Apply to Colleges

The Common College Application 

Considering applying to more than one college or university?

That could turn into a mountain of paperwork—or lots of time spent in front of the computer.

But by now, you’ve probably heard of The Common COllege Application, an application that allows you to submit your application to various colleges, which saves you time and money.

If you aren’t familiar with the common college application, here’s a short rundown: The common college application (available online or in paper form) is used by more than 460 colleges, including more than 60 public schools. Members include public and private schools nationwide and two international schools. For a complete list of members, go to www.commonapp.org.

Is it for you?

The Common App isn’t for everyone. For instance, not all schools nationwide are members. So it could actually be more work for students when applying to schools that aren’t members. Do your homework and check to see if the majority of the schools you are applying to are members.

“It may be more work than filling out an institutional application,” says Anderson, director of Outreach for The Common Application.It can be a great tool, though. “It gives students the flexibility to submit another application,” Anderson says. After all, your time is priceless, and you might still be considering additional schools during your senior year.

Tom Delahunt, vice president at Drake University (www.drake.edu), agrees. “It helps both sides. It makes the university available to most students,” he says. “It makes (the application process) simpler for (students). Anything in this process that makes it a little easier is good for them.”

Changes to the common college application this year

If you decide to go the common route, be aware that the application has a few changes this year. The application is being updated frequently to answer user demand and concerns. This year, the changes are minor, says Anderson.

“Anybody can suggest a change, and just about anybody does,” he says. Suggestions for changes to the application come from parents, counselors and even community groups.For instance, new this year, you’ll have the option to include civil union/domestic partner as an option for parent’s marital status.

“That inclusion fits in with philosophy that The Common App has embraced for several years now,” Anderson says.

Also, you’ll be asked to report all college attendance (including online) since ninth grade and indicate if it was a college course or if it was an enrichment program hosted on a college campus. The application also will include a question asking if a transcript was issued.

Anderson says this change really came at the request of the colleges as a way to more effectively gather information on the nature of academic programs taken.Be aware of the change to the essay section. The section, which last year included a minimum word count, now has a maximum count of 500 words. “Length doesn’t necessarily equal quality,” Anderson says. “This gives students a framework to work within.”

The changes keep coming. So look out for a few more changes next year, including a change to the number of activities you’ll be allowed to list as extracurriculars. The list will go from 12 to 10.

Q: How can I be the best candidate for a college?

A: Be consistent. Consistency is a key factor in being a strong candidate. Think of the stock market and investments. You want the graph of development depicting your high school years to show consistency and rising progress, especially in the area of academic achievement.

Admissions directors expect a slight transitional shift coming from the eighth grade to ninth grade, but by the end of ninth grade, your progress should begin to stabilize and rise. Your sophomore year should continue the upward swing, and the classes you take should reflect how you are challenging yourself academically. Your junior year is the most important, as it is the final year before the application process begins.

Take challenging courses. College admissions want to see on your application that you have not taken the “easy” way out. They respect and hold highly the fact that you have taken more than the required years in subjects required to graduate.

Build relationships with your instructors. All colleges want to personalize the process. Having recommendations from your instructors that highlight your personality, work ethic and intellectual curiosity will greatly boost your application in the application process.

Be a real person. Show that you have a story outside the classroom. It should tell them about you the person, your thoughts, challenges and aspirations.

Antonio Aponte is the director of Educational Services at the Boys’ Club of New York (bcny.org) and founder of the Latino College Expo, Inc. (latinocollegeexpo.org).

If you’re feeling stressed just thinking about how to apply to colleges next fall, you’re not alone.

Don’t stress, though! These simple tips can drastically reduce your stress levels as you work through choosing and applying to college.

Get on the ball
“Start early, start early, start early,” says Christel Milak-Parker of College Connections, a consulting firm.

Rushing through the process will only hurt you in the long run.

Narrow your choices
When it is time to begin filling out your applications, don’t apply to an overwhelming number of schools.

