Where is the proper place to put descriptions of awards in the Common App? I know there is a line for awards in the activities section, however there is not much room to describe the award. There is an additional information section in the writing section, but it seems like a place to explain a bad grade or problem, not an award. So my question is where should I describe an award, or should I just assume the Admissions counselor knows what it is?
You need to consider whether it really needs additional explanation. AdComms have seen pretty much everything. They know what Highest or High Honor Roll means; they know what the Rensselaer Medal is and the Smith Book Award; they can figure out that the TJ Smith Art Award is probably for exceptional achievement in…let’s see, maybe Art? They know what All-Conference, All-State, and All-Conference Academic Team means, etc, etc. You don’t need to carefully define each award.
That said, there may be cases where you feel you really need to explain, and that’s fine. But use that ‘real estate’ available to you on the application to add something. The Additional Info section is for ANYTHING that you want to add, or go into more depth on. Do not leave it just for ‘problems’. Take advantage of the space! Maybe you have listed various awards under honors or activities. Use a bit of the Add’l Info section to provide more detail about a certain activity or indicate why a particular award was meaningful to you.