Many college applications have an Additional Information section, and it’s tempting to fill this space with lots of extra details about yourself. However, if used improperly, the additional information section can overshadow other parts of your application and leave an admissions committee with a negative impression of you.

The additional information section provides an opportunity to explain something that hasn’t been covered elsewhere or couldn’t be adequately captured by the application prompts. This might include difficult life circumstances that affected your grades or participation in extracurriculars, a gap in employment, or anything else that could be deemed relevant.

In general, you should avoid repeating any information you’ve already shared in other parts of your application. This includes describing your academic performance in the Education section, listing all of your extracurricular activities in the Activities section, and explaining any disciplinary issues in the Conduct section.

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If you have unique or particular experiences to share, the additional information section is a great place for it, as long as it’s straightforward and brief. For example, you might want to share your experience working with children from another culture and socioeconomic status to contextualize your disadvantaged background and show colleges that you are well-rounded.

You may also wish to use this section to share links to works you’ve created or accomplished, such as art portfolios or videos of musical performances. Be careful, though: admissions officers are under immense pressure to read a lot of applications and will likely only glance at the additional information section if it looks like it’s just more fluffy.