What is the Common App?
If your parents applied to college way back in the ‘80s or early ‘90s, they probably filled out a few paper-based applications and sent them through the actual mail, with a stamp and everything. They also applied to fewer colleges than you’ll be applying to. Even so, filling out three or four different paper applications was a pain.
Enter the Common App.
The Common App is a college application platform used by about 950 participating colleges and universities. It’s designed to make the application process more equitable and accessible to a wide range of applicants. It’s free and easy, you can use it on your laptop or your phone (the app is actually pretty good), and the Common App website offers great resources to help you get started.
If you’re a sophomore or junior in high school, you may not be familiar with the Common App, so here are the answers to some frequently asked questions:
Do I need a Common App account? Yes. Though there are some exceptions (Georgetown and MIT, for example), most, if not all, of the colleges you apply to will accept the Common App.
How do I register? You can create an account at any time, but you’ll want to think about registering by spring of junior year. Common App makes the process easy, and as soon as you enter your information, you’re ready to start.
What can I expect? Once you’ve created your account, you’ll see that it’s organized into five sections: Dashboard, My Colleges, Common App, College Search, and Financial Aid Resources. The Dashboard helps you to get from one place to the next; My Colleges helps you manage your college list; Common App is where you enter common application details; College Search helps you explore schools; Financial Aid Resources helps students and families understand the financial aid process and opportunities.
What does the application look like? The Common App is great because (unlike in your parents’ day!) you only fill out the information once. The application includes the following sections:
Profile (address, demographic information)
Family (parents/guardian/sibling information)
Education (high schools/other colleges you’ve attended, grades, GPA, class rank, courses, achievements)
Tests (SAT, ACT, TOEFL, IB, etc)
Activities (all the things you do outside of classes, ranked and including a 150 word explanation for each: clubs, jobs, hobbies, volunteer work, etc)
Writing (here is where you’ll write the important 650 word Personal Statement either in response to one of several prompts or on a subject of your choosing; many schools ask for supplemental essays as well)
What if my high school uses Naviance? Naviance is a third-party vendor that links right to the Common App, so if your school uses it, no problem. If it’s too much to manage two different platforms at once, you can always opt out of Naviance as long as you haven’t already begun synching up your applications.
The Common App will also help you manage your deadlines and recommendation letters, among many other things. The sooner you create your account the sooner you can familiarize yourself with how it works, and we promise, it’s organized and easy to use!
We’re ready for you, juniors! Give us a call (617.851.9975) or send an email to info@yourmayfirst.com and let’s get started building those application materials!
