luckymint

Is this common? Should applicants actually do this?

Student1

if you really have something special to say, then by all means yes. that is certainly the case with me.

mikeBtams

Is this a good place for a list of activities?

Marian

Applicants often use this space to explain issues that might otherwise be considered flaws in their application, for example, "I did not participate in any sports or extracurricular activities during the second semester of my sophomore year because my mom was injured in a car accident and the family needed me to babysit for my younger sister and help out at home."

Student1

by the way, if you don't have something to say like the above, don't bother throwing in an essay. admissions officers are people too and probably will be annoyed by a meaningless essay.

sunshadow

I would never leave blank an opportunity to further boost myself. Leaving it blank makes it look like you have nothing else interesting to say about yourself. You can certainly take one of your ECs and expound upon that in terms of what you learned from it, so long as you are not restating a previous essay. DO NOT LEAVE IT BLANK.

demeter

While sunshadow brings up an interesting point, I have to disagree. I think the Additional Information section is a good place to elaborate on extenuating circumstances (although they might have another section for that) or on other important ECs that you couldn't fit into your main list.

I don't think adcoms will see that blank as a sign that you're not interesting. They have enough to read, so unless the additional information sheds new light on your application, I think they'd be grateful if you left it blank. Less for them to read and all that.

What kind of essay are you talking about? I don't think you need to write a whole other personal statement-style essay; that'd probably annoy the readers.

Anyway, I left that section blank, and as far as I can tell, that didn't impact my application negatively.

VeryHappy

My son used that section to pull together and emphasize some disparate activities that, when combined, made beautiful sense. Specifically: He played viola for a few years, then chucked it and played bass, then chucked it and took up a really unusual instrument (which I can't name or you'll know who he is). He pulled it all together to talk about his interest in music. He got accepted at his ED.

shoebox10

i think adding some extra stuff about you as a person would be a good way to fill that blank...im talking no more than a page, but use it to explain what major you want to do and why, or a childhood lesson you learned that has helped make you a better person and how you would use it in college, or explain that C or two in junior year, or just about why you want to attend ________ so much, whether it be certain classes, clubs, whatever....i wouldnt write about nothing, and i wouldnt use the page to say how fun its been to be a soccer captain...but the more you write, the more you stand out from the other kid with the exact same numbers (gpa, SAT, ect) as you...use it to your advantage, just dont go overboard
on the other hand, if you seriously have NOTHING to say, leaving it blank wont be good or bad for you, its why they say "additional info", not "info", because the rest of the application already satisfies what they need from you...but remember, needs and wants are very different: you NEED air to breath, but you WANT clean air...you NEED to pass school, but you WANT to get above the bare minimum...the adcoms dont NEED that additional info, but they might WANT to read it

Forgetmenots

I added a bit of extra information about my extra-curriculars (only a few lines; I got into a top LAC ED), but an entire extra essay seems like too much...add what you haven't elaborated on in regards to extra-curriculars, but don't make the adcoms miserable.