by Emily Toffelmire, former admissions officer at University of Southern California

The Common Application announced on Feb. 16 that it is retiring one essay prompt while introducing a new one. (For those who need a refresher, watch our video “What Is the Common Application?”). The change will take effect for the 2021-22 admissions cycle, and the overall number of essay questions remains the same: students will choose from one of seven options.

by Elyse Krantz, former admissions officer at Barnard College

When it comes to applying to college, there’s one online application that’s nearly synonymous with “college application.” That is, of course, the Common Application—a digital, one-size-fits-all document that allows high school seniors to submit their application to up to 20 colleges in one fell swoop. But we are delighted to turn our attention to another application that can make the college application process a little bit simpler and a whole lot less expensive: the Common Black College Application (CBCA).

by Emily Toffelmire, former admissions officer at University of Southern California

The Common App, the most widely used centralized college application platform in the U.S., launched a mobile app version just last week. In the press release regarding the mobile app, The Common Application cited a study from the Pew Research Center that found 25% of teens from lower-income homes lack access to a home computer and 35% complete homework on cell phones. Black and Latinx students are even more negatively impacted by this technology gap. The Common App already knew that many students were applying to college using mobile phones; as they state in the press release, “almost 400,000 applications were submitted last year via mobile phone. Over the last five years, Common App has seen a nearly 40% increase in mobile device use of its web-based application.”

Ever wonder what goes into the additional information section on the Common App—or if you even have to fill it out? How about what to include in the honors section? We have advice on maximizing these and other areas of the application, including the activities lists and the new COVID question. We’re also sharing what you need to know about the CSS Profile as you prepare to complete this financial document for the colleges that require it. Finally, we’ll walk you through the supplemental essays for Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia.

by Abigail Anderson, former admissions officer at Reed College

Students utilizing the Common Application will notice a question regarding their disciplinary history just after they fill out the Essay Section. This question, which is required, states:

“Have you ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at any educational institution you have attended from the 9th grade (or the international equivalent) forward, whether related to academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, that resulted in a disciplinary action? These actions could include, but are not limited to: probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from the institution.”

by Elyse Krantz, former admissions officer at Barnard College

Mastering the Activities Section of the Common Application

College applicants are infamously known to stress about their essays. And it’s not uncommon for students to spend weeks (if not months) brainstorming their ideal essay topic and then editing it down to perfection. But our college admissions experts would like to point out another section of the Common Application that also requires a great deal of writing yet receives far less attention. Some application readers would argue that it also happens to be the section that applicants most often overlook and under appreciate.

What is it?

by Elyse Krantz, former admissions officer at Barnard College

To say this school year will look a bit different than last year is probably a bit of an understatement. Last year’s school supplies included highlighters, notebooks, pens, and a calculator. This year? How many masks, bottles of sanitizer, and tubes of hand cream will you be toting to school? Or not… if you’ll be spending the majority of your time at home, locked into distanced learning courtesy of Zoom or Google Classroom.

But there is one aspect of this fall that hasn’t changed – at least, not much. Applying to college!

by Elyse Krantz, former admissions officer at Barnard College

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.

by Amy Alexander, former admissions officer at Yale University

It’s the time of year that most seniors are starting to complete their Common Application, and if you’ve signed up for an account, you’re probably already aware that you must submit an essay of 250 to 650 words in response to one of seven prompts. In addition to the personal statement, many colleges also require you to write responses to supplemental essays or questions. While these writing assignments are relatively clear and straightforward, there is also an Additional Information section offered on the bottom of the app’s writing page that creates confusion and uncertainty among many college applicants. What exactly do you use this space for?

by Kay Kurashige, former admissions officer at Brown University

While we have come a long way from the days of submitting typewritten applications to individual colleges via snail mail, currently there is still no “one-size-fits-all” application that is used for all colleges in the United States. Students will frequently need to use several different application platforms in order to apply to all of the universities on their list. While there are many similarities between the applications, each has its own unique qualities and requirements. As a result, applying to colleges can unfortunately be a time consuming (and frequently confusing) process. That’s why we are here to help!