I read thousands of additional information sections as a UC Berkeley admissions reader. Most of them were either blank or wasted space. A small number were genuinely persuasive. Here is the difference.
The Common App has an optional section called Additional Information. It comes near the end of the application, after the activities list, after the essays, right before submission. Students see it and either skip it entirely or paste in a wall of text. Both are usually mistakes.
Here is what the Common App Additional Information section is actually for, what belongs there, and how to use it without hurting your application.
What the Additional Information Section Actually Is
The Common App describes the Additional Information section this way: “Please provide any additional information you would like to add.” It allows up to 650 words. It is optional.
Admissions officers do read it. But they are reading it looking for specific things. The question you need to answer before writing a single word is: is there something that is material to my student’s application that has not been adequately addressed elsewhere?
If the answer is yes, use the section. If the answer is no, leave it blank. A blank Additional Information section does not hurt an application. A poorly used one can.
When You Should Use the Additional Information Section
There are a handful of situations where the Additional Information section genuinely adds value to an application:
Explaining a significant academic disruption. If your student had a year of poor grades due to a family illness, a personal health crisis, a school transition, or any other significant external factor, and that context has not been explained elsewhere in the application, the Additional Information section is the right place to address it. Keep it factual and brief. One well-written paragraph that explains what happened and what your student did in response is more persuasive than a lengthy emotional account.
Describing an activity or interest that could not fit in the activities list. The activities list has ten slots and strict character limits. If your student has a significant commitment that did not make the list or could not be described adequately in 150 characters, Additional Information can give it the context it deserves.
Explaining a transcript discrepancy. Failed a class and retook it. Transferred schools mid-year. Took a reduced course load due to a medical situation. Any of these should be explained factually and briefly.
Adding a significant update after the application window. If something meaningful happened after your student submitted the main application, such as a major award, a new leadership position, or a significant personal event, this section can carry that update for schools that do not have a separate update form.
Providing context for unusual coursework or testing patterns. A student who scored very differently on the two sections of the SAT, or who took an unconventional combination of AP classes, or who did independent coursework outside of school, may benefit from a brief explanation.
What Does Not Belong in the Additional Information Section
This section is not a fifth essay. Do not use it to write a personal statement overflow, to repeat information already covered in your essays, or to introduce a new theme that belongs in the main essay.
It is not a place to list more awards. If you won ten regional science awards that did not make the activities list, listing all ten in Additional Information looks like padding.
It is not a place to apologize for your GPA with no context or explanation. “My GPA is a 3.4 which I know is lower than average for this school, but I believe I can succeed there” is not useful information for an admissions officer. If your GPA needs context, provide actual context, not reassurance.
How to Actually Write a Strong Entry
If you have something that belongs here, write it like a memo, not a story. Lead with the key fact. Explain the context briefly. State what happened as a result or what your student did about it. Do not use more words than necessary.
Example for a medical situation: “In sophomore year, my student was diagnosed with [condition] and missed eight weeks of school between October and December. Despite this disruption, she returned to her full course load in January and earned a 3.9 GPA that semester. The dip in her sophomore fall grades reflects this period, not her academic ability or trajectory.”
That is enough. It does not need to be three paragraphs. The admissions officer has 15 other applications to read today.
Should Your Junior Start Thinking About This Now?
Yes. If there is anything in your student’s academic record or personal history that may require explanation, identify it now so you have time to draft the language carefully. Last-minute explanations written under deadline pressure tend to be over-emotional and under-specific. The best additional information entries are written from a place of clarity and calm, not anxiety.
For help thinking through your student’s overall application narrative, including where context belongs and where it does not, see my guide on the junior year spring college prep checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions: Common App Additional Information Section
Is the Common App Additional Information section required?
No. It is optional. Most students leave it blank, and that is perfectly fine. Only use it if you have content that genuinely adds material context to your application.
How long should the Additional Information section be?
As short as it needs to be and no longer. The section allows up to 650 words, but most good uses of it are 100 to 300 words. If you are writing more than 400 words, you are probably trying to do too much with the section.
Can I use the Additional Information section to explain a low GPA?
Yes, but only if you have actual context to provide. A brief factual explanation of a specific circumstance that affected your grades is useful. A general apology for your GPA with no specific context is not.
Do all colleges read the Additional Information section?
Most do. Admissions officers are trained to look for it when there are anomalies in the application, such as a grade dip or a gap in the activities timeline. Even at high-volume schools, readers are checking for patterns, and something unusual in the application will prompt them to look for an explanation somewhere in the file.
Can I paste my resume in the Additional Information section?
Technically yes, but it is generally not recommended. A pasted resume often duplicates what is already in the activities list and can read as disorganized. If there is a specific achievement or role that could not fit in the activities list, describe it directly in a sentence or two rather than pasting a full resume.
Tony Le is a former UC Berkeley Admissions Reader and UCLA Outreach Director with 15+ years of college admissions coaching experience. A full-ride scholarship recipient to UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UCI, Tony has helped 500+ students get into top universities including Stanford, Harvard, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Columbia. Featured in the Wall Street Journal. Official TikTok College Admissions Educational Partner. Founder of egelloC. Follow on TikTok @coachtonyle.
Tony works with a small number of families each year. Book a free strategy call to see if it is a good fit.