Strategically selecting your target schools will save you time and money. Try to choose a few schools you feel extremely confident about your acceptance chances, a few you feel would be a stretch to be accepted to, and two to four schools that would be solid good matches.

Don’t get bogged down by rankings; instead, focus on which schools are good matches for you.

Get it together
With so many deadlines and applications floating around, disorganization is your worst enemy. Designate a space in your room or house that is reserved for college application materials.

To make the application process easier, Milak-Parker says it’s really important to create your résumé before you begin filling out applications.

Set deadlines
Once you have decided where to apply to college, make sure you are aware of the specific deadlines for each school.  Know the other important dates as well, including financial aid, scholarship and housing deadlines.

Seek help if needed
Some students may need a little more help keeping things together and making it through the process.

That is where a college consultant can come into play.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help from your school counselor or an independent consultant if you need it.

Be yourself
When filling out the applications, be genuine.

“I would tell students not to overthink the process,” says Aaron Brown, a senior assistant director of admissions at the University of Southern California (usc.edu). “They should be themselves in the application. Let who you are chime through with essays and activities. Often students can try too hard in the sense that they stress over every word and comma.”

Waiting for that thick acceptance envelope can be agonizing, but if you have spent the time and effort to approach the process in an organized way, you can rest a little easier.

Katherine Koenig from Tuscaloosa, Ala., is a recent graduate of the University of Alabama.

When it comes to applying for college, your application is a major component to meeting college admissions requirements. Your grades and academic history obviously factor into the equation, but the application itself is what admissions officers see first. Make sure you get it right!

Luckily, ensuring your application is everything it should be isn’t difficult. Check these 10 things before you submit any college application.

Follow directions carefully. One of the most common errors applicants make is simply not following the directions on the application. As you begin filling out your app, be sure that you follow the directions thoroughly.

Write legibly. If you don’t apply online, the first thing that will be noticed is the way you write. Your application should be neat and readable. We strongly urge you to type your essays and all other documents to prevent any issues arising from your messy handwriting.

Reread everything. Be sure to reread everything you wrote carefully. Doing so will ensure that you don’t send the wrong message because of an error or oversight.

Check spelling and grammar. Spelling and grammar are very important on your college application. Making errors on things you learned in grade school will give a bad impression.

Ensure everything is filled out. Be sure that everything is filled out. You likely won’t have to fill out every section of the application, but you do want to ensure that you complete the portions that are pertinent to your acceptance.

Fill it out yourself. You can get your parents or friends to help you brainstorm if needed, but fill it out yourself. If you allow someone else to write any portion of the document, it will be apparent to the admissions officers.

List extracurricular activities. Be sure that you list extracurricular activities you have actually participated in. Some colleges will verify your activities.

Check the date and signature. Don’t forget to sign the application and date it correctly. On some documents, the place for the signature will be on the back—don’t forget to look for it!

Attach all pertinent information. Ensure that you attach every document the application requires: your ID, admissions essay, and any other documentation to meet the college admission requirements.

Ensure your online application gets submitted. If you are applying online, be sure that you reach the confirmation page. Save the confirmation e-mail.

Ross Blankenship is an admissions consultant and admissions counselor. He is also an author and co-founder of Miro Advantage and TopTestPrep.com, which help with test prep and college admissions requirements.

During the summer, each and every one of your friends has fallen in love with the perfect dream school. They’re all applying to college early (or so it seems), saying things like, “An early decision (ED) app is the equivalent of an extra 100 points on the SAT.”

All the hype is making you feel as if you better jump on that ED bandwagon. But should you?

First, let’s clarify some terminology.

Early decision, ED, is binding. Generally, you apply in the fall by a certain date set by the college, and you’ll learn in December whether you’re admitted or not. You express your commitment to that school, and the admission office knows you’re serious. You may only apply to college ED to one school.

If you’re accepted, you must attend; you withdraw all your other applications as soon as you hear. If you’re deferred, your app goes in the regular pool to be considered again with all the others.

