Common applications




 

 


We’re just a few weeks into summer, but many high school seniors are already working on college applications. In the past, some students worried that using the Common Application rather than an institution’s own application might harm their prospects for admission. But many colleges now use the Common Application exclusively, and this has helped ease students’ fears. When the new Common App became available July 1, more than 500 students around the world registered within the first hour.

Filling out one application, which can then be sent to multiple schools, makes the process easier. The risk is that students may not give as much thought to where they apply and can be tempted to apply to more colleges than they would if they had to complete a separate application for each school.

You may end up with lots of choices, but if you haven’t researched the schools and made sure they are good matches, racking up a list of acceptances ultimately isn’t satisfying. Better to get into a couple of schools you’re excited about than a bunch that you wouldn’t really want to attend.

Admissions officers like making it easier for students to apply to their colleges, because they are under pressure to get their application numbers up. More applications means a smaller percentage of students are accepted, and that leads to a higher selectivity rating for magazine rankings.

That’s one reason more colleges are accepting the Common Application. The University of Pennsylvania and Stanford have recently gone the Common App route, and the University of Chicago, which for years has prided itself on its “uncommon application,” is in the process of moving to the Common App.

Now the new Universal College Application is set to compete with the Common Application. Some big-name schools have signed on, including Duke and Harvard, and students can use either application for those colleges. But so far only 13 colleges accept the Universal College Application, where the Common Application is accepted at more than 300 schools.

The creators of the Universal College Application want to recruit more public schools and attract a diverse range of applicants. Since the Common Application restricts membership to schools that use essays and recommendations in the admissions process, many public institutions that admit students based solely on transcript and standardized test scores are not eligible. The Common Application does have a few public institutions, but not the ones that are most popular with Southern California students.

The University of California and the Cal State University system each have their own common application. Students complete one application and choose which UC or CSU campuses will receive it.

While the Common and Universal College applications ask for the same basic information, they aren’t quite as standardized as the UC or CSU common application, since some colleges require supplements that can include extra essays. Colleges that ask for supplements require them whether you use the Common or Universal College application.

Some popular local colleges, including the University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount, still use their own applications exclusively. This may reduce the number of frivolous applications and encourage students to put more thought into the decision to apply.

The one trend that applies to all college applications is the move to online applications. While most schools offer the option of paper applications for students who may not have easy access to computers, applying online is more convenient and accurate.

No matter how and where you apply, the important thing is to put in enough time and thought so that your applications are the strongest they can be.

Audrey Kahane, MS, MFA, is a private college admissions counselor in West Hills.

She can be reached at (818) 704-7545 or via the Internet at audreykahane@earthlink.net.

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