The Common App is here! As of August 1, this year’s Common Application is available to all applicants. If you have not yet created your Common App account, follow steps 1-7 below. If you created a Common App account prior to August 1, steps 8-10 are for you! Either way, take a few moments to bookmark this site. You’re going to be using it a lot over the next few months.

Don’t expect to get much work done on your Common Application on the last four days of July. Between July 28 and 31, the Common App website will be unavailable to students as it undergoes its annual makeover. The big reveal is slated for August 1 – although commonapp.org will likely be up and running in the wee hours of July 31. In previous years, Common App updates have included new essay prompts, the addition of a Courses & Grades section, and clarifying language around applicants’ sex and gender. While no major revelations are expected in the revamped 2019-20 Common App, we do anticipate the following six changes.

Last month we reviewed how to complete the first three pages of your Common Application. Today we’re taking a deep dive into the four remaining sections of the Common App: the testing, activities, writing, and (relatively new) courses & grades pages. Unlike the first part of the Common App, these pages require a significant amount of writing and allow you to share more of your personal story with admissions officers. Keep reading to discover how to make a positive impression on your Common App!

How to Complete the Profile, Family, and Education Pages of your 2018-19 Common Application

If you recently created your Common App account and aren’t quite sure where to begin, you’ve come to the right place! Here we’ve outlined the most important components of your Common Application, beginning with the Profile, Family, and Education pages. There’s nothing we love more than dissecting everyone’s favorite college application. Are you ready to discover some valuable Common App tips? Let’s go!

How to Create Your 2018-19 Common Application Account

From essays and interviews to campus tours and costly fees, there are dozens of steps to applying to college. But creating your Common App is one of the easiest and, if approached in the right mindset, also one of the most empowering. Once you’ve set up your Common App account, you are no longer just a prospective student, but are well on your way to becoming a genuine college applicant!

The Common Application opened up for the new school year on August 1, so, rising high school seniors, you can apply for college.

Right.

Now.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, Elizabeth Heaton discusses this year’s changes to the Common Application, institutional variance in financial aid awards, and accelerated degree programs.

Your love of playing cello…

Your fascination with mountain biking…

Your desire to speak out against prejudice…

Your journey to become student body president…

A strong Common App essay can be written on virtually any topic.

It may be hard to believe, but it’s mid-July already, and for high school seniors, that means it’s time to start work on college applications. With that in mind, host Elizabeth Heaton provides a jam-packed hour of tips and insight. In this episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, Beth helps listeners understand a great way that they can use social media in their applications, discusses financial aid options for students looking at community colleges, and provides some tips for getting started on the Common Application.

On this week’s episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Ian Fisher tackles campus visits over the summer break, getting started on the Common App essay, and tuition refunds.