Art Supplements

Students with especially strong backgrounds and interest in pursuing the arts at Swarthmore can share samples of their work via their Swarthmore Applicant Portal. We accept supplements in creative writing (written or spoken word poetry and fiction), dance (performance and choreography), music (performance and composition), theater, and the visual arts. Submissions provide our Admissions Committee with examples of students’ artistic talents and are subject to faculty review. Please know, however, that we cannot guarantee all works will be evaluated.

Please review the information below for guidelines on submissions for each field. You will be able to submit your supplement to the Swarthmore Applicant Portal after you submit your admissions application. Please note that you may submit an art supplement for more than one field.

Learn more about:

Creative Writing Submission Guidelines

WRITTEN POETRY OR FICTION:

Please submit a sample of no more than five typed pages of your work, with the genre indicated at the top of each page. If you send an excerpt of longer work, please include a brief paragraph contextualizing the section you've chosen.

  • Please submit in standard 12 point Times New Roman font. 
  • Please do not submit fan fiction.
  • Please do not submit AI created or assisted fiction.
 

SPOKEN WORD POETRY OR NARRATIVE:

Please submit a sample of one of your presentations, either through an embedded YouTube link or by uploading an audio or video file, of no more than five minutes in length. If submitting audio/video files, we strongly encourage students to submit the corresponding text in an accompanying file.

  • Please submit in standard 12 point Times New Roman font.
  • Please do not submit AI created or assisted poetry.

Please note, screenwriting and playwriting submissions will not be reviewed.

Dance Submission Guidelines

Students with an interest in dance composition, performance, or research are welcome to supplement their application with one or more of the following items:

  • A dance video (not to exceed five minutes in length) and a written description identifying the video segments (and how a reviewer may identify the applicant if additional dancers appear in the video). Content may include: student choreography; works choreographed by teachers; dance sequences from a technique class; and/or an example of the applicant leading a dance activity.
  • A one-minute video or short paragraph in response to the following prompt:
    How would you express your ideas through movement, melody, costumes, and props?
    No dance training is needed to respond; however, if you have training, you are welcome to explore what you know.
  • A one paragraph response describing your dance interests and background.

All styles of dance are of interest to Swarthmore faculty reviewers.

Music Submission Guidelines

PERFORMERS:

Please submit an audio or video recording of yourself performing up to TWO compositions (ideally in contrasting styles if submitting two examples). If submitting for multiple instruments, please submit no more than two recordings per instrument. We will listen to up to 5 minutes of music. Please indicate specific time markings if your examples are longer. Recordings should not be augmented/enhanced in any way (reverb, auto tune, AI, etc). If an enhanced recording is all that you have, be sure to provide details on how it was enhanced.

COMPOSERS:

Please submit scores in PDF format of one or two of your compositions, with accompanying audio or video recordings if possible. We will ask you to share a few sentences about your musical background and interests. (No resumes or bullet points from your resume).   Provide 1-2 items.

Allowed Media Types: External media from YouTube and Vimeo. PDFs (up to 10MB each)

Theater Submission Guidelines

THEATER STATEMENT:

Attach a one-page statement about the process of creating a performance in which you have been involved. Discuss how and why the rehearsal process succeeded and/or failed in fostering a creative and collaborative experience for everyone involved (actors, directors, designers, etc.). If you prefer, you can compare and contrast two projects that you have worked on.

OPTIONAL:

Please feel free to share a brief video (no more than five minutes in length) or images of your work. Any media shared will be considered in addition to your theater statement; we will not consider a theater supplement without a completed statement.

Visual Arts Submission Guidelines

Please submit no more than five images of drawings, paintings, photography, architectural drawings or 3D designs, sculptures, or other works, and indicate the title, date, medium, and size of each submission. Please refrain from submitting digital paintings as they will not be reviewed.