Application Extras: 
Artists, Athletes, and Military Academy Applicants 

Some students will choose to provide something extra with their college admission applications. 

Artists
Performing and visual artists will often be asked to submit a portfolio or audition in order to get into or obtain scholarships from an art school or conservatory. It's important to note that every school posts specific details about their portfolio or audition process, and they are all different!

Visual Arts

• The National Portfolio Day Association is a collaborative of visual arts schools that travels around the country providing portfolio review and advice to high school students considering art school. Attend your sophomore and junior years so that you have time to implement the suggestions offered
• Tips for portfolio preparation from Savannah College of Art and Design
• ArtSchools.com has agreat descriptions of arts-related careers
• The Art Career Project is a great resource for understanding the huge amount of possibilities open to students who study art. Their list of schools is limited, so you probably want to search good match art programs using an alternate resource from my College Search page.
• Need portfolio help? Brian Orozco is a former College Admission Coach student, who graduated with a BA in American Studies in 2018 and an MFA in Photography in 2022. He had internships at the Whitney Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum, as well as at the Yale Art Museum. He taught sections of photography to undergraduates this past year at Parsons and at Yale. He provides portfolio coaching at a reasonable price.

Performing Arts

• Majoring in Music is a go-to site for information about pursuing music education in college. Don't miss the great audition tips
• Lawrence University has the best tips for creating an impressive music resume​ 
• Although most conservatory programs would prefer you to audition on campus, 25+ schools do attend the National Unified Theater Auditions, so you can be seen by all of them at once 
• Performing Arts Resume Guide

Athletes
If you want to play college sports you should work with your club or school team coach in addition to your college counselor. When selecting an appropriate match college, it's suggested that the you pick a school that is a terrific academic fit, so that if you were injured and couldn't play the sport, the school would still be a great place for you to be.

In order to play a college sport for an National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school, you need to register at the eligibility center at the end of junior year of high school.

• ​NCAA Eligibility Center 
• NAIA registration center 
• Playing sports at a Community College is also an option. Find our more from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) 
• ​Be Recruited is an online network connecting college athletes and coaches. You can post an athletic resume at no charge ​

Military Academies
The elite U.S. Military Academies require application extras such as a letter of recommendation from a senator or congressman and a physical examination. Check out the specific requirements for each:

• United States Military Academy West Point  
• United States Naval Academy 
• United States Air Force Academy 
• United States Merchant Marine Academy 
• United States Coast Guard Academy 
• There are independent educational consultants who specialize in working with students who aspire to attend a U.S. Military Academy. This consulatant, LTC Rob Kirkland,  has great resources for the Academies and ROTC on his site.

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​"Rachel, our son received the Appointment Letter today for the Air Force Academy! 
My dad and brother both tried and were not successful...but they didn’t have you as an admissions coach did they?"
 - Jack, parent​