Applying to college can be a daunting task, especially if a student is looking to apply to five, ten, or more colleges. The Common App is an application platform students can use to submit their information to over 900 member colleges as efficiently as possible. The “common” part of the application has applicants fill out family, personal, school, and extracurricular information. In addition to this general data, there is an application portion specific to each college. There can be a hefty amount of information required to apply to a college, but the Common App strives to simplify the process. Let’s review the seven main steps to completing the common app.
#1 – Gather materials before starting the Common App
Make sure you have all the information and materials you need before you make an account and start filling out the personal fields of the Common App. Examples include high school grades, extracurriculars, and family information such as demographics and salary. You should have:
- A copy of your high school transcript
- List of extracurricular activities, volunteering, or work
- Parent or legal guardian information
- Test exam scores
- Academic honors and achievements
#2 – Create an account to access the Common App
Choose your registration type and create a log-in. Select the “First-year Student” if this is your first time applying to college. Make sure when filling out the personal information to include an email that you regularly check so you don’t miss any notifications. Also, make sure to include your full legal name as it appears on official school documents to make it easier for college officials to contact you. Once you adjust the communication preferences and accept the privacy policy, then you are ready to create your Common App account.
#3 – Finalize your college list
Use the college search tab to find colleges and add them to your list. Doing so will make it much easier to apply to colleges once you have decided on your final list of schools to send your application. When searching for schools, you can use filters such as country, state, application deadline, and application fees. Make sure to note that you can add up to 20 colleges to your college list and edit it at any time. However, once the list is submitted, students can no longer make changes.
#4 – Determine where you’ll get your letters of recommendation
Counselors, teachers, and recommenders will submit these papers on your behalf. Here are the types of recommenders you can invite to the Common App.
- Counselors – Counselors share their perspectives using the context of the entire graduating class. They also submit the School Report and transcripts.
- Parents – Parents will only need to submit a form if you apply using a college’s early decision deadline. They will fill out part of your early decision agreement.
- Teachers – Teachers give a firsthand account of your intellectual curiosity and creative thought.
- Other – Additional recommenders are usually non-academic recommenders like coaches, employers, and peers. They offer insight into your interests and activities outside of the classroom.
#5 – Understand the requirements for each school
Each college needs you to complete common questions and add counselor. Beyond that, their applications vary. Each college can determine its unique requirements for deadlines, application fees, and personal essays. There are many places across the website where you can find more specific details on each school.
Each college’s Explore Colleges profile provides lots of information about the college. You can find details on application information, campus culture, scheduling visits, and more.
The requirements grid is a comprehensive PDF that lists all the colleges that use the Common App and their requirements. You can also find the grid within the application.
The Common App maintains a list of all Common App colleges with their essay prompts. This resource will help as you begin planning your essays. For more help on planning essays, check out our essay planning worksheet.
#6 – Plan your essays for the Common App
Sometimes writings essays can feel like the most daunting part of your application. With a little bit of planning, organizing, and drafting, we can help you make this task more manageable. As you work on your submissions, you can find essays or short answer questions in three sections:
- Common App Personal Essay – Colleges can either make the personal essay optional or required. In the writing section of your Common App tab, you will see a table that lists each college’s requirements.
- College-specific questions – Many colleges include short answer questions or essay prompts. You can find specific information about each college’s writing prompts here.
- Writing supplements – Some colleges use a separate writing supplement, but several schools do not take advantage of this component. Some colleges may only request this supplement based on how you answer other questions. You can find more information about writing supplemental essays on the Dashboard or your “My Colleges” tab.
#7 – Submit your applications
Once all the hard work is complete, it is now time to review your application and take a sigh of relief as you embark on the final step of applying to college. Double-check that the Common App is complete, the college-specific questions are ready to submit, and your recommenders’ letters are where they need to be. You may be required to pay application fees if you do not qualify for a waiver, but either way, make sure to return to the Common App to finish applying. Rinse and repeat: complete this process for each college you apply to via the Common App.
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