The Common Application is something many high school seniors struggle with, but is a key factor when applying to college. This application is beneficial for many because it is easy to access and is accepted by many colleges across the country. The Common App offers engaging information for a student applying to college due to its friendly, eye opening website. On the main screen, the Dashboard shows your colleges and your requirements. Under the College Search headline, the viewer can search any college that is on the application and see the deadlines that are needed in order to apply. Also, you can see if the school requires supplemental essays in addition to the main Common App essay.

The Common Application is a simple way to adjust to the college process. This application becomes students go-to because it is where your colleges will appear and you can learn about the schools you want to apply to. For example, it offers facts about exploring and applying for financial aid, a common need for many students.

One of the most overwhelming and time-consuming tasks of the application process is the Common Application essay. This should show a glimpse of who you are as a person. Students tend to reflect back on the most valuable and significant moments in their lives, when really they can write about something simple as long as it represents their character.

A current Hall High School senior, Megan Striff-Cave, believes that “It is not a great reflection because you don’t have enough words to talk all about your involvements, so they really don’t know the extent to which you do a certain activity. ” This means that you shouldn’t be listing off things you have accomplished. There are seven questions out there to answer, and Megan chose the one about what part of your identity is very important to you. She feels that it will give colleges the best idea of what she has to offer and can bring to the campus. The essay should not describe any of the things you have already listed on your resume or in your activities.

According to Megan, “this is their chance to see a different side of you, so you don’t really want to be repeating things you have already said.” It’s mostly challenging for students to discover something unique about themselves, and especially to sum up their story in 650 words or less.

Another view on the Common Application is from Dr. White, a teacher here at Hall. Dr. White says, “Ideally it should allow students to save time.” This is because you can fill out one application that is accepted by many different schools. This stops you from filling out separate applications. The generic seven essay questions are  compatible for sharing basic information with all the schools. “What should the college know about your background, identity, interests, or talents? What is something you tried but failed at? When have you questioned or challenged a strongly held belief ