Young Scholars - Application Process - Supplemental Information

Davidson Young Scholars - Supplemental Information

Unless you are submitting testing that is over two years old, the supplemental information section of the application is optional. If you are submitting testing that is more than two years old, a portfolio is required.

While supplemental information will not override scores that fall significantly below the Testing Requirements, this section can be used to enhance the review committees understanding of the applicant’s abilities.

PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS

If you are submitting testing that is more than two years old, a portfolio is required. All other applicants may submit a portfolio if they choose.

Applicants may upload a portfolio with a maximum of 6 items. The purpose of this portfolio is to provide additional evidence of the applicant’s current intellectual ability outside of what has been included in the parent questions, the testing report and the nomination form. All portfolio items must have been completed by the applicant within the last 2 years.

The portfolio with a maximum of 6 items may include items such as:

• Academic work samples completed in school, in an online class or as part of a homeschool curriculum.
• Projects, presentations or written work completed outside of school as part of an extracurricular activity or completed independently at home.
• Letters of recommendation (outside of the required nomination letter).
• Videos of the applicant discussing a topic of interest in depth or demonstrating advanced academic abilities.

• Demonstrate academic abilities in areas such as math, writing, reading, science or social studies;
• Demonstrate the applicant’s ability to work at least two or more grade levels above age peers; and
• Demonstrate an innate curiosity to explore subjects in surprising depth or the ability to learn and process complex information rapidly.

Because the review committee is looking for concrete examples of the applicant’s advanced thinking and problem-solving skills, certificates, awards, art work, music pieces, and other non-academic work samples are not typically taken into account when determining an applicant’s eligibility for the Young Scholars program. Additional testing (i.e., any testing outside of what is listed on our Testing Requirements page) will not be taken into account by the review committee.

Acceptable file formats for portfolio submissions include: .PDF, .DOC, .DOCX, .MP3, .ODF, .WAV, .MP4, .JPG, .GIF, .PNG.

FAQs

Q. Should I include supplemental information?

Unless you are submitting testing that is over two years old, the supplemental information section of the application is optional. If you are submitting testing that is more than two years old, a portfolio is required. While supplemental information will not override scores that fall significantly below the Testing Requirements, this section can be used to enhance the review committees understanding of the applicant’s abilities.

Q. If I include a portfolio, what it required?

Q. How will portfolio items be reviewed?

The review committee assesses work samples based on whether the samples

• Demonstrate academic abilities in areas such as math, writing, reading, science or social studies;
• Demonstrate the applicant’s ability to work at least two or more grade levels above age peers; and
• Demonstrate an innate curiosity to explore subjects in surprising depth or the ability to learn and process complex information rapidly.

Q. My child does not have a lot of current written work samples. What do you suggest?

Portfolio work samples may include videos demonstrating the applicant’s academic abilities. Videos should consist of the applicant discussing an area of interest, demonstrating advanced comprehension of academic material (science, mathematics, literature, etc.) or presenting a project that is at least two or more grade levels above age peers.

Q. Can I submit awards, alternative testing, certificates or report cards to show my child’s accomplishments?

The purpose of the supplemental information section of the application is to provide the review committee with concrete examples of the applicant’s advanced thinking and problem-solving skills. Awards, alternative testing, certificates and report cards do not demonstrate the applicant’s skills and abilities in a way the review committee is able to assess. Therefore, they will not contribute to the review committee’s decision.

Q. Can I submit more than one Recommender Form?

Unfortunately, our application system only allows for ONE Recommender Form to be submit per application. However, you can include a letter(s) of recommendation as part of the applicant’s portfolio.

Q. Are photographs helpful to submit as Supplemental Information?

Photographs of students participating in activities often aren’t helpful as this type of photograph often does not give enough information for the committee to adequately assess them. For example, a photograph of a student completing a science experiment does not show the student’s preparation or execution; it only captures a moment in time. Photographs are considered relevant is when the photograph is part of a larger project. For example, if photographs are part of a student’s lab report (perhaps part of the process or result sections), that is acceptable to include in the portfolio.

Q. What type of skills or abilities should be included in videos?

A student performing a music piece, dancing, performance a theatrical piece or demonstrating other artistic skills are not generally reviewed. This is because the review committee does not have the background adequate to judge the merit of these performances. However, you can submit videos in which an artistic discipline is discussed. For example, a student’s dance performance wouldn’t be considered. However, a student’s presentation on the evolution of a particular style or type of movement that happens to include movement to demonstrate points made in the presentation would be considered.

Q. Can I submit a video of my child’s music performance or samples of artwork? 

While videos of musicianship or artistic pieces years beyond same-age peers displays talent, it does not demonstrate the academic qualifications we look for when determining eligibility for the Young Scholars program.