Questions to Ask Yourself Before Filling Out Optional Sections on the Common App

The Additional Information section and the Challenges and Circumstances question are optional parts of the Common Application, usually used to explain elements of your educational or life experience that aren’t addressed in other parts of your application. Students often wonder whether they should fill out these sections. Use this guide to figure out whether it makes sense for you to add anything beyond what you’ve already mentioned in the rest of your Common Application. Below are some questions that can help you figure out if the answer is yes.

The Additional Information section

The additional information section asks:

Would you like to share any additional details or qualifications not reflected in the application? (300 words)

Before you fill out the section ask yourself the following questions:

• Have you been involved in significant activities beyond the ten that fit in your Activities List? 
• Have you taken part in research projects or competitions that don’t fit into the Activities Section or Honors section formatting?
• Does your school have a non-traditional grading system that needs to be explained?
• Did a change in curriculum impact your academic performance or coursework that was available to you?
• Are you including the same information twice if you add something here?
• Do you have any further honors or highlights, such as publications? Has your work been published in a journal, or have your research efforts otherwise been recognized?
• If you’re a creative writer, have you been published in magazines or journals you haven’t mentioned elsewhere?
• Are there any acronyms elsewhere in your application that need clarification? 
• Have you taken any online classes that don’t fit in the education section?

You should treat the descriptions in your Additional Information section the same way you would parts of your resumé or Activities list. The descriptors should be brief and to-the-point. Note that admissions officers typically read the Additional Information section last, so they’ll already know about any topic you’ve covered in your personal statement, supplemental essays, activities list, and honors section.

The Challenges and Circumstances Question

The Common App asks:

Sometimes a student’s application and achievements may be impacted by challenges or other circumstances. This could involve:

• Access to a safe and quiet study space
• Access to reliable technology and internet
• Community disruption (violence, protests, teacher strikes, etc.)
• Discrimination
• Family disruptions (divorce, incarceration, job loss, health, loss of a family member, addiction, etc.)
• Family or other obligations (care-taking, financial support, etc.)
• Housing instability, displacement, or homelessness
• Military deployment or activation
• Natural disasters
• Physical health and mental well-being
• War, conflict, or other hardships

If you’re comfortable sharing, this information can help colleges better understand the context of your application. Colleges may use this information to provide you and your fellow students with support and resources. (250 words)

Before deciding to respond to this prompt, ask yourself the following questions:

• Did you encounter any of the challenges or situations mentioned in the prompt, such as housing instability, access to safe study spaces, war or others?
• Did something drastically change in your life during high school such as a death, parents’ loss of employment, a newly diagnosed illness, or added family responsibilities?
• Did you face a sudden drop in grades due to a challenging circumstance?
• Did you face a challenge that impacted your health or ability to be present in school or extracurriculars?
• Were there any responsibilities or health issues that may have impacted you?
• Did you experience a critical life event or crisis that significantly impacted your ability to take part in extracurricular activities?
• How did the challenge you faced impact you? How did you overcome them?
• Did you face any transport issues that made it difficult to commute to school?
• Do you have any learning differences that may have impacted your performance?

If you chose to add something here, make sure it’s something comparable in significance and gravity to the examples Common App has provided. You should not include anything here that hasn’t considerably impacted your academic, emotional, or social success in high school. No matter what you choose to write about, make sure you use the word limit to focus on how you were impacted and how you faced the challenge, rather than dedicating a higher proportion of space to contextualizing the circumstance.

Remember that these sections are not places to add more words to your personal statement or supplemental essays. When filling out the Common App, ask yourself what you absolutely need in order for your application to be complete. If the information supports, enhances, or further explains the materials you have provided, concisely include relevant additions in the Additional Information and Challenges and Circumstances sections.