In the world of college admissions, August 1 is an important date, as it is the time when the Common Application rolls over every year for the new application cycle. Since that date will be here before you know it, I want to share some helpful tips in preparation for application season:
The Common App website has a first-year application guide as well as a page with this year's personal statement prompts.
There is also a very helpful free resource called the AXS Companion that was created through a collaboration between Oregon State University and the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) to guide students through the Common Application.
You can create your Common App account at any time and fill out the sections on the "Common App" tab. These are the sections that are the same for every institution. When you create your account, use an email address that you will remember to check regularly, as this is the one that every college/university will use to communicate with you once you submit your application. If you have already registered an email address with a college as you have been researching schools, you likely want to use the same email address that they already have on record for you.
After August 1 you can start adding colleges to the "My Colleges" tab. If you add schools before then and enter any information in the question fields, they will be erased after August 1 when the application refreshes and questions for the 2024-2025 application cycle get populated.
Once you do add colleges thats the "My Colleges" tab, you will be able to look at the Application Requirements grid for your colleges and/or for all of the colleges in Common App. This grid will show you all of the possible application deadlines, as well as the application fees, standardized testing policies, the number of letters of recommendation required, and whether the school requires a porfolio and/or a writing supplement.
Some colleges/universities offer application fee waivers as incentives to apply, so look for these in marketing emails or after a campus visit sometimes. Common App has a list of qualifications used to determine a financial need for fee waivers here. Do not click the box that you qualify for a fee waiver if you do not have the proof to back it up - your application can get delayed or lost as the institution waits to confirm your eligibility and you don't want to be that applicant who tries to get a fee waived when you do not qualify for a waiver. Curious about schools that don't have an application fee? College Transitions compiled this list of Best Colleges with No Application Fee.
Common App has partnered with College Board's BigFuture Scholarships. Once you submit an application through Common App, you can request to have your account linked to BigFuture and they will pre-populate basic information you provided to make it easier to apply for outside scholarships.
While it is likely that the majority of your colleges will be on the Common Application, note that some schools, including the University of California system, California State University system, Georgetown University, MIT, and the military academies, have their own applications. Many colleges also give you the choice of applying through the Common App, through the Coalition Application, or through their own application.
Happy planning!!