I’m thinking of sending in a music supplement, a creative writing supplement, and putting an abstract in the additional information section. Is that too much/will it annoy AOs?
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There’s a negative if they’re not good. More does not equal better. And any supplements you submit to Harvard should be of exceptional quality. A music supplement, as an example, should be at or near the level of a conservatory submission.
Keep in mind that AO’s don’t review supplements; that’s not their wheelhouse. At their discretion, they send some for faculty review. The faculty reviews only the supplement; they make no admissions recommendation. Admissions, when receiving 3 disparate supplements must determine based on the rest of the application whether the applicant is truly gifted in all these areas or whether they’re slinging crap against the wall in hopes one sticks
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Supplements are not the kind of thing where you want to show off your many diverse talents - “Here’s me playing the guitar and singing one of my own songs. And here’s me doing a Tik-Tok dance. And here’s a poem I wrote. And here’s me skiing a black diamond slope.” It’s when you have an unusual achievement that is outside the norm, that you submit one of these. So if you are an award-winning musician, artist, writer, dancer, then maybe - and keep it short. Usually this level of achievement does not happen in multiple areas, so usually the brief supplement focuses on only the one EC with an extraordinary level of achievement.
Actually, sometimes they do. I was told that the entire ad comm had reviewed my kid’s supplement, in the committee meeting. But yes, they had also sent it out to the appropriate faculty member for review.
I would choose one. You can handle the other two on the application in other ways- the additional info section as you suggested, for instance. The supplement should have a recording/video, or sample of writing, with a resume and 1-2 letter(s) of recommendation.
@chocolatecherrymint, you need to consider the level of submitted materials - will it help or hurt your application? Your music supplement will be evaluated by a music faculty member, orchestra or band director. Good measure of the level is answering “yes” to this question: “Would this be accepted as a prescreening audition material at the conservatory or music school”?
Is your research complete, published or accepted for publication? Is your creative writing piece published or won an award? Why not mention it in the “Awards” section of the applicaiton? You need to decide what will be enhancing your case. In my opinion, submitting all three supplemental pieces makes sense only if they are truly extraordinary.
Good luck!
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