Amber Walsh
Senior Associate Director of Admissions
Hi, my name is Amber Walsh. I'm an Admissions Officer here at the School of Management and a proud graduate of the Class of 2009.
The optional information section is just that – optional. In most cases, we get all the information we need from the various components of your application and there is no need to respond to this section.
Your general approach should be that if there is something you feel is material to your candidacy that you are not able to include in another section of the application, put it here. But you should not feel obligated to use this section, and most applicants do not.
There are times when an aspect of your candidacy could benefit from further explanation. Here are some examples. Consider providing additional context if it will allow us to better understand your academic performance, work continuity, or opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities outside of school or work. If you would like to provide additional details to expand on any information provided in the Background Information section, you are welcome to do so here. You may want to provide a brief explanation if you do not have a recommendation from a current supervisor. Or, if you’ve taken concrete steps to mitigate a weaker element of your application or have an accomplishment that does not fit anywhere else in the application, you might include that here.