The Ins and Outs of The Common Application

As a high school senior, I applied to 12 different colleges and universities. This was after visiting and touring over 18 campuses. Anyone who has ever gone through the college admissions process knows that that is an insanely high number. In fact, the average American teenager applies to four universities. Most college admissions experts recommend that you apply to six or seven schools (two reach, three target, and two safety). Despite this expert advice, the number of applications students are submitting each year is on the rise. In 2008, the average student applied to four colleges and only 22 percent of students applied to over 7 colleges. In 2013, this number in the four-plus range has grown to 26 percent.

https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Images/name-background.pngThe only thing that simplified the overwhelming task of applying to 12 colleges for me was the common application. The common app is basically a one size fits all application that students can use when applying to any of the 488 member colleges or universities. This application takes the place of the school’s individual application (though it is important to note that sometimes schools have additional supplemental parts not included in the common app). Students can submit the common application either electronically, which is recommended, or by paper.

Regardless of which application format a student chooses, there are a number of sections they must complete in the common application.

  1. Applicant Information: The most general and generic part of the application, this portion is comprised of the basic questions about the applicant (name, address, social security number, etc.) and takes about half a page.
  2. Future Plans: This section requires students to think a bit into the future. When are they planning to enroll, will it be for full-time or part time, what are their academic interests, will they live on campus, and will they be applying for financial aid? Though it seems like a lot, this portion of the application is mainly just filling in bubbles and declaring personal interests.
  3. Demographics: Much like the Applicant Information section, this is just the bare bones. Applicants are required to divulge their citizen status, their ethnicity, and language proficiency. Additionally, applicants have the option to include their religious preference and their veteran status.
  4. Family: This portion of the application requires applicants to provide information about their parents and siblings as well as declare their marital status. The application asks applicants to list both parents and provide information about their current employer, degree history, and contact information. The sibling section of the application is primarily used for legacy. Applicants are asked to include their siblings names, ages, college attended, and degrees earned or expected.
  5. Education: Applicants are required to declare all secondary schools that they attended with the most information being provided about their most recent school. Students are required to provide their counselor’s name, title, and contact information. If a student has earned or been affiliated with any colleges previously, they must include that information here as well.
  6. Academics: In this portion, applicants are required to provide their class rank (usually provided by their guidance counselor), their standardized test scores, their GPA, any IB/SAT/AP test scores, and their current course load. Students are also asked to include any honors they’ve earned (National Merit, Cum Laude Society, etc).
  7. Extra Curricular Activities & Work Experience: Students are asked to list their principal extracurricular, volunteer, and work activities in order of importance to them. It is important that students are only listing memberships that they are active members of, or employers who they have a positive relationship with. This section asks applicants to list any positions held, honors won, and employer contact information when necessary. It also asks for a rough estimate of how many hours a week the student spends with that particular activity.
  8. Essay: The writing portion can often be a make or break portion for students. Though it generally doesn’t rank above academic performance or standardized test scores, it can be the deciding factor if two students are identical in those categories. For more information about the college admissions essay check out an earlier blog post: The College Admissions Essay: Coming up with a Topic. (https://ectutoring.com/blog/college-admissions-essay-topic)
  9. Teacher Recommendations: The common application requires students to submit three teacher recommendations. These recommendations can be supplied by any teacher. It is generally best if students ask early in the year and of teachers with whom the student has a good relationship. The best recommendations highlight the student’s academic strengths as well as his or her personal strengths. Additionally, the teachers are required to rate the student on a number of different categories ranging from intellectual promise to quality of writing to maturity and motivation.
  10. School Counselor: The last portion of the application is completed by the school counselor. This section asks the counselor to provide information about the school the student is graduating from as well as information about the graduating class and the student in particular. It also asks the counselor to divulge any criminal or disciplinary status the student may have.

http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2009/08/26/2796614/0_SEdemo1.jpgThough it may seem like a lot of information, the common application can save students, teachers, and counselors a significant amount of time throughout the application process. Some important things that students can do to make the application less stressful include:

  • Plan Ahead and Start Early: The application requires the student to gather a lot of information from a lot of people. One of the worst things a student can do is to wait until the last minute and expect to get immediate responses from all participating parties. Since the application is widely accepted at so many schools a student can start early without committing to any particular schools.
  • Take Your Time: This goes hand in hand with the earlier statement; if a student starts early he or she will have more time to complete the application. Since this application is seen by the majority of school’s a student is applying to, it is essential that the application be submitted perfectly. Applicants should have others look at the application to make sure everything is correct and ask a professional such as a teacher or counselor for any feedback.
  • Stay Organized and Do the Research: I had a friend in college who was set on a particular college. It was his dream school but his mother was still requiring him to apply to three other schools. Since those three accepted the common app he assumed that his top choice did as well. He took his time filling out the application only to realize a week before the deadline that his dream school didn’t accept the application and had its own application completely different. He rushed to turn in an application which wasn’t his best work and as a result was rejected from the school. Though the majority of schools do accept the common app, not all do. Confirming that the common app is accepted is vital.
  • Be Honest: College admissions are becoming increasingly competitive and students are often tempted to stretch the truth. Students report leadership positions in clubs that they are inactive members of, or boost their class ranking, or their course history. But the common application has built in checks and balances to prevent these lies from flying through. It is important that students let their natural passions and strengths shine through and don’t give in to the temptation to exaggerate the truth.

If your student is anything like I was as a high school senior, they are probably anxious, ambitions, eager, and indecisive. If this is the case and your student is considering applying to a number of schools check to see if they accept the common app and I guarantee you will be in for a far less stressful process.