What Reviewers Look For in the PA Program Secondary — Optional / Anything Else
This rubric evaluates whether an optional response adds one clear, useful piece of context to an application and explains why it matters. It emphasizes specific facts, a direct explanation of what those facts clarify, and a focused close. Leaving the field blank or writing “N/A” can be better than adding filler.
What We Check
Judge whether the response itself makes a bounded case for using an optional field.
Score how the added context is evidenced: dates, durations, roles, conditions, and affected obligations carry it; severity language and appeals to the reader do not.
Require a stated interpretive consequence: what the facts now mean, which visible timeline or obligation they clarify, or what the applicant did next.
Judge selection discipline across the whole response and the register of its close.
Mistakes We Flag
- Repeating the rest of your application
- Re-listing activities, honors, or motivation can make the optional field feel like filler. Use it only for one bounded addition with a clear purpose.
- Using emotion instead of context
- Phrases about how devastating or difficult something was do not explain the circumstances as clearly as dates, duration, responsibilities, conditions, or affected obligations.
- Asking for sympathy or arguing with the record
- Requests for leniency or blame directed at a course, instructor, institution, or grade shift attention away from the facts the reader needs.
- Sharing someone else’s private details
- If another person’s situation is relevant, include only what is needed to explain your own obligations. Do not disclose diagnoses, crises, or private information beyond that.
- Adding unrelated topics or ending with a plea
- Awards, hobbies, thanks, and requests for a chance to prove yourself can dilute a response with one intended purpose. Close by stating the limited context or clarification the reader should take from it.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to write something for an optional additional-information question?
No. Programs may make custom questions optional, and you do not need to manufacture content. A blank response or a truthful “N/A” can be better than filler.
What kinds of information fit this space?
Use it for one material addition, such as context for a grade dip, withdrawal, interruption, timeline, or obligation, when you can explain what it clarifies.
How should I explain a difficult circumstance?
Give bounded facts such as dates, duration, roles, conditions, and affected obligations. Then state what the context changes or clarifies, rather than relying on severity language or asking for understanding.
Can I refer readers to my personal statement or activities section?
No. The response should stand on its own and include the facts needed for the reader to understand its purpose.
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