Early action, EA, is not binding. You apply to college in the fall by a certain date set by the college, and you’ll be notified early as to whether or not you’re accepted. Generally, you may apply EA to as many colleges as you wish. The college commits to take you (or not), but you need not make your decision until May 1.

And just to make all this even more complicated, some colleges have ED I and II. Why? Well, it might work like this: Suzy Sunshine has her heart set on Ivy Super-Selective. She knows they only take one in 17 applicants, and she figures her chances will be enhanced by an ED bid. But despite her near perfection, she’s deferred. So she considers her second choice, Almost-Ivy Great College, which offers ED II in January specifically to scoop up some terrific students who were passed over by the even more selective schools in the ED I round.

So, we go back to the basic dilemma: should you apply ED or not? If you’re not 100 percent, absolutely, positively sure that the college is your first choice, ED is a terrible strategy.

Warning: What happens if you back out?

Early decision is binding, and while you won’t go to jail if you back out, you may wish you had those bars separating you from an angry admission office.

After a student had backed out of an ED acceptance, one admissions officer required the student to write letters of apology to both institutions—each of which had withdrawn their acceptances—and explain what happened. Yikes.

The one instance where you will grab a strategic advantage by using ED on a long shot is when you’re an alumni’s child.

Many colleges (though not all) will go out of their way to accommodate the offspring of alums when they know the student will come if accepted. 

ED might make sense if you...

• Are sure the school is really your first choice.
• You’ve visited similar schools to see how your choice compares.
• You’re ready to accept no matter your financial aid situation.
• You’re ready for a college to see your record this early in the process.

Eric Dawson and Lynda Herring are the authors of How to Be Irresistible to Colleges, available in bookstores nationwide and at supercollege.com. Get more of their advice on their blog, howtobeirresistibletocolleges.com.

Most colleges offer—and prefer—online college applications. It saves the hassle of having to key in your info from a paper app.

“Simmons waives the application fee if students apply online, and so do many other schools,” says Ashley Simmons, an admissions counselor at Simmons College (simmons.edu). “Online applications are also easier to read and send a positive message as opposed to a hand-written application/essay.”

But before you hit “send,” make sure you do the following.

1. Show your interest in the school

Make an effort to meet someone in person before applying.

“Make it clear that you’ve pictured yourself (at the college), and help them
picture yourself there, too,” says Jordan Goldman, founder and CEO of Unigo.com.

For example, instead of “I can’t wait to work on the school newspaper,” personalize it: “I can’t wait to be a reporter for the Campus Stylus, which I read online weekly.”

2. Proofread your college application, even online

Write your essay in Word, not in your Internet browser. That gives you the ability to reread and edit without the temptation to hit “send” too early.

“There, their, they’re are all actual words so they will not be flagged by your spell checker necessarily,” Simmons says. “It helps to take the extra time to read your essay aloud to yourself and have at least one other person read it.”

3. Be sure you talk about the right school in your online college application

“We know that most students are applying to more than one school, but it sends a different kind of message when a student refers to wanting to attend another school,” Simmons says.

4. Treat the process formally

This is your college application, people! Treat it like the big deal it is. It’s clear when students slack.

“This shows up by writing in all lowercase, writing with poor grammar, or writing in ‘IM language,’” says Erin Moran, an admissions counselor at High Point University (highpoint.edu).

“Remember, the essay is one of the only chances we, as admissions counselors, have to get to know you. Make sure it is a good representation of you. Take it seriously!”

You wouldn’t just walk through the halls and ask any random person to prom, would you? Probably not. And if you did, your chances at rejection would be pretty good. After all: Why should a hottie in the hall take a chance on you if you haven’t shown any interest?

Now think about that in terms of picking a college. Chances are, at least one admissions committee will have to pick between you and another student. But why should a hot college take a chance on you if you haven’t shown any interest in it?

Sure, you may have looked at a college’s Facebook page or visited campus to see a friend from high school. But until you’ve done some official communicating, a college has no idea you’re into it.

That’s why it’s important to show “demonstrated interest.”

