Students who have talents or achievements in the areas of music, dance, theater or visual arts may wish to submit supplementary arts materials for review by Amherst faculty. Information about your arts background and samples of your artistic work must be submitted online. Depending on the specific artistic medium, certain materials are either required or recommended, as described below. Applicants intending to submit arts supplement materials are strongly encouraged to do so by the application deadline of the applicant's chosen admission plan and no later than the end of the allowed grace period (as detailed below in the Submission Deadlines section).
General Information about Submission of Arts Supplements
Optional Submission
The submission of supplementary arts materials is completely optional. It is not required for your enrollment in arts courses or your extra-curricular participation in the arts at Amherst or your eventual choice of a major in the arts. Any student attending Amherst College may participate in the arts (either as a departmental major or as a non-major taking courses through the curriculum or by engagement in extra-curricular activities) whether or not the student previously submitted an arts supplement at the time of application.
Submission Platform
Applicants can submit Arts Supplement materials through a designated section of their Application Status Portal (ASP), a secure online site personalized for each Amherst applicant. Although you will not have access to your ASP until after submitting your application for admission, you can still get started on preparing your arts materials! Review the information below to learn more about the materials required for the various types of arts supplements. (And keep creating!)
Supplement Review and Evaluation Process
Art supplements are reviewed and evaluated by faculty from the relevant art department (music, dance, theater, visual art), not by members of the Admission Office. After reviewing a supplement, arts faculty share their evaluation with the Admission Office. A strong evaluation of a submitted art supplement can be a positive factor in the overall, holistic consideration of the student's application, although only one of many factors contributing to our admission decision. A less-than-strong evaluation, however, will not have a detrimental effect on a student's admissibility. In other words, submitting an arts supplement may help your application, but will never hurt it!
Arts Recommendations
Arts supplements for dance, theater, and visual arts require the submission of a recommendation from a teacher familiar with your work in that artistic area.
Submission Deadlines
You are strongly encouraged to submit your arts supplement not later than the application deadline of the admission plan you have chosen. To provide some additional flexibility, however, a grace period beyond the application deadline will be allowed for the submission of arts supplements.
| Admission Plan | Deadline | Extended Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Early Decision | November 1, 2023 | November 8, 2023 |
| QuestBridge | November 1, 2023 | November 8, 2023 |
| Transfer (Spring) | November 1, 2023 | November 8, 2023 |
| Regular Decision | January 3, 2024 | January 10, 2024 |
| Transfer (Fall) | March 1, 2024 | March 8, 2024 |
No Additional Fee
Amherst College wants to ensure that submission fees do not pose a barrier for students wishing to submit arts supplements, so you will not be charged an additional fee for submitting an arts supplement to Amherst College.
URLs for Embedded Media
If you provide a URL for embedded media, please ensure that the content will be accessible at least through March 31, 2024. We do not permanently download embedded media, so if you remove the original content or otherwise restrict access to the linked material, it will not be retrievable by Amherst faculty reviewers.
Instructions for Submissions
Music Supplement Requirements
- Arts Supplement Form (available in your Application Status Portal after submitting your application for admission).
- Résumé detailing (1) private instruction and performance experience (including number of years studied, names of teachers and ensembles, and any awards); (2) background, if any, in theory and/or composition; (3) experience, if any, in electronic music, new media, or music technologies.
- Examples of musical work:
- Performance: Provide a recording of yourself in solo performance (if classical instrumental, voice, or jazz) or group performance (if jazz, rock, pop or other) of 2-4 tracks, not longer than 10 minutes total, exhibiting contrasting examples of expression and technique for classical submissions or varied stylistic approaches (swing, Latin, ballad, blues, etc.) for jazz submissions. For each recording, specify in the "Description" label: (1) title and composer / arranger for each selection; (2) which instrument(s) you are performing on or which voice part you are performing; (3) the timing of any particular section that features you as a soloist (if an ensemble example).
- Composition: If submitting an original musical composition for review, include an audio recording of a performance of your written work (if available), as well as printed sheet music (as PDF).
If you provide a URL for embedded media, please ensure that the content will remain accessible at least through March 31, 2024. We do not permanently download embedded media, so if you remove the original content or otherwise restrict access to the linked material, it will not be accessible to faculty reviewers.
Dance Supplement Requirements
- Arts Supplement Form (available in your Application Status Portal after submitting your application for admission).
- Résumé summarizing your experience and including a short statement about your interest in dance.
- Recommendation from a teacher who is familiar with your work in dance.
- Essay: If you have completed Option A (response to essay prompt) for the Amherst Writing Supplement, you should upload a copy of that essay. If you have completed Option B (analytical paper) for the Amherst Writing Supplement, you should upload a copy of your personal essay from your Common Application, Apply Coalition with Scoir, or QuestBridge Application, as appropriate.
- Optional performance example: You are strongly encouraged (although not required) to submit samples of dance performance in the form of video or embedded media (from YouTube, Vimeo or SoundCloud). If you are one of several performers in a dance piece, please provide sufficient information in the "Description" section of that item's label to allow reviewers to identify you.
If you provide a URL for embedded media, please ensure that the content will remain accessible at least through March 31, 2024. We do not permanently download embedded media, so if you remove the original content or otherwise restricts access to the linked material, it will not be viewable to faculty reviewers.
Theater Supplement Requirements
- Arts Supplement Form (available in your Application Status Portal after submitting your application for admission).
- Résumé summarizing your experience and including a short statement about your interest in theater.
- Recommendation from a teacher who is familiar with your work in theater.
- Essay: If you have completed Option A (response to essay prompt) for the Amherst Writing Supplement, you should upload a copy of that essay. If you have completed Option B (analytical paper) for the Amherst Writing Supplement, you should upload a copy of your personal essay from your Common Application, Apply Coalition with Scoir, or QuestBridge personal essay.
- Optional Artistic Work Examples: Students who have done acting or directing work may submit one video example of no longer than three minutes. (If you do not appear as the sole performer in the video, please include a title that indicates your role or that you directed.) Students interested in theatrical design may submit samples of original art work (primarily drawings as images); please do not submit production photos.
If you provide a URL for embedded media, please ensure that the content will remain accessible at least through March 31, 2024. We do not permanently download embedded media, so if you remove the original content or otherwise restrict access to the linked material, it will not be accessible to faculty reviewers.
Visual Arts Supplement Requirements
- Arts Supplement Form (available in your Application Status Portal after submitting your application for admission).
- Résumé with dates, institutions, and a brief description for each course or workshop attended and a description of other related experience.
- Recommendation from a teacher who is familiar with your work in the visual arts.
- Examples of your work in the visual arts, including at least three drawings.
- It is recommended that you submit 10 to 20 examples, if available. Examples may be submitted in the form of images, video, or embedded media (from YouTube, Vimeo or SoundCloud).
- For video submissions, work samples should be no longer than three minutes total running time. This can be an excerpt of a longer video or a number of shorter pieces. Please include timecode if you would like us to view a three-minute sequence from a longer video.
If you provide a URL for embedded media, please ensure that the content will remain accessible at least through March 31, 2024. We do not permanently download embedded media, so if you remove the original content or otherwise restricts access to the linked material, it will not be viewable to faculty evaluators.
