<p>“OCCASIONALLY, students feel that college application forms do not provide a sufficient opportunity to convey important information about themselves or their accomplishments. IF there is something you would like us to know, please inform us below. IF you wish to include an additional essay, you MAY do so.” (Caps added)</p>
<p>It is “optional” (which of course means mandatory if you plan on getting in).</p>
<p>Does anyone have the guts to say, “No thank you, I want my achievements to stand for themselves?”</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It actually is optional, as I know many people here at Harvard that didn’t do it.</p></li>
<li><p>It wouldn’t be gutsy as much as stupid, because generally making yourself look arrogant is a bad application strategy.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>My thought is that adcom would probably rather you leave it blank than have to plow through another couple hundred words about the struggles of your immigrant grandmother or the enlightenment you found when building homes in Ecuador. Now if you truly need some extra space to describe something that wasn’t covered in the common ap - fine, but I don’t think a little restraint is necessarily a bad thing.</p>
<p>I have read on the Harvard board before of accepted students who did not complete it. Some feel that they have covered themselves adequately through the application and the Personal Essay. After reading thousands of essays, the admission’s officers might actually appreciate being spared from reading another.</p>
<p>It’s optional, why the heck would it hurt you to not do it? Seriously, either do it or don’t, it won’t affect your chances unless you add something extraordinary, such as that you cured cancer.</p>