What is demonstrated interest?

Nearly any kind of action that you initiate with a college counts as demonstrated interest. That includes sending back a reply card, calling admissions with a question, doing a campus visit or two or even attending a college fair and chatting with the rep.

Don’t be a stealth college admission application!

Admissions reps have a name for students who make no effort to communicate with a college, but then send their application to the school: “stealth applications.”

“So many kids come for a campus visit and stay the night with a friend from high school in the dorm, which is a great thing to do,” says Rick Clark, director or undergraduate admissions at Georgia Tech (admission.gatech.edu). “But take the time to swing by the admissions office and fill out a card. It can’t hurt them, but it can help them.”

Will showing interest help you get in?

It can. Admissions reps want to extend an offer to a student who will actually accept it. And if you’re tied with another student on everything else, demonstrating interest can swing the vote in your favor.

Why else is showing interest a good thing?

By responding to a college’s mail or interacting with an admissions rep at a college fair, you’re doing research to find your best college match. So even if your interaction results in a decision not to attend, you still benefit.

“If you can’t envision yourself there, it’s not worth going, no matter how prestigious the school may be,” Clark says.

Should you show your interest creatively?

Woody O’Cain, vice president for enrollment at Erskine College (erskine.edu) in Due West, S.C., has seen students show their interest in a college in many unique ways: videos of students talking about why they want to attend; food sent to admissions reps; a “top 10” list about why they should be admitted from the wait list.

“One student very cleverly used Photoshop to put a specific college T-shirt on her baby picture with the caption, ‘I’ve been dreaming of coming to your school for a long, long time…,’” O’Cain says.

Generally, those kind of admissions ploys are frowned upon. Especially at super-selective schools.

Impress admissions with your high school grades, activities and test scores instead. But O’Cain has a different opinion:

“I’ve been of the mindset that I would never criticize a student in their attempt to become part of my college community.”

6 ways to show a college you care

1. Interview with an alumni or rep on campus.
2. Take an official campus tour.
3. Attend a college fair or other information session sponsored by the college.
4. Respond to the college’s mail, or fill out reply cards requesting information.
5. Arrange to stay overnight on campus through the admissions office.
6. Chat with the student or admissions rep who calls or e-mails you.

Have questions about your college application? We asked an expert!

Q: What counts when applying to college?

A: Thinking about how things like GPA, SAT/ACT scores, essays and letters of recommendations all affect the college admissions process got me thinking about a big family dinner.

You’re probably wondering the question, “What does a big meal possibly have to do with college selection?” Let’s compare some of the things that students do in high school to preparing a turkey dinner.

First and foremost, you must have a turkey. When the day is all said and done, people will remember the meal mostly by the quality of the main course. Just imagine what would happen if you ran out of turkey!

Well, the turkey is your high school GPA. It is the most important thing for your college application. Would you hire yourself as a college student if you failed your job of high school math?

Your extracurricular activities are the gravy. Gravy is a great thing when the turkey is done well, but not even the best gravy can cover up a bad bird. Likewise, lots of activities can’t cover up for poor performance in the classroom; they can only enhance the college application of a quality student. If you find yourself doing lots of activities but not so much studying, you may want to refocus your attention to your academics.

Standardized tests are like stuffing—you’re not quite sure how it is made, but it can enhance the meal.

Recommendations, essays and other such things are all good as long as they are “homemade,” meaning they’re done by you, not corrected by five teachers and Mom.

Question: Is your GPA weak? Go for an in-person interview dressed for success. Let them meet the individual behind the college application, and be prepared to have a conversation about your pursuit of learning.

Understand how the admissions process works, and you’ll have an appetizing college experience.

Bill Sliwa is vice president for enrollment management at Maryville College
(maryvillecollege.edu) in Maryville, Tenn.

It’s time for you to apply to college … along with 17 million other high school students. Here are 10 qualifications that can help you stand out.

1. A transcript that includes rigorous courses
AP, International Baccalaureate and honors courses or classes you can take at a community or local college for dual credit while still in high school count big with admissions reps.

