website for apps

Good for you to think outside of the box. Some colleges appreciate add'l information and encourage students to submit 2-minute videos and the like.

I would err on the side of caution with how you curate this and present this add'l information on your common app because some schools really don't want to see more information and are time-constrained already to review each application in its entirety.

Applications readers like admissions officers typically read about 125-175 applications a week per person, and from what little info there is out there, it is fair to say they can only devote between 10-15 minutes per application including note-taking. That is not a lot of time to read your entire background, transcripts, test scores, essays, supplemental essays, recommendations, and any add'l info.

Therefore, unless you are presenting completely new material that is essential in explaining how the reader should connect the dots from A to Z about the narrative you are presenting them, then you are at risk of doubling down on what you already said or not properly word-smithing the available space in the common app to meet their requirements.

For example, the main essay in the common app or coalition app is 650 words. It's not 500 and not 1000. Everyone has the same opportunity to write their best essay with the same prompts and rules. Now if it were commonplace to submit 1500 word essays, then more people would be doing that under the guise that "more is better". But common sense tells us that if you submitted 1500 words (either by splitting up the essay into multiple parts or posting a link to a website for the rest of the essay), you'd probably get a ding for not following instructions well.

I defer the rest of my answer to something I read in Beck Sabkys recent book "Valedictorians at the Gate". As a former Dartmouth admissions officer for 13 years, she explained in her book that it's not ideal to present yourself as someone that has checked off every possible check box available to you nor present yourself as someone that is so pre-occupied with doing so many activities in anticipation that colleges want super-producers. She said that it's better to have a few strong spikes and be a kind, thoughtful human that has time to self-care and have fun as well. In other parts of her book, she felt sorry for high schools that were so focused on the prize that they forgot how to laugh and be happy people and have strong connections with simple pleasures in life.

I'm not Becky Sabky, but I agree that in this hyper-competitive environment it's easy for students to forget about following rules and try to expand the content of these standardized applications to have an edge over other applicants. I personally think if you can work within the framework and draw within the lines, you will be better off. Now if you get wait-listed, then I think you have to show a lot of interest in getting off the waitlist so sending supplements and letters of continued interest makes perfect sense.

Alternatively, I know that if you use the Coalition App, they have a very flexible locker component in the application where you can upload basically anything you want, so you might want to explore that option if the schools you are applying to are part of the 150 schools they partner with.

Good luck.