<p>I have looked into the Arts Supplement issue for my daughter and it seems as though its significance varies from school to school. Generally it is my impression that it probably carries less weight with the larger Ivy type colleges/universities, some of which appear to be trying to discourage such submissions and do not even promise to have them evaluated by their music departments. On the other hand, some of the smaller colleges, such as Williams, seem to encourage such submissions and so it seems like they place more importance on them. It is my understanding that Stanford is unique in allowing a live audition as part of an Arts Supplement. I do not believe that any of the colleges I have looked at require or even expect that students that submit an Arts Supplement will major in music. Below are notes I made based on my review of various college websites.</p>
<p>Yale: “You should think carefully before submitting supplementary materials with your Yale College application. Most successful applicants submit only the items that we require. There are cases in which too many submissions, or submissions that do not reflect a high level of talent, can actually work against a candidate. Because the Admissions Committee gives greatest weight to the documents required of all applicants, we recommend that you focus your energy primarily on those elements of the application.”
“Supplementary submissions may make sense for students with substantial and well-developed talent that cannot be conveyed adequately in the rest of the application. Due to the large number of applications that Yale College receives, we cannot evaluate all supplementary materials. Admissions officers and faculty members will be selective in choosing which submissions to review.”</p>
<p>Columbia University: Can send in a CD. They recommend that applicants send supplemental recordings to the Admissions Office along with their regular applications. “Musical performance compact discs should include two works contrasting in period and tempo. Discs should be limited to no more than 20 minutes in length and should not include any biographical or introductory material.”</p>
<p>Harvard: Can submit an Arts Supplement. At the discretion of the Admissions Committee, such submissions may be evaluated by faculty.</p>
<p>Princeton: Can submit an Arts Supplement. “To the best of our ability, we’ll have arts faculty review your submissions and advise the admission staff regarding your abilities.”</p>
<p>Brown: Can submit an Arts Supplement. Music tapes/compact discs and art slides are forwarded to the respective departments for review. History has shown that submissions rarely affect admission decisions.</p>
<p>Dartmouth: There is an Arts Supplement. ”When you send the Common Application Arts Supplement to the Dartmouth Admissions Office, we will submit your portfolio or solo performance to our faculty for evaluation.”</p>