2. Grades that show academic growth
When colleges see that your high school grades are consistent or improving, they will be confident you’ll be successful in college.

3. Solid scores on standardized tests
The scores you receive on your SAT or ACT should be consistent with your high school performance.

4. Passionate involvement in extracurriculars
A University of Southern California admissions officer says USC is determined to attract the most diverse students to their campus. In this case, “diversity” means well-rounded students interested in many subjects.

5. Participation in community service
It’s easy to sleep in on a Saturday morning. So if you’re involved in your community instead, it’s vital you put those activities down in order of importance and explain what being involved did for you as a person. Doing so shows integrity and motivation to make a difference.

6. Employment, volunteering and a good work ethic
Colleges look at employment records as a historical view of how you follow through and get along with authority. Ask for a recommendation from a boss who would describe you as dependable, hard working and as a team player.

7. An honest, mature essay demonstrating your aspirations
One admissions officer says there is “so much polishing that goes into the process of college applications that sometimes the student loses her voice.” Talk to the admissions committee in your college application. Describe your passions, beliefs and aspirations.

8. Unique letters of recommendation
Your favorite teachers, counselors, coaches and employers can compose letters of recommendation that describe you perfectly. When you begin requesting recommendations, remind your teachers of classroom discussions or standout projects and ask them to describe your involvement in the letter.

9. Organization
The admissions director at the University of Oregon says the college application process itself is an education. It’s a lesson in planning and scheduling. Ask your parents to push you when a deadline nears.

10. A diverse student
List your interests in the application so the reader recognizes your desire to learn. Most college admissions staff say they are interested in the “well-rounded student,” but they also want students to be interested in a wide range of subjects.

A college campus is more than a place for the smart kids. It’s a place where smart kids meet interesting kids, which makes for a fascinating experience. So as you compile your résumé, include the honors and awards you’ve received plus anything else that makes you stand out.

Linda Metcalf, Ph.D., is a certified school guidance counselor and author of How to Say It To Get Into the College of Your Choice. Copyright © 2007 Prentice Hall Press. Reproduced with permission. Contact her at dr_linda@ix.netcom.com.

Once you submit your masterpiece of an application, what happens to it during the college application process? Here’s a typical path.

• You send in your college application or submit it online. Finger-crossing commences.

• The college creates a file for you as part of the college application process. If you submit a paper application, the college will likely scan it into their database.

• You might receive mail and e-mail from the colleges to which you applied to help you learn more about the school.

• The college might send you a postcard to let you know if any pieces are missing.

• After the college receives all pieces of your application, the admissions counselor for your area reviews your application.

• The counselor might also present your file to a committee. “This is a fun time because I get to tell the committee about you, this awesome student that I have had the pleasure to work with over the past few months,” Gaus says.

• An admissions decision is made, and you are notified.

• You make a decision (and let the college know) by May 1.

• Time to submit a deposit and make sure your financial aid and housing paperwork is completed.

What’s your advice during the college application process?
• "Do not let the admission process scare you. As you interview with schools and counselors, get to know them. Walk around campus and picture yourself walking to class, eating in the dining hall and living in the residence halls. As an alumnus, will you be proud of this institution?" —Rich Gaus Jr., Palm Beach Atlantic University

• Start early! This is the best way to explore all your options and know you are making the best decision.

• Enjoy the moment!  Time goes by so fast.  Try to enjoy the excitement and best prepare yourself for the journey ahead.

• "Trust your instincts! It all boils down to finding a place where you will be happy and success-ful!" —Lindsay Gerhardt, SUNY Geneseo

• "There are thousands of students enrolled in a college who have all been where they have been. They survived, and you will, too." —Amanda Magdic, California University of Pennsylvania

• "Admissions representatives are just regular people! We are not out to stump you, to prove you wrong or find your weaknesses—we just want to get to know you! Be yourself throughout the college process and things will go much smoother for you, I guarantee it." —Charlie Leizear, The George Washington University