4 Common App FAQs: Answered
What exactly is the Common App? An online application that simplifies your process, allowing you to create one application for multiple schools!
Should you create an account now and get prepared? Yes! If you have time, practice just like you would for anything else!
Supplemental essays are the only non-standardized part of the application.
No, not all schools use the Common App - but most do!
Parent FAQs: Common Application Edition!
Parents have so many questions about college. And that makes total sense, because they care so much about their children! You might feel like your questions are dumb, but don’t worry - that’s not the case. You have every right to have your questions answered, and Alyssa the SAT Expert is here to help you with just that!
First thing: What IS the Common App?
The Common App, or Common Application, is a way to apply to most colleges at once, online. Before online applications, people had to fill out each application on paper! They had to fill out their name, address, phone number, emergency contact info, and more for EVERY SINGLE school they were applying to. Obviously, that was not super efficient. And now, we have the option to not only type it, which is already faster, but only type it once!
That’s essentially the Common App - it’s the online application that most colleges have “gotten on board” to accept.
Should we create an account now for the Common App and download a printable copy of the Common App to get an idea of the questions on the application and what information it’s going to ask for?
Well, there’s definitely no harm in doing it early. The Common App also isn’t ever closed to anyone at any specific time (although you do need to make sure to put in your correct graduating year, or your information could be lost). But the Common App also isn’t that hard - many people have the misconception that it’s something new they’ll have to learn, but in actuality, it’s really no big deal. It’s just asking the questions you’d assume a college needs to know. If you want to get a head start, go for it. If not, it really doesn’t matter.
What about the supplemental essays?
Supplemental essay questions on the Common App will be determined by the specific schools to which you apply. So you won’t know what essays you’ll have to write if you haven’t chosen which schools you want to apply to yet.
If you want to add some schools on there, take a look at what essay questions they have, and practice some supplemental essay prompts, that’s absolutely a great idea. No such thing as too much practice!
Do all schools use the Common App?
No - there are a handful of schools that do not use the Common App, like MIT and Georgetown University. However, most do, including all of the Ivy Leagues. Find a list of all schools that use the Common App here!
