<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I was unsure what to write in the "Additional Information" section of the Common App, and looked at other threads - most seemed to put either full resumes or an additional essay. However, I have one logistical issue to clarify as well as a few details of other things I've done (in research and political science) not fully reflected in my application that I think Harvard might like. What is the best way to present these two points?</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>You can no longer upload a document to the Additional Information section; you can only type in the text box. The Common Application made these changes because colleges DO NOT want resumes. So, don’t try to include one by typing a resume in the text box. if you have something to clarify, or an explanation – by all means provide one – and do so with as few sentences as possible; don’t write another essay.</p>
<p>Our D had four distinct short topics about which to provide additional information (activities and awards requiring more explanation than the activities and honors sections allow). In the Additional Information section she formatted them in separate paragraphs, each with a short topic formatted in bold followed immediately by a few sentences of explanation. Example:</p>
<p>Recipient of Blank Award: My growing role in the Blank effort gained me recognition at this year’s Blank Award Ceremony, the capstone event for Blank Week. This award honors one Blank student for exceptional leadership in Blank doing Blank and is given by Blank.</p>
<p>Thank you! @gibby, I’ll be sure to avoid those, and @niceday, thanks for the (aesthetically pleasing) suggestion!</p>
<p>One of the suggestions for the Additional Information box is a list of books.
If I am writing that list, which would ostensibly be less than 1000 words, can I just write it in the additional info box? Or should I write “List of books” and then mail them the list…?
Thanks</p>
<p>I would reserve that box for special circumstances, elaboration on items not fully explained elsewhere, etc. </p>
<p>I do not think your list of books is going to be of much interest or value to the people who read your file. I think it gives the impression that you thought you needed to put something in that space. Which you don’t.</p>
<p>Harvard is the only college I know of that suggests including a list of books that you have recently read. So, you might want to list the books you read in Harvard’s supplement.</p>
<p>FWIW: You can tell a lot about a person from what they have recently read. Keep in mind, that if you list certain books – Great Gatsby, Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm etc – Harvard will know you’ve been reading those for in-class assignments and not on your own – so Sikorsky is right. If you take away all the books you were forced to read for class . . . make sure the rest of the list tells something interesting about you that Admissions couldn’t glean from the rest of your application.</p>
<p>Really? I’ll defer to gibby’s greater knowledge.</p>
<p>I do remember that when I applied to Harvard more than 30 years ago, one of the short-essay choices was to list the books you’d read in the last 12 months. (I chose the other option–to list four books, and discuss some or all of them.)</p>
<p>Regardless of the sway a list of books may or may not have, if I were to send in that list would I do so by writing the list in the box or sending them the list in the mail?</p>
<p>Thanks to all who answered</p>
<p>If you send it in the mail, Admissions has to scan whatever you send them, convert the scan to a pdf, find your file, add the pdf to your electronic record, and then add the paper to your paper file. It’s quicker and easier just to type the list into the text box and have everything sent electronically at one time. Your electronic file is then complete and Admissions will print everything out and create a paper file – all at the same time (without things getting lost or misplaced.)</p>
<p>You should ALWAYS answer this “additional information” question. It gives the committee an opportunity to learn even more about you, and paints an even fuller picture of who you are in their mind. </p>
<p>Always type it in the box provided, and usually sentences that reveal more of your “voice” and personality are better than straight, stagnant lists.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!
Jillian</p>
<p>Wow, I think this is terrible advice… “You should ALWAYS answer this “additional information” question”, and also to tell them to use compete sentences that show your “voice”. If you didn’t already show your voice in your essays, this won’t make a difference.</p>
<p>The additional information section is for just that – additional information you could not fit into the Common App in some other way. My kids have used it for:</p>
<ul>
<li>Listing online courses they took through places like Coursera that did not fit elsewhere in the application</li>
<li>Listing out additional awards and information on their ECs that did not fit in the EC section. An example might be a few bullet points describing a summer research project, or awards won at tournaments in an important EC.</li>
<li>Additional high school courses that didn’t fit in that section (in one kid’s case she was taking more classes than the list of HS course slots allowed).</li>
<li>Explain any self study activities (in my kid’s case, self study for AP was explained)</li>
</ul>
<p>My kids used a header for each section, then bulleted their key points. Last year my D2 who did this got in everyplace she applied, including her three reaches. Colleges, even Harvard, want applicants who can be direct, concise, and not waste the admission officer’s time. If you don’t have anything to say, don’t do it. And if you do it, be direct and concise.</p>
<p>^^ I agree. It’s truly terrible and wrongheaded advice to:
</p>
<p>Both my kids left the “Additional Information” section blank, as they didn’t have anything pertinent to add . . . and it worked out just fine for them, thank you very much. The same can be said for most students, who I believe also leave this section blank. If you don’t have anything additional to add, leave it blank.</p>
<p>@gibby: thank you</p>