How to Best Use the Additional Information Section

How to Best Use the Additional Information Section

Found in the writing portion of the Common App, the additional information section gives students 650 words to write about anything that couldn’t fit elsewhere. Some students may have important stories to share that did not fit in any other of the spaces in the Common App, such as the reason behind why they chose a certain activity or the way they earned their grades.The additional information section allows you to tell those stories. But what exactly should go here? A lot of things, but not everything.Think of the additional information section as the labels placed next to paintings in museums. The details are factual, tell of what materials the piece is made, and sometimes provide historical context.In the same way, the additional information section tells of mostly objective points important to understanding the contents of your application and, ultimately, who you are. Let’s discuss some of the major things you should include in this section.

Grades Explanation

Maybe there is a D on your transcript because you unfortunately caught a bad cold on the day of final exams or lost a loved one that semester. Whatever it is, be sure to tell your story so it’s not left to the imagination of your admissions officer, who may or may not give you the benefit of the doubt.But do avoid blaming your teachers. We know unfair graders are out there, but that explanation won’t fly. In these situations, use numbers to your advantage. Highlight how, though you received a C in calculus, you scored within the top 20% of your class, or how no one in your class earned an A that semester, or that the final exam was heavily based on the unit your teacher spent the least amount of time on.If you had a positive overall grade trend, going from earning mostly Bs and Cs in freshman year to all As and Bs junior year, write about strategies you used to bounce back up. Did you develop a healthier mindset or enlist the help of a tutor?  Then discuss how you would use these same strategies to thrive in college.When writing these explanations, think about how they present you as a student. Admissions readers understand things happen. Bad grades do not automatically disqualify you but appearing apathetic about academics might. Show them that you would be a diligent, dedicated student at their college, able to get back up after a difficult go.

Attending Multiple Schools

Students typically attend multiple schools at the same time because their high school does not offer particular classes they want to take, such as an advanced math course. We know students who commute to three separate campuses in a day in order to satisfy their academic appetite. If this is you, tell the story of why you decided to walk or bus the extra miles to do so. It’ll highlight your intellectual curiosity.If at some point during high school you transferred from one school to another, either once or multiple times, you can elaborate on your story in the additional information section if necessary. The Common App provides a 250-word space for students to talk about the circumstances surrounding their transfer, but you could write an extended explanation here if 250 words does not fully capture your story.

Special School Programs

Are you part of a unique program at school? Is your high school nationally or world-renowned for a particular discipline, like Calculus, or program, like theater? If so, talk about the impact on you for having such an opportunity at your fingertips. You might include information such as the program’s acceptance rate, history, how students are selected, and opportunities it has afforded you outside of school.

Commute

If you commute for a long time to get to your high school, make sure to mention how it may have affected your academic performance or extracurricular involvement. Perhaps it limited the number of after school activities you could participate in or caused your grades to slip. But even if it had no negative effects, you could talk about how a long commute pushed to you to better manage time and study smarter.

Disabilities

When writing about disabilities, whether physical, emotional, or mental, it is important to show resilience or a positive character trait. For example, a student who has scoliosis may develop strategies to withstand sitting for long periods of time to focus on his studies. Because admissions officers read thousands of applications, noting a disability may not make particular impact to them unless you explain why its significant for them to know.  Be wise in deciding whether you want to talk about mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Colleges understand students struggle with these things, but they also want to make sure being a student on their campus will not aggravate your symptoms.

Elaboration on Top 10 Activities

If 150 characters per activity was not enough for you to talk about your extracurriculars, this is your chance. But make sure you only include important things. For example, if you wrote that you are the newspaper editor at your school and published 5 articles, there’s no need for you to write a summary of each article you published.Instead, we have found that the best elaborations involve the context of what makes something special to you. Many students start service clubs, but it is a different if you started the first service club in your region or for a particular demographic. Other things you can add is awards you won, particular responsibilities you held, and tangible impact you made.

Additional Activities & Awards

Even if an activity did not make your top 10 list, you should list them here because that will provide a more comprehensive window into how you spend your time. You can list summer programs, hobbies, and family responsibilities here.For any additional activity you list, include the same information for these activities as your others—including your position, the organization’s name, your responsibilities, and the time commitment. Try to be succinct, even if you have word space to spare; admissions officers reading hundreds of applications will appreciate it.You should also list additional awards that you have won. Include the name of the award, the organization that granted it to you, a brief description about why you received it, and the level of recognition (school, region/state, national, or international).

What to Avoid

Not everything goes in the additional information section. Though perhaps tempting because of the word space, do not add in another personal essay. If colleges wanted this, then they would have asked students for it in their supplementary section. You may add more work for admission officers, especially if your essay does not shed light on a new aspect of your candidacy. In general, we recommend for students to avoid repeating information.

Formatting Is Your Friend

You have the option to bold, italicize, and underline, so use these formatting features to your advantage. Make the additional information section visually appealing and easy to read so admissions officers know that it won’t take them that much effort to take in the information. If you have different categories of things to include, then give each a title so they know what they will read beforehand, similar to the layout of this blog post.You may not need to add anything to the additional information section if you think none of these above categories apply to you. After all, it is optional. But if you are in the position where you are uncertain about whether a unique program or event is worth mentioning, and are unsure how, we can help you to sort through the best information to write down in this 650-word space.The expert admissions consultants at Wise World Prep have helped hundreds of students maximize their potential of being admitted to their top choice colleges and universities. Over 20 years, we have successfully guided students through each stage of the application process – from choosing competitive high school courses to building an appropriate college list to drafting winning essays to writing persuasive update and appeals letters. We would be happy to answer your questions and partner with you to create a successful admissions roadmap.Ready to get started? Schedule a complimentary 20-minute conversation today!Want to stay informed? Subscribe to our newsletter. See what others are saying about us