Additional Information Space on the CommonApp

Transfer Students
1

Hi,

I posted this in the College Essays section but it didn’t garner any responses there, so I’m posting here.

I am planning on sending out transfer applications for the fall 2016 semester and had a question about the Additional Information space on the Common App. I was wondering if it is appropriate to explain about my father being diagnosed with cancer before this past semester and how I visited him in the hospital frequently, was there for his surgeries, and then spent a lot of time with him during his recuperation (we found out that the type of cancer he had wasn’t terminal at the stage we caught it in, and now things are getting back to normal). One of my friends said that I shouldn’t mention it since I was still able to get good grades (6 A’s), and that the space is only supposed to be for stuff dealing directly with reasons for a bad grade or something (I don’t have any to explain about since my lowest course grade in college is an A). Do you think writing about this is appropriate for the Additional Information space in the Common App?

Thanks!

2

Additional information normally isn’t for excuses on why you have bad grades.

3

@anony12 This was obviously a very difficult time for you and your family, so I think you should definitely mention it somewhere on your application. It is only your achievement that your grades did not suffer, it shows your maturity and ability to focus. Today, many schools use a holistic approach, meaning, they don’t just want a GPA machine, they want a real person, able to overcome hardships like the one you described.