Should I Use the Common App Additional Information Section?
March 13, 2025
The Common App Additional Information section appears to be a 300-word (formerly 650-word) oasis amidst a desert of Draconian character limits. Yet, this inviting expanse of brag-sheet real estate should not be mistaken for an invitation to spew random musings on T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land or chronicle the reasons you quit the mandolin when you were eight years old. In fact, the Additional Information section’s purpose is so gravely misunderstood that it will probably be most helpful to begin with an explanation of what it is not meant for.
Today, we’ll cover:
- How NOT to approach the Common App Additional Information section
- Who should complete the Additional Information section
- How to write the Additional Information section
How NOT to Approach the Common App Additional Information Section
The Common App Additional Information section is optional, so the impetus for completing it should be a feeling of: “My application would be incomplete without X, Y, and Z” versus: “Hmm, 300 free words of space to fill. Let me think…” Admissions officers are genuinely busy people and are, during the heat of application season, under immense time constraints. Only at very small schools will an admissions officer spend more than 15 minutes reviewing a single application. Further, at many schools, a complete application review will take eight minutes or less. At some selective schools such as Georgia Tech, the University of Pennsylvania, and Bucknell University, staffers divide up single applications by section, like a good old-fashioned Ford assembly line.
All this is to say that while every word on your application genuinely matters, very rarely is an admissions officer left lamenting, “If only he/she could have written more!” after completing a review. In truth, the opposite complaint occurs with far greater frequency. If you keep this in mind as you weigh whether or not to include extras on your application, you will end up making a sound choice.
Who Should Complete the Additional Information Section?
In addition to the Challenges & Circumstances essay (also optional), students can use the Common App Additional Information section to discuss a wide range of events and experiences. However, you only have 300 words at your disposal in this area—a significant change from the previous word count of 650. The Common App noted that it made this change after consulting extensively with member organizations and counselors, which says to us that students in previous application cycles may have been using the Additional Information section improperly.
Accordingly, let’s dive into the four best uses of this space:
Personal Background and/or Extenuating Circumstances
If your background, circumstances, or personal experiences have significantly impacted your academic performance or ability to participate in extracurricular activities, then the Common App Additional Information section (and/or the “Challenges and Circumstances” space) may be the place to succinctly and factually explain the hows and whys. Common inclusions in this category include:
- Parental separation or divorce
- A serious illness or death of an immediate family member
- A personal illness (physical or mental)
- A learning disability or ADD/ADHD
- Adverse financial/housing situation
- An exceptional level of responsibility at home
- Academic difficulties
It’s also okay to mention something relatively minor here if it actually had a major impact on your performance, even briefly. For example, you had a migraine when you took the SAT the first time in the winter and scored a 1090; you took it again in the spring and scored a 1300. Even if your prospective colleges “superscore” the results, you’ll want to explain how your score went up 210 points in three months.
Additional Activities and/or Awards
One common reason to utilize the Common App Additional Information section is to include additional awards that wouldn’t fit in the five allotted spaces within the designated Honors & Awards section. This is always a perfectly acceptable use of this space, provided that the additions add value and are not mere “filler.” For example, if you’re a high-achieving student who has earned more than five significant honors, this is your chance to include them. These can be things like:
- National Honor Society membership
- National Merit Semifinalist
- AP Scholar with Distinction
- Honor Roll/Principal’s List
- President’s Volunteer Service Award
- Eagle Scout Award
- Any award in music, art, poetry, journalism, photography, or community service
- Top placements in FBLA, DECA, debate, or hackathons
Typically, it’s rare that an activity that didn’t crack the top 10 is going to be worth forcing into your application. If activity #11 is a one year of JV soccer in 9th grade or four hours of volunteer work in 10th grade, it is very likely not worth including. After all, the Activities Section is ultimately about depth, not breadth. Activities worth noting are typically those that directly connect to your academic interests, such as summer programs or community college courses you may have taken on your own time.
Finally, you can also use the Additional Information section to provide further detail about an activity included on your main list that you have been extensively involved in. We’re talking truly extensive—you started a nonprofit, run your own very successful business, started a community service initiative that now has multiple chapters, or held multiple leadership roles over many years in a particular organization. It’s rare for most students to need this level of detail, but it does happen.
Performances, Publications, or Research
Try fitting a URL into an activities or honors field—we dare you! If your TEDx Talk, musical performance, or debate championship is available on YouTube, the Additional Information section is the place to include it. This is a perfectly acceptable use of this section and the worst outcome is simply that the admissions officer elects not to watch it.
You can also include things like a local paper’s coverage of the charitable organization you founded or an op-ed you penned on the dangers of vaping. If you’re a high school superstar whose name appears on published research, feel free to link to it here along with a short description.
Explanations of Transcripts, Grading Practices, or Curricular Abnormalities
International students or home-schooled students are the prime candidates for this category. However, anyone who attends a high school with an atypical curriculum or alternative ways of grading should include an explanation here. Some examples include:
- Your school has limited AP/IB offerings
- You took or are presently taking a course with a mysterious title that requires further explanation
- Your school has extremely unforgiving grade ranges—an 87% is a C+
- You couldn’t take a certain class due to scheduling conflicts
We would not suggest including less concrete. For example, don’t complain that you received a D in physics due to a teacher conflict. Use this section only to convey factual information.
How Should I Write the Additional Information Section?
Think of the Common App Additional Information section as your personal statement’s no-nonsense cousin. None of the creative elements or in-depth personal reflection that you incorporated into your personal statement should make an appearance here. Instead, admissions officers are looking for facts and succinct descriptions of impact.
If you’re discussing a challenging life event or circumstance, see our advice for the “Challenges and Circumstances” essay. In general, one to two paragraphs are typically perfectly sufficient. Moreover, there will ideally be a positive-trending arc to the narrative. For example, if your grandfather unexpectedly passed away in the first semester of your junior year, which led to a dip in your grades, you’ll hopefully be able to show or explain how you sought support and/or raised your grades since.
If you’re sharing more details about an activity, honor, research publication, performance, or grading practice/curricular abnormality, you’ll likely only need a sentence or two. You can even bullet-point this information.
Final Thoughts
The Common App Additional Information section is an excellent tool for students who truly need the extra space, ideally to explain circumstances that have impacted your educational progress or provide details that cannot be communicated elsewhere due to space. If you are experiencing lingering doubts about whether something warrants inclusion in this section, take that as a sign that it may not be a worthwhile addition. A judicious approach will undoubtedly be appreciated by harried admissions officers.
Looking for more writing resources? Check out the following:
