<p>How many people are completing the optional supplement? Is it like the William and Mary supplement where it is supposed to be creative/out of the box or should it be another essay? and for that matter are the majority doing it? I know everyone says it’s stupid not to but what does everyone think.</p>
<p>I don't think the supplement is optional--you HAVE to do it. Do you mean the optional paragraph thing? I'd only answer it if you have to explain family circumstances, a suspension, et cetera.</p>
<p>Here's what I'm talking about:</p>
<p>We are confident that the information you have submitted through the Common Application and our Brown Supplement will give us a full
picture of who you are. However, if there is something we have not asked that you feel is specific to your candidacy at Brown, you may address that here.</p>
<p>Like I said, certain family circumstances (having to work to support parents and siblings, baby-sitting for kids, whatever), a significant drop in GPA, dealing with depression, run-ins with the law...got it? Hope this helps =)</p>
<p>Or maybe the fact that your parents will donate 30 million if they take you haha.</p>
<p>None of that applies to me but I just feel weird leaving it blank. Whaterver Ill get over it.</p>
<p>I think I attached a resume there but I'm not sure.</p>
<p>i left it blank. like it says, they think that they have all the info that they need, so they're not really expecting anything else. only fill it out if there's something you really feel they should know that they didn't ask anywhere else, and it sounds like there isn't anything like that for you, so just leave it blank.</p>
<p>I am a Brown graduate and have a patient who is applying to Brown. Excellent grades and test scores and a good athlete. There is one other aspect of his life, however, that wouldn't be obvious on an application: his mother died of cancer about five years ago, his father is struggling economically, and they live in an upper middle class area because they moved in to grandma's house. He has had to raise himself with his father working all hours, but it would not be obvious from a casual read of his application. </p>
<p>He would be wise to include a brief description of this unfortunate situation in the optional paragraph section, because compared to candidates of similar qualification, he might otherwise not appear to be "disadvantaged", or strike an admissions officer as someone who has overcome more adversity than most candidates. This is obviously more serious than most divorces, and the fact that he continued to excel in the face of this adversity speaks volumes about his character. </p>
<p>However, if there are no "special considerations", there is probably no point in telling them information that you think is important, but which they might regard as trivial. The admissions office is probably up to its ears with information about students with depression or ADD who deserve special consideration.</p>
<p>i wrote about how i fell seriously ill on the day of my subject tests and still managed a 2350/2400 :D</p>
<p>Subject tests are out of 800..?</p>
<p>yes but i gave 3
so 800+800+800=2400 :D</p>
<p>I wrote in the additional area some information that, as they said, they could not tell from other parts of the application. Granted, this wasn't life-or-death, but I just didn't know that I could leave it blank. :-)</p>
<p>I attached an extra essay, a more creative who-I-am type. I couldn't leave it blank!</p>