A supplemental portfolio may be included in your application to Bates to demonstrate your interest in participating in the creative community we have on campus. You have the opportunity to submit a portfolio in either art, creative writing, dance, film, music, or theater which will be reviewed by a member of our faculty.

Supplementary materials can only be uploaded after you have submitted your application to Bates and received a PIN providing you access to your Bates application portal. On this application website, you will have access to a required supplemental portfolio form to introduce your work and detail how you intend to participate on campus, as well as a tool to upload related media. (See guidelines below.) All portfolios are due within 5 days following the application deadline. 

Supplemental Portfolio Guidelines

Below are the guidelines for submitting a portfolio in the disciplines we offer. You are only able to submit a single type of portfolio for formal review, so please choose the type of work you would like to present. Any additional materials can be included in your general application, or emailed to admission@bates.edu to be considered at the discretion of the admission committee. If you have any further questions please contact Admission Counselor Molly Brown (mbrown6@bates.edu).

Art

Requirements:

1. For static work– i.e. paintings, drawings, ceramics, photographs, etc.,–the applicant should submit six to ten pieces. Please include the medium and dimensions of each piece.
2. For time-based work–i.e. video, animation, etc.—the applicant should submit pieces of work which do not exceed 5 minutes in total running time.

The work submitted should be appropriate for a member of the faculty to review. Please do not include submissions such as family vacation photos as part of your portfolio.

If a student submits both static and time-based work, then each individual time-based item would count as one towards the total portfolio number of 6-10 pieces. The same time limit of 5 minutes total running time for time-based work applies to a portfolio containing both static and time-based.

Creative Writing

Requirements:

1. Five pages of fiction or creative non-fiction (double-spaced) OR
2. Three pages of poetry (single-spaced).

Please do not submit research papers. 

Dance

Requirements:

1. A cover letter introducing the department to your strengths and goals for your dance studies at the college level.
2. One to two short videos (1-4 minutes each) featuring either a) you dancing in performance or in the studio, or b) you or others performing your own choreography.
3. Indicate which performer you are if you submit a group piece. Please let us know if you choreographed the piece.
4. Include the genre (i.e. hip hop, jazz, modern, bachata, tap, ballet, etc.) under which you would classify the submitted piece.

The purpose of the dance portfolio is to help faculty learn more about you as a dancer, not to serve as an audition.

Film

Requirements:

1. Two videos per applicant–5 minutes in running time or less for each film.

If an applicant has a piece that is longer than 5 minutes, please submit an excerpt from it.  If it is not clear, please make it known how the applicant has contributed to the film.

Music

Requirements:

1. Two to four performance samples which will total no longer than 10 minutes.

Excerpts should highlight your individual ability as opposed to your ability to perform within a musical group. If the student is performing within a group, please make sure to indicate which performer you are. Please include your instrument, the title of the piece you are performing, as well as the composer of that piece in your supplement.

Theater

Requirements:

1. One to three pieces which highlight the breadth of your creative work.
2. Actors may submit videos of either a live performance or a monologue performed in isolation. All actors should indicate your role/character, the play from which your piece comes, and that pieces’ author/playwright.
3. Those involved in set, lighting, costume design, or stage management are able to submit design images, technical production documents, or videos documenting their work.
4. Directors are able to submit video documentation of their production(s) as well as a written statement on those concepts which inform their directorial choices. All videos should not exceed 3 minutes each.

Files Sizes and Types

Although we technically support media files as large as 2 GB, please be advised that larger files will take longer to upload from your Internet connection and may stall if you are on a wireless connection or one that cannot sustain a connection for the necessary period of time. Uploaded documents may contain no more than 75 pages. We support the following file formats:

• Video: .avi, .flv, .m1v, .m2v, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .mp4, .wmv
• Audio: .aac, .aif, .aiff, .iff, .fla, .m4a, .mpa, .mp3, .ra, .wav, .wma
• Slide: .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff
• Document: .doc, .docx, .odg, .odp, .odt, .pdf, .ppt, .pptx, .rtf, .wpd

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