The Common Application (Common App) for college is an undergraduate college admission application. Students use it to apply for admission to multiple member colleges and universities through the Common App website. Currently, the Common App is used by 1,000+ colleges across the country.
It’s important to take the time to carefully fill out the Common Application. That is why I’m going to discuss the various application steps for first-year students. I hope that this information will make the application process easier.
What Is the Common App?
The Common App allows students to apply to multiple schools through one application. It is an overall application and is not specific to a particular college. It’s also a great place to explore its member colleges. You can search by college name or by various criteria (i.e. region, financial aid and mission).
It was designed to help streamline the application process so that students don’t need to keep filling out the same information on multiple applications. Rather, they put the general information in once and it goes to all of the schools that they are applying to through the Common App.
All schools don’t accept the Common Application but there are 1,000+ colleges on the Common App. It’s the student’s general information that is shared across the network of schools. Each college on the app has its own questions (and sometimes additional essays) so applicants must make sure that they know the requirements of the colleges that they are interested in.
As such, make sure that your seniors give themselves enough time to thoroughly complete each section of the app.
Creating a Common Application 2022-23 Account
If the applicant is in high school and hasn’t graduated yet, create a“first-year student” account. Even if the student has taken some college courses during the senior year of high school, choose this option.
Since the app information is the main way that colleges get in touch with applicants, be certain that your teen includes the correct information. Make sure that they use the email that they actually use on a regular basis and choose a password that they will remember. In addition, have them check to see if they have entered their name, address, date of birth, etc. accurately.
If your teen is constantly on their phone or tablet, they also have a Common App for mobile that they can download to work on their Common App.
***Parents, you can also set up a “Practice Applicant” account if you want to be able to walk through what your teens will be experiencing.***
Common App Sections
When students create their accounts and log in, there are various sections including profile, family (history), education, testing, activities, writing and courses & grades.
Background Information
In the profile section, applicants will include some personal information. This includes citizenship information and social security number requests. This year, there have been some new sex and gender related changes (i.e. gender-neutral prefixes and the addition of “legal” before“first/given name” followed by an option to share a different first name that respondents use).
This section is also where students can apply for a Common Application 2022-23 fee waiver if they qualify. While the Common App platform is free to use, many colleges charge an additional application fee that students will have to pay when submitting their applications.
There has been changes to the fee waiver request questions on the app this year. You can read more about that on Common App’s Evolving the Application page and see if your family qualifies for a fee waiver by visiting the Common App’s fee waiver information page.
In the family section, applicants share information about their parents, siblings and any children that they might have.
In the education section, be sure to list all high schools that the students have attended. If they have any college credits, be sure to include the college information also. The students should also list all of the classes that they are currently taking as seniors so that the colleges can see their academic progression.
In the testing section, students are asked if they wish to self-report scores from standardized tests, AP exams and the like. (They will still need to send official score reports also.)
In the courses & grades section, students inform colleges about courses that they have taken. Not all colleges require this section but if you are applying to one of the listed colleges, have a copy of your transcript(s) available.
Activities
The activities section gives the college insight into what students are doing outside of the classroom. There is a maximum of 10 activities that can be included. Thoughts for students to consider include the following: “What are you most proud of? What has been impactful? Which did you spend the most time involved in?”
This section is basically about how students spend their time outside of classes. Activities don’t all need to be school-related either. Clubs, community engagement, church activities, the arts, hobbies, sports, work, volunteering, extra family responsibilities and other meaningful experiences are just some examples that fall in this category.
Students are asked how many hours per week and weeks per year that they are involved in the various activities. If students are unsure, encourage them to track their activities for 1 to 2 weeks in order to get a good estimate.
Writing Section
This section has several parts to it. The Common Application Essay will go to all of the colleges that students are applying to so don’t make the essay university-specific.
There are 7 first-year essay prompts that students can choose from. The Common App essay prompts will remain the same for 2022-2023 and can be found on the Common App’s essay prompts page. (Each Common App essay word limit is 650 words.)
There is an additional information box that will pop up in this section. It’s where students can let the colleges know any additional context that was missing in their application or if they would like to clarify anything.
This is also where students can share any lasting impacts that COVID-19 has had on them, their families and their learning environments.
Adding Colleges to the Common App
Adding colleges to the My College section is how students will submit applications to their preferred colleges. Students can search for and add up to 20 colleges to their Common App profile.
Each school that is included on the app has its own profile that includes helpful information like deadlines, fees, testing policy, and various materials that they require.
Students can add and delete schools up until the various school application deadlines. Also, it’s good to note that the colleges can’t see any of the other schools where students are applying to attend on the College App.
FERPA and Adding Recommenders
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) release gives students the choice of whether or not to waive their rights to review their recommendations and supporting documents. Colleges like for rights to be waived so that they will receive more candid, truthful responses but it’s up to the student to make that choice.
Some colleges and universities require recommenders. That is why there is space on the app for students to add various recommenders (counselors, teachers, advisors and other recommenders).
The recommender can then submit their recommendations through the Common App or directly to the colleges and universities (electronically or by mail).
More Tips
- Be aware of deadlines and don’t wait until the last minute to complete and submit the application.
- Once the application is already submitted, students can’t make changes through the Common App. They will have to contact colleges directly.
- If your family needs more help, visit the Common App’s help or contact pages.
Learn More
*The Common App site provides its own step-by-step application guides for both first-year students and transfer students.)
*There are many articles and presentations about the Common App. One that I found especially helpful last year and referenced the most in this post was a virtual presentation on the topic by the University of San Francisco.
(USF is holding a “The Common Application” virtual event this year on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at 8 pm EST. You can register for it on their Dons Prepare site.)
*Lastly, you might find this Common App first-year application 2022–2023 walkthrough video valuable:
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