The number one question we get from students about the additional information section of the Common App boils down to what is this, some kind of trick?
Calm down, Grandpa. The short answer is no. For once, optional actually does mean optional. Hurrah, democracy wins! You get to choose, individual will is dank, let freedom ring, etcetera. But then there’s a new dilemma. If you really don’t have to, how do you know when you should anyway? Well, we’ll get into that here.
The prompt asks, “Do you wish to provide details of circumstances or qualifications not reflected in the application?” If you say “yes,” you can write up to 650 words. Many students won’t need to utilize this space, but it’s important to understand its purpose for two reasons. First, if you do need this section, your response here can help you out a lot. Second, there may be a temptation to misuse this section, which could actually hurt you.
This blog post should assist you with two main considerations: whether the additional information section applies to you, and what you should do with it.
When to Use Additional Information
The general maxim for this section is to include anything your application would not be complete without. What that means is that this is not “free” space to use for more of the same. It’s not another Common App essay. For the majority of applicants, the required portions of the Common App cover all the bases: what they did in high school and what they’d like to do in the future.
However, life is (infamously) unpredictable, and many students have had events beyond their control disrupt their high school experience or otherwise impact it significantly. The additional information section is to contextualize those circumstances and explain a perspective that admissions officers wouldn’t be able to glean from a resume or personal essay.
This section usually touches on heavy topics and emotional memories. That’s why we generally recommend students reserve these subjects for additional information rather than writing their Common App essay on it. Traumatic experiences are difficult to write about, and every one of you is much more than the worst day of your life. At the same time, though, big-picture events have a huge impact on us, and you deserve for your application to be read with a unique understanding of what you were going through.
If you have had major disturbances to your education, or if you have endured life-altering events that understandably impacted your performance or created gaps in your transcript, you should use this section to give context to your academic record. This is an opportunity to address confusion readers might feel or correct assumptions an admissions committee might jump to if they see a sudden drop in grades or sporadic attendance record without knowing extenuating circumstances.
What to Write About
While this list is by no means exhaustive, any additional information you include should address the event or situation that has impacted your high school performance, such as:
the death of a family member or loved one
the incarceration of a family member
economic hardship
housing or food insecurity
health issues
disability
neurodivergence
identity concerns
frequent moves
abuse or domestic violence
natural disasters
anything else that contributed to gaps in your transcript
If a student has lost a parent, this section would allow them to explain that their grades suffered junior year under the burden of immense grief. This performance shift is indicative of tragedy, not lack of ability or effort, as demonstrated by the gradual GPA increases seen over senior year. Others might have had to step into a caretaking role that left them with vastly diminished time for extracurriculars and studies, and noting this drastic change allows colleges to see that a student has not lost their academic drive. Instead, admission committees will have the insight to appreciate all they have accomplished despite extraordinary obstacles.
Not all additional information is catastrophic, but it must be significant. Other elucidating information might include recent diagnoses, identity changes, or domestic instability. For example, a student recently diagnosed with ADHD midway through high school may like to clarify how this realization changed their experience of school. With accommodations and other resources, they could point out, they felt better able to learn and reflect their knowledge in assessments, raising their grades each semester. A student who uses different pronouns at school than at home might choose to share the parts of their identity they felt they had to hide elsewhere, and someone who has an unusual transcript — not because they chose courses carelessly but because they changed schools once or twice annually — would likely want to explain that their mother’s job required them to move frequently.
There are other stories worthy of inclusion here beyond ‘“extenuating circumstances,” but they are relatively rare. Does your school have an unusual grading system most colleges are unfamiliar with? Share that. Have you undergone training or online courses that developed your primary interest but don’t show up on your official transcript? Share that. If a piece of information shows up elsewhere on your application, it is by default *not* additional, so resist the urge to repeat yourself and wax poetic. You heard us — keep it movin’.
What Not to Write About
If these guidelines don’t apply to you, leave additional information empty. Seriously — don’t write anything.
Many of us feel a temptation to fill this section out “just in case” — to show that we’ve gone the extra mile, that we’re thorough, that we are special, and therefore do have additional information. Do you really want to write another 650 words? Absolutely not. But do you want your dream school to think you’re the kind of person who will write an essay even if it’s not required? Literally of course you do, but you should not complete this section if you don’t need it. It works against you if readers think you can’t read the room — if they can tell, for example, that you took more of their precious time to tell them something that makes you look good rather than sharing crucial information that helps them understand your application.
Let’s put it this way. Imagine you’re a reader going through thousands of applications and hearing the vulnerable details of young people’s lives, often relating to inconceivable hardship. The last thing you need after reading about an applicant displaced by climate catastrophe is to flip to a portfolio of song lyrics someone included for a side of razzle dazzle. To borrow some wisdom from Randy Jackson, “it’s gonna be a no from me, dawg.”
The Upshot
If you look at your transcript, do you see dramatic changes or noticeable gaps you want to explain? Is this explanatory information otherwise absent from your application? If so, this section is for you. If not, do yourself a favor and skip it.
For further guidance on writing an additional essay for the Common