answer:I am the director of a design department at a college. We teach graphic & web design, photography, etc. I review high school transcripts for admission all the time. While I do review portfolios (work samples), the main thing I look for is academic performance (consistency or improvement), cumulative gpa, and what is written in the essay. I also interview potential students sometime and am mostly interested in communication ability and stated work ethic. I also like to see family involvement (bring your mom to see me). This tells me you’ll have a support system. Demonstrated creativity gets you in the door to apply, but other factors get you accepted.