Summer splash: diving into college applications
June 25th, 2018
In the world of college admissions, all summers are important for high school students but we see a special opportunity for rising seniors. In between your structured activities, summer is the perfect time to make major progress on your college applications. And for rising juniors, setting up a Common App account now gives you the opportunity to add activities and honors over time.
As you approach the Common App with great thoughtfulness, you really want to consider what the reader wants to know. When I sat on college admission committees, the applications that stood out most gave me a sense that the student was sitting right next to me and I could engage in conversation with him or her. The way you describe yourself should be compelling, while giving an accurate description of your interests and accomplishments. I encourage all students to approach their work in this way.
A few things to consider when composing your application…
- Sometimes the activities line does not give you enough space; use the “additional information” portion of the writing section to add important details.
- The essay prompts used for fall 2018 entry will remain the same for students beginning their applications now. The choice of which prompt to address is less important than the story to tell – the essay should provide a window into your life.
- The Common App will be offline from July 27 (midday) to July 31 in preparation to launch the 2018-2019 application on August 1.
During this time, colleges’ questions are updated and the previous year’s applicants are stored.- Account Rollover retains an active applicant’s college list and the seven sections of the ‘Common App’ tab: Profile, Family, Education, Testing, Activities, Writing, and Courses & Grades.
- After August 1, students may log on with the same username and password, respond to a few questions and find their previous work intact.
- College supplements, however, will be refreshed and any work on those would be deleted – so while it is okay to peek at last year’s questions, do not tackle college supplements in your Common App until after the Rollover period.
- Some colleges will place new essay and short answer prompts on their admission sites ahead of the Rollover so it can be wise to check each college’s website for a head-start on institution-specific questions.
Many of our students already have opened their Common App accounts. If not, please go to www.commonapp.org to get started today!
Tagged: Applications, College, Essays
