<p>you guys might've already debated this topic to death. haha.</p>
<p>I heard that the optional stuff on college apps are all required.</p>
<p>When colleges say that things like additional essays are optional, then yes, particularly for selective school, you should consider them as required to be the most competitive candidate you can be. But use of the Add Info section is only necessary if you really need it. Just filling it up with extraneous information is not going to help, and may hurt you.</p>
<p>Is “additional information” on the common app really that optional? If not, what should I write about?</p>
<p>The add additional information section is only there in case you need to explain something in the rest of you application. Like if you had the flu for a month and your grades dropped and you couldn’t participate in some of your extracurriculars. The counselor at my school says to only add stuff if it is really important that the college know it. In terms of optional essays and answering optional questions, if you can fill those out. It shows that you have more of an interest in the school.</p>
<p>I used the additional info for NEEDED information, such as my changes in high school and early graduation. You shouldnt use it to talk about ure day or why u wanna go to the college.</p>
<p>If you have something that would be relevant to ure application then use it, otherwise no</p>
<p>I disagree with some of the things that have been said on this board. These are the exact directions from the Common App Additional Info section (verbatim): Include any additional information that you would like to provide.</p>
<p>For my first choice college, there are no supplemental essays. How are they supposed to get to know me through the main essay only? I actually think it’s a good thing that my college does not have extra essays, because it gave me an opportunity to stand out. I wrote my own little supplemental essay about why I love the school, the city it’s in, and why I stand out (this is a very basic description, mind you). I put this essay under the extracurriculars I couldn’t fit on the app. But I did not re-list the ECs I did put on my main app; I feel that would be redundant.</p>
<p>Basically, this section is NOT just for “necessary information.” Tell the college whatever you’d like them to know about you that has not been done justice in other parts of the application.</p>
<p>I want to talk about how I raised $10,000 for charity and founded the mud run and all that. Should I put that in an additional inofrmation essay?</p>
<p>Heck yes you should add that in the additional information section! That is awesome! I’m thinking about adding my goal of creating a national magazine that raises the value of education in our society. Is that a good topic to add?</p>
<p>@vingram, if you haven’t done work for that idea, I wouldn’t include it. It’s not substantial because everyone can technically just put down ideas they have that may never be carried out (and what’s the use in that?)!</p>
<p>I want to write about how I learned english by myself, how I learned to read when I was four and how I always read extra books than the ones school orders me to, how can I do that? like an essay?</p>
<p>And I really want to talk about my Rubik’s cube solving and how i taught myself to become ambidextrous and write laterally. It’s a bit out of the box, but I should add that right?
Also, if I have certification for vocal music (distinction), but that was in 5th and 6th grade, should i add that too? I cant add it anywhere else because the app deals with grades 9 thru 12. And i should probably add that I havent continued that interest, aside from LISTENING to classical music.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot 
All the best to you! :)</p>
<p>@abdel…yes you can write an essay about your love of reading. Label it “extra essay”</p>
<p>@IRB…you can discuss the Rubik’s cube importance to you but make it interesting - what does this say about you that makes you different from all the other people that love to solve Rubik’s cubes, et. DO NOT add info from 5th/6th grade unless it pertains directly to what you are involved with today. Honestly - they don’t want to know about grade school awards especially if you are not a vocalist. If you were, you would slide it into the essay on “an activity”. On the other hand, you can write about your love of classical music!</p>
<p>Lol I just used that section to list the additional IB tests I will take in the spring given that there was not enough room to put it all in.</p>
<p>@squiggles- ohkay! i will do that! and well, the music distinction thing was given by a reknowned (not internationally though) organization, and though i dont sing now, i do use my knowledge to better appreciate the instrumentals and vocals i listen to. Would it be okay to add it, in that sense?
also, arent these little para-essays too much? Shouldn’t i just be putting them in bullet points, not writing whole essays on them?
Thanks :)</p>
<p>@IRB… you can do whatever you want in the “additional info” section. Your goal is allow the admissions committee to get to know the real you. If you LOVE music and it inspires you, then do add something about that - weave the award into the statement. You don’t have to write a book (lol); it can be a few sentences. Just be concise and to the point but don’t tell them things that mean very little. This is a perfect example of what I’m talking about: “i do use my knowledge to better appreciate the instrumentals and vocals” Use the award as your inspiration to prove this statement? How does all of this influence your life NOW? What does this bring to the college? Remember these are academic institutions, they will assume you are a nice person - tell them something new.
PS: my personal preference would not be bullet list unless you had 10 different awards to present. Just kind of boring…</p>
<p>Oh, that clears a lot up! Thanks SO MUCH :)</p>