The Common Application Guide

by Doug Wintemute

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Are you prepare to discover your college programme?

By using the Common App to utilize to colleges and universities, you'll only need to provide your data and essay one time — saving you time and energy.

Applying to colleges and universities tin can put stress and strain on degree-seekers. Prospective students may discover information technology difficult to search and cull potential schools, collect the necessary awarding data, and come across dissimilar deadlines. Luckily, the Mutual Awarding helps streamline this process.

What Is the Common App?

The Common Application automatically fills in sections ofcollege applications, making information technology easier for prospective students to utilize to multiple schools. Starting time-twelvemonth and transfer students can both utilize the application, which asks students to provide the nearly commonly required information, mail their application essays, and submit materials like transcripts and letters of recommendation. This information is so submitted to several schools, saving students time and try.

Prospective students tin can use this service to utilize to online schools, apply for transfer credit, and receive helpful tips and school and programme recommendations.

More 900 colleges and universities work with the Common Awarding, making it one of the most popular platforms of its kind. However, some states and schools have their own systems, and so students should check to encounter if their desired schools utilize the Common App. Participating schools use the aforementioned rubric to judge Common Application users and contained applicants.

Benefits of the Mutual App

The Common Application offers several advantages. For schools, its inclusivity encourages a diverse option of applicants. For private degree-seekers, the service allows them to:

  • Apply more quickly.
  • Avoid filling out the same information multiple times.
  • Receive updates on mobile devices.
  • Easily manage application requirements and deadlines.

Which Schools Take the Common App?

The Common Application works with more than 900 schools, including institutions in Canada, Europe, and Asia. Prospective students tin apply to online, Ivy League, public, and private colleges and universities. Some schools prefer to work with the Mutual Awarding over their own application processes, although candidates can still independently apply to any school that uses the Mutual App.

For schools that don't accept the Common Application, students should expect into whether like platforms are accepted, like the MyCoalition application and the Universal Higher Application. Go on in mind that some institutions just require candidates to transport their applications through their own platforms, and don't accept whatever kind of universal application at all, so it's of import to research the preferred procedure at your target school.

How Can I See if a School Accepts the Common App?

Prospective students curious if their desired college or university works with the Common Application can use the site's explore part. This role lists every participating institution, allowing users to find school information, admission requirements, and available programs.

Is the Mutual App Free?

While students tin utilize the Common Application for complimentary, some individual schools still charge an application fee, even if y'all employ the Common App to utilize to them. According to U.S. News, the average awarding fee in 2020 was $44.

However, prospective students who can demonstrate financial need may asking fee waiver forms in the profile section of the application. To qualify, a guidance advisor must fill out the grade, confirming that the applicant meets the necessary weather. Candidates who do non meet the initial requirements can as well asking a supporting statement from a advisor or financial assist officeholder.

What Do I Demand for the Common App?

The Common Application collects the information that is nigh normally required for almost institutions, such as personal and parental information, financial data, and extracurricular activities. Each user also must supply transcripts and test scores, forth with their response to an essay prompt.

Keep in mind that many schools take their own unique requirements, too. The Common Awarding website lists schools that feature boosted requirements, along with instructions on how to submit them.

Transfer students using the Common App need to provide information on their prior training, such as school names, dates, and grades.

Materials Needed for the Common App

First-Time Students

Gather the following:

  • Parent/legal guardian information
  • Citizenship information
  • Military machine service data
  • High school transcript
  • List of your interests, hobbies, extracurriculars, clubs, community appointment, and work experience
  • Standardized test scores (SAT, ACT, etc.)
  • List of academic honors and achievements
  • List of upwards to twenty colleges/universities you want to apply to
  • Messages of recommendation, such equally from counselors, advisors, teachers, coaches, employers, mentors, and/or parent/legal guardians
  • Personal essay

Depending on the higher or programme, you may as well need:

  • Additional essays or answers to prompts
  • A portfolio to show your piece of work
  • A resume

Optional:

  • A Mutual App fee waiver form
  • A college-specific fee waiver form

Transfer Students

Gather the post-obit:

