Spice Up Your College Application with Artwork, Stories or Music CDs

The days of plain typewritten college applications that look the same as everyone else's are over. These days, you have to be creative if you want your pick of universities. One of the most effective ways to spice up your college application is to show, rather than tell, the review board about your talents outside of school. This could mean including artwork, stories or music CDs that you have created.

The purpose of these extra effort is simple: to impress the college. Anyone can say that they are a writer or an artist or a musician, but if you prove that you have talent, it will be harder for the college to reject you. Furthermore, going the extra mile on your college application can draw positive attention your way. Since most universities receive thousands of applications each year, yours could easily get lost in the mix.

The most important thing, however, is to avoid including original artwork, stories or music CDs with your college application. These materials won't be returned to you, and they may even be lost as the university files it away. If you want to hold on to something, it's better to make a copy and provide that as an example of your talent, rather than the original.

For artwork, you can include either photocopies or slides, whichever suits you better. Or, you can provide a digital copy of your artwork on a CD if you prefer. If you have short stories or poetry that you've written, a simple typed copy will suffice, and you can include music CDs in thin jewel cases with your college application. Make sure that whatever you send is properly formatted and labeled, and include the names of other contributors if they exist.

It is also a good idea to include a description of the artwork, stories or music CDs you're submitting with your college application. An explanation for how the work was conceived, and perhaps an essay about what it means to you, would really spice up that ap. However, you don't want to include so much information that the university representative gets bored with your application, so try not to be too long-winded.