<p>Pastel: D’s portfolio included a series of large scale oils exploring a social issue close to her heart, plus a collection of diverse pieces that she hoped would demonstrate her creativity and technical skill in several media. </p>
<p>Honestly, I thought D’s portfolio could have been stronger. D didn’t really start producing finished work until the very end of her junior year. She never had private instruction and only went to one 2-week program the summer before senior year. Plus D’s high school teacher focused on “process, not product” and actively discouraged competitions. D is very grateful to have had this truly wonderful teacher, but her particular approach left D with a somewhat thin portfolio, and virtually no awards. Still, several top art schools liked what they saw, as (apparently) did Yale–so take heart, OP.</p>
<p>Her stats were almost identical to yours, Pastel. A smidge higher here, a smidge lower there, but basically the same.</p>