  • Parent/legal guardian information
  • Citizenship information
  • Military service data
  • Standardized exam scores and dates
  • List of internship, research, volunteering, and work experiences
  • List of colleges, universities, and/or programs yous want to utilize to
  • Letters of recommendation, such as from employers, professors, counselors, advisors, teachers, coaches, or someone else who knows you personally

Depending on the college or program, y'all may likewise need:

  • Official or unofficial college transcripts
  • Official or unofficial high school transcript
  • Essays or answers to prompts
  • A portfolio to testify your piece of work
  • A resume

Optional:

  • Certificates for standing teaching courses
  • Internship information

Boosted Resources

Writing the Mutual App Essay

How Important Is the Mutual App Essay?

The essay portion of the Mutual Awarding allows students to demonstrate what distinguishes them from their competition. It gives schools personalized information on the applicant and can have a major impact on their final admission decision.

How Many Mutual App Essays Are Required?

The Common Awarding provides 7 essay prompts, just candidates only submit one essay. Some schools require supplemental essays, which students must prepare separately.

Can You Write Multiple Mutual App Essays?

While prospective enrollees can but submit one essay at a fourth dimension, they can e'er edit or change their original essay or submit an entirely new one.

How Long Should the Common App Essay Be?

The Common Application essay should come in below the 650-word limit. There is too an optional Coronavirus essay question, which as a 250-give-and-take limit.

How Practice I Fill Out the Common App?

The Common Awarding provides guides for outset-time degree-seekers and transfer students, walking prospective learners through the process, including how to gather transcripts, test scores, support materials, and personal information well in advance of application deadlines. Candidates can then make an business relationship, add together their ideal schools, and upload all required materials.

Prospective students need to monitor their upcoming deadlines and outstanding materials themselves. They must be diligent and proactive in gathering and completing their documents, including taking the necessary time to plan and write their essays.

If a user is struggling with the service, they can speak to their school guidance counselor for help. The Common Awarding solutions center too provides helpful information about the various sections of the awarding, including a 24/7 support service where applicants tin can ask boosted questions.

Common App Essential Information
Mutual App Opens Aug. one, annually
Common App Deadlines Typically Nov. ane for early on decision and January. 1 for regular decision, annuallyhese can vary by higher, and then bank check each school's site to ensure you lot're on track for its application deadlines.
Recommended Fourth dimension to Brainstorm Preparing Your College Applications Summer before senior twelvemonth of high school
Upkeep Your Time for
  • Visiting prospective colleges you might exist interested in attending
  • Studying for and taking standardized tests (SAT, Human activity, etc.)
  • (Optional) Completing the FAFSA form
  • Finding and applying to scholarships
  • Collecting your background information
  • Giving recommenders plenty time to write letters of recommendation
  • Giving your counselor enough find to submit your transcript
  • Writing the Common App personal essay and receiving feedback
  • Writing any boosted required essays or answers to question prompts

Is There a Mutual App for Scholarships?

Like to the college application procedure, applying for scholarships can take a significant amount of time and energy. The Mutual Application offers fiscal aid resources, including access to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation'due south scholarships.

Users tin also connect their accounts to the Higher Board's scholarship search to save fourth dimension on individual applications. This gratis service operates similarly to the Common Awarding and shares reusable data with scholarship providers.

The Common App for Transfer Students

Transferring between colleges can be a daunting procedure, but the Common Application helps ease the transition. Like first-fourth dimension students, Common App transfer students tin can save time by filling out their general information online. Applicants likewise need to provide details on their previous education and experience, along with any important scheduling data.

Transfer students can use the Mutual Application to move betwixt schools, change programs, or transition from traditional classrooms to online colleges. The additional information provided by Mutual App transfer students allows schools to suit their diverse needs to offer unique and personalized pathways.

Ask the Expert: Acing Your Mutual App

Portrait of Johnnie Johnson

Johnnie Johnson

Acquaintance Managing director of Admissions at Transylvania University

Johnnie Johnson, a Chicago native, joined the Transylvania University admissions staff in July 2011 and has held roles including associate manager of admissions, director of operations, director of multicultural recruitment, director of admissions, and his electric current vice president position. Johnson is also the immediate by president of the Kentucky Clan of College Admissions Counseling, a board member of the YMCA Black Achiever Program, and a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi. He holds a degree in economics, business, and sociology from Cornell College.

What Are the Most Mutual Mistakes That Students Make on Their Common App Essays?

The about common mistake nosotros see is students not proofreading the final product — checking for grammatical errors, sentence construction, etc. The admissions reader can tell if there was care put into the essay, and finding proofreading mistakes is an indication of quick work.

The essay allows the reader to larn more nearly the applicant. You might tell a personal story, create a fictional graphic symbol, or explain something from your academic history; however, if the essay is not correctly put together — structurally, grammatically, accurately — the reader tin tell that not much effort has been dedicated to the essay. Have someone read over your essay for the fiddling things you lot might overlook.

How Should a Educatee Choose Which Common App Essay Prompt(s) to Write?

Cull a topic that interests you or something you lot accept knowledge almost. Whether information technology's a personal story or a topic of public involvement, yous as the author need to be confident in what you're writing.

If you happen to write a fictional essay, be every bit artistic as possible and take the story to places that create vivid images for the reader. Recall, admissions officers are reading hundreds (perchance thousands) of essays. Make yours stand out!

What Are Your Top Three Tips for How Students Can Write Stand-Out Mutual App Essays?

  1. Choose a topic that you are passionate most or can easily speak on.
  2. Go through at least two drafts before placing the final draft in your Mutual Application.
  3. Accept someone read your essay and make sure they understand what yous are trying to convey with the writing. If they come out with a different takeaway, you should adjust the linguistic communication to make sure information technology says exactly what y'all want it to say.

What Can a Student Do to Make Their College Application Procedure as Smooth as Possible?

  • Stay alee of the deadlines. Every schoolhouse has a different set of deadlines and requirements, and information technology's upwardly to the student to manage all of those expectations. Create a agenda or schedule for yourself to make sure you are meeting the deadlines for each institution.
  • Detect ways to make yourself stand out. What are y'all doing that no one in your immediate peer group is doing? Why did yous choose that particular activity or experience? What did you larn from information technology?
  • Proofread, cheque it, and check it again. And then have someone else look over it. Don't let grammatical errors or small mistakes distract from the overall application y'all are presenting.
  • Keep in touch with your guidance counselor and college admissions counselors. We are your advocates and want to assist you be successful, not only in completing the application just also in securing access and scholarships. Enquire questions, make certain you have the complete answers, and stay present with those individuals.

Frequently Asked Questions

true What Is the Departure Between a Common Application and a University Application?

The Common Application is a streamlined application service. Prospective students fill out their bones data, and the service shares the data with all of the applicant'south called schools. Academy applications are the private application processes that schools use, independent from one another. Some schools use both types of application.

true Is It Better To Apply Through Common App or Directly?

Students demand to research their prospective schools to place the best pathway for each. The Common Application can salve candidates fourth dimension when sending out multiple applications, but some schools may require that applicants transport in their materials straight, or they may take additional application requirements across what the Mutual App collects.

true Tin Transfer Students Employ the Common App?

Yes. They need to provide much of the aforementioned data as beginning-time students, plus information about their prior college grooming and work experience.

truthful Does the Mutual App Ship Your Transcript?

Once prospective students upload their transcripts to the Mutual Application with their guidance counselors, the service volition ship the documents to any school the degree-seeker chooses to apply to.

truthful What Is the Common App Deadline?

Each school has its own deadlines, but the Common Application commonly posts a Nov. 1st deadline for early on admission. Some schools have Jan. i deadlines for general applications.

Portrait of Doug Wintemute

Doug Wintemute

Doug Wintemute is a Toronto-based freelance author with professional person writing interests in higher learning and amusement. He completed his BA and MA in English at York Academy, graduating summa cum laude and earning bookish merit, research, and writing awards at both levels. Since 2014, he has contributed content and editorial work for award-winning digital trade publications, global SEO copywriting projects, and hugely popular online brands. He tin can be contacted through LinkedIn.

Header Epitome Credit: StockRocket | Getty Images

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