Additional Information worthy?

Applying to College
1

<p>This may sound a little silly to some... But:</p>

<p>I have a 4.0 unweighted GPA (my school does not account for A- and does not give A+. So, in sophomore year I got three A-'s first semester and they show up on my transcript but my transcript GPA is still 4.0 (well 4.24 weighted). Do you think I should give a reason for my "bad" performance in the additional info section of the common app? My reason is that my mom lost her job that preceding summer and I spent most of my time helping my mom set up her own business so most of my time went to that. The classes were AP US History, Chem 1, and Honors English. Hard classes and I didn't slip too far. Should I put this on my additional info section???</p>

2

<p>Well, I would just say what many have told me and what I have heard. Don’t list any excuses (Unless very serious) on college applications. Colleges just want to hear about your achievements. </p>

<p>I don’t think three A-'s would throw off your application, they were challenging courses.</p>

3

<p>I don’t think it is necessary to list why you think your grades slipped in that section. It is used for adding any other information that wasn’t mentioned in other parts of your application-- usually in the activities section. Feel free to incorporate this story into one of your essays or supplemental questions instead. It potentially could be a lot better read there.</p>