<p>A lot has happened since I started high school that's been significant in defining who I am, and I feel that there isn't enough context to describe only a part of it and that it needs to be understood as a whole. </p>
<p>I've found no combination of supplemental essays on the commonapp or essays for MIT to be sufficient in allowing me to express myself, so I ended up writing (as tersely as possible) a three page mini-biography that I plan on putting in the addition information section. </p>
<p>I'm hoping that, if it's actually read, the application reviewer will see why I felt the need to write it and won't disregard it. </p>
<p>Is it inherently a bad idea to leave such a long essay (1000+ words) in the additional info sections, or is that part of their purpose?</p>
<p>edit: Is there anyone who's worked in admissions and wouldn't mind reading the essay to determine if they think it's necessary?</p>
<p>The purpose of the additional information section is to allow a student to address relevant matters not readily or fairly covered elsewhere in the application–such as extended illness, family problems, a spate of poor grades.</p>
<p>The purpose is not to provide an opportunity for a greatly extended autobiography. Submitting such material defeats the purpose of word limits and demonstrates a lack of judgment, consideration, and self-control.</p>
<p>If there is “no combination” of essays in the regular application process that allows you to express yourself, I suggest that you give serious consideration to the possibility that the form of self-expression that you have in mind is not appropriate for the college applications process.</p>
<p>From the MIT description of the additional information section: </p>
<p>“No admission application can meet the needs of every individual…”</p>
<p>Which seems to conflict with your last paragraph. </p>
<p>I would greatly appreciate if you could read over the essay and help me figure out what parts should or shouldn’t be included, where possible, in the application.</p>
<p>The statement quoted from MIT allows flexibility, but it does not create space for an applicant to submit whatever they please, to the disadvantage of other applicants and the burden of the readers. One still needs to give serious consideration, as I said, to whether or not the material is appropriate.</p>
<p>I believe that you have too few posts to PM me. I have to go out this morning. Perhaps you can figure out what I need to do such that you can email me through this forum, without me posting my email address publicly.</p>
<p>An unsolicited 1000-word mini-autobiography? That’s three times the length of Barack Obama’s biography on [The</a> White House](<a href=“http://www.whitehouse.gov%5DThe”>http://www.whitehouse.gov), and nearly the twice the length of Washington’s or Lincoln’s.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but to be frank, I think it goes way beyond “inherently a bad idea.” I completely concur with ADad’s points about word limits, judgment, self-control and the purpose of the “additional information” space.</p>
<p>On the plus side, however, I’ll give you credit for asking first and not just sending the application off with that extra essay, walkerneo. That says to me that some part of you knew that what you’re talking about really wasn’t the way to go. Trust that instinct.</p>
<p>Agree with ADad and Sikorsky, “demonstrates a lack of judgment, consideration, and self-control.” -All very important things they review for. You risk sending a very overt “wrong message” about your perspective. They don’t need this. You only get about 15-20 minutes total, each reviewer, to make your impressions.</p>
<p>This would be a bad idea- they want you to be concise and show them that you have the ability to recognize what is important and what is not and convey that succinctly.</p>
<p>Don’t do it… the additional info section is for CONCISE additional information that is relevant. Useful for things like:</p>
<ul>
<li>Brief explanation of a personal or family illness that caused a drop in grades.</li>
<li>Additional info on ECs that won’t fit in the itty, bitty space they give you for EC descriptions on the common app (say, additional awards or positions).</li>
<li>Additional course work that won’t fit on the common app (say, if you took an online course or two that is not for credit)</li>
<li>Maybe info on something like switching high schools and being required to repeat coursework due to requirements in the new school or something.</li>
</ul>
<p>I do NOT think it is appropriate to add an extra essay “defining who you are”. No admissions person wants to read an extra supplement on that, IMHO. They are already reading thousands of pages… if you can’t define yourself well enough through your grades, test scores, ECs, recommendations, the long and short common app essay, and the MIT application questions, you aren’t going to convince them further by doing this.</p>
<p>I agree with everyone else–the additional info is not really a space for an extra essay, it’s an area to explain anything that wasn’t in the common app BRIEFLY. What do you want to say that is so important?</p>