optional recommendation form that can be given to anyone of the applicant’s choosing.
Supplemental recommendations (those that are not required) can be valuable documents for college admissions officers if the recommender has a unique perspective on the applicant that is not explored in any other part of the application. Job supervisors, music teachers, and art teachers are the most common authors of supplemental recommendations. Further, if the student or the student’s family has a relationship with someone who is intimately involved with the college, that person might also write a recommendation on behalf of the student.
At the same time, it is important to be careful about overloading your application. Too many recommendations can be detrimental to an applicant. You should not simply send letters from everyone who has expressed the willingness to write one. It is almost always inadvisable to send more than a total of five recommendations (including teachers and counselors). Please consult with your College Counselor before you request supplemental letters of recommendation from anyone.
Portfolios, Music and Videos
Any student with significant artistic talent should consider sending a portfolio of work along with the college application. Students applying to art schools or art programs within liberal arts colleges may be required to do so. In the case of a required portfolio (or audition), these creative reviews become the crucial factor in rendering an admission decision. If it is not a requirement for your application, speak with your College Counselor and the Visual Arts Department about the advisability of sending a portfolio. Keep in mind that they are a good deal of work to produce, and can sometimes be costly. In the same way, the Performing Arts Department is our best resource on the admissibility and production of recordings for the Admission Office. At some colleges, but not all, the general procedure is to forward portfolios, music or video clips and links to online sites such as SlideRoom to the respective departments for evaluation. Be prepared with your best quality work.
