Common Application
Students who will apply to the most competitive colleges and universities in the country will have to apply via the common application. This is exactly how is sounds. It is one application for over 500 colleges and universities! It takes many hours to fill out so you should start August 1st when it opens for the new school year (do not fill it out at the end of junior year as they take it down over the summer and make changes to it).
The application will ask for:
1. Your personal information
2. Your activities/honors/awards
3. Parental information
4. 1-2 teacher recommendations
5. College Counselor letter of recommendation
6. Financial information
7. Your transcript
8. Your ACT test scores
9. 1-4 essays (there is one large essay with a max of 650 words, many ask for up to 3 shorter essays, sometimes only 150 words)
DO NOT PROCRASTINATE on this application! You will not make the deadline! And their site crashes often! The recommendors information is almost at the end, so if you wait until the last minute, you will not have any recommendations and they cannot look at your application. GIVE YOUR TEACHERS/COUNSELORS AT LEAST 3 WEEKS NOTICE SO THEY CAN WRITE YOUR LETTER!!
www.commonapp.org