You should always use all the real estate they give you when writing your application essays. This means going to the maximum word limit, or as close as possible to it, on every written prompt. Just like the employee who shows up to the office late and leaves early appears lazy and uninterested in their job, the applicant who doesn’t take advantage of every last word seems to have better things to do than write their college application essays. And if you’re an academically ambitious high schooler intent on attending a highly selective college, you quite literally don’t have anything better to do than give your application your all. Your future is counting on it!

You might think those 100-character prompts often found in college supplements don’t apply to this rule, but think again. You want to max the word or character count wherever you see a blank space waiting for you to fill with words — with one notable exception. 

What Is the Common App Essay Word Count Limit?

The Common Application’s Personal Statement has a word limit of 650; you should go up to that limit or risk coming across as noncommittal. But is that all there is to this story? Not quite. 

How to Use the Common App Additional Information Section

There is an age-old expression in elite college admissions that many students in 2024 are blissfully unaware of: “The thicker the file, the thicker the student.” Are we at Ivy Coach contradicting ourselves? No. We’re referring to the Additional Information section of The Common App. We often get prospective clients who come to us for a PostMortem after rejection from their top school. They have no idea what they could have possibly done wrong, and yet when one of our former elite college admissions officers takes a look at their application, the Additional Information section is filled with redundancies and superfluous information!

The Additional Information section should only include courses taken outside of school (along with corresponding grades) or list genuinely impressive activities that didn’t make it onto the activities list but complement your singular admissions hook. It’s also okay to include a published abstract in this section (unless the school has a section for abstracts, like Columbia University. Don’t make admissions officers read the same thing twice — their time is valuable!). Each time you apply, The Common App. will save the current incarnation of your application. So, be sure to check for redundancies before each submission (e.g., delete the abstract in Additional Information for Columbia if you’re including it under the Abstract section).

In most cases, the Additional Information section should be left blank. Fill out those essays (including the optional ones!). Go up to the maximum word count wherever possible. But don’t include a link to a video of your violin performance if your singular hook is computer science. Don’t include a poem if your hook is environmental advocacy. Your singular hook should be the focus of your application, and the Additional Information section should only include information that supports or enhances this hook. 

Respect the Time of Admissions Officers

Don’t waste admissions officers’ time — applicant pools to elite schools have swelled to the tens of thousands in recent years. They’ll probably only give your application a total of 8 minutes of consideration. This, of course, is more than enough time. The 8-minute rule is a guideline that suggests admissions officers spend about 8 minutes on each application, given the large number of applications they have to review. You don’t want to thrust them into a situation where they spend most of those precious 8 minutes deciphering some extraneous information that makes you a less competitive applicant. 

If navigating these confusing and seemingly contradictory rules about applying to highly selective schools makes your head spin, take out the guesswork by relying on Ivy Coach’s team of former elite college admissions officers to help your child earn admission to the school of their dreams. We will ensure their application communicates their singular hook as efficiently and effectively as possible. 

If you’re interested in optimizing your child’s case for admission to a highly selective college, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch.