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Summer accomplishments: Common App and main essay

July 19th, 2022

Time flies when you’re having fun and this summer is no exception, so we’re thrilled to see seniors get a jump start on college application work! Many have begun working on the Common Application and are aware that the site will be closed briefly at month’s end for its annual “summer refresh.” When the site becomes available again on August 1st, colleges’ new supplement questions will appear. Rest assured that students’ work within the main Common App portion of their accounts will resurface then, too.

Students who have worked on anything in the “My Colleges” tab of the Common App, or anything involving recommenders, should follow steps shared below by the Common App.

Each year on August 1, Common App launches our refreshed application with updated information, including any new questions and new colleges. Students will need to sign in and refresh their Common App accounts for the new cycle.

Many colleges change their questions from year to year, so if students started working on responses to college-specific questions, they should sign in before July 27 and take the following steps:

Save any responses to college-specific questions or writing supplement questions somewhere outside of Common App. We recommend using Google Drive or similar storage apps.
Document counselors, teachers, advisors, and other recommender names and emails outside of Common App. Students will need to re-add and re-invite these individuals if they intend to apply after August 1.

Heading into the fall semester with a few things checked off on your application list will certainly help ease some of the stress related to application season. Essays can be the most time-consuming part of the process, so you certainly don’t want to leave them to the last minute. The essay and college supplement questions are your chance to reveal yourself to each admissions staff in a more personal way. When it comes to essay tools and resources, no one does it better than The College Essay Guy. Linked below is an incredible guide to help you get started on brainstorming and drafting your way to a wonderful essay.

Personal statement guide linked below from The College Essay guy:

The Free Guide to Writing a Personal Statement

Welcome to the Guide.

I’m excited to be a part of your essay-writing journey. There are four basic parts of this guide.

Hour 1 – Everything you need to brainstorm a topic and structure your essay.

Hour 2 – How to write a Narrative or Montage Essay with a few sample essays.

Hour 3 – Writing the first draft and getting some initial feedback.

Next Steps – I set you up to write an awesome draft of your Activities List and Additional Info section, point you in the right direction for getting started on your supplemental essays, and lots more.

I recommend that you bookmark this page so that it’s easy to access as you work through it. This is your home base throughout your essay writing process.