If you’re a high school senior who’s been diligently scouring the Common Application searching for college-specific essay questions, you may have come across this particular prompt:

Who in your life is depending on you? What are they depending on you for?

This question is brand new this year, and it was made available to all Common App member colleges as a “bank question” for use on their supplements. Barnard College, Harvey Mudd College, Marquette University, and the University of South Carolina have elected to include this prompt (as an optional question) on their 2019-20 applications.

Many of the most selective colleges in the country rely on alumni interviewers to get some additional perspective on applicants. We’re excited to welcome one of our regular listeners, who also happens to be an alumni interviewer for her alma mater, to the show to offer some perspective on how the process works and tips for interviewees. We’ll also discuss FERPA, including what it is and how it impacts students and families. And finally, in Office Hours we’ve got insight on how to maximize the Common App activities section.

It’s sleek. It’s modern. It has a snazzy new blue and white color scheme. But there’s so much more to love about the 2019-20 Common App. Below are some of our favorite Common App elements that have students everywhere shouting from the rooftops, “This is why applying to college can be fun!”

Michelle Jones, founder of Wayfinding Academy, joins this week’s show to offer her thoughts on how Wayfinding is approaching college from a different perspective. We’ll also discuss this year’s changes to the Common App and talk about how you can prepare your college bound student for the financial challenges ahead.

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.

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.

Dear Debt’s Melanie Lockert paid off $81 thousand in student debt in just a few years. She’ll join us to talk about how she got to $81 thousand in the first place, what she would do differently if she could do it all again, and what led to the creation of her Dear Debt blog (now also a book). We’re also discussing how to choose your Common App prompt and what Common App supplemental essays are all about.

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.

Over the course of the past 16 years, I have read thousands of college applications and the personal statements that accompany them. Some essays have remained fresh in my mind – often because the topics were inspiring, powerful, humorous, or beautifully written – but other essays stand out for all of the wrong reasons. Below are four of my most noteworthy observations about college application essays, including blunders students should avoid at all costs.

Its summer! Time for ice cream, blockbuster movies, and college visits and essays! Join us for insight into making the most of your college visits in preparation for writing supplemental essays in the fall. Speaking of essays, we’re taking you through the Common App essay prompts for fall 2019. And finally, we have suggestions for how to research information about paying for college on those institutions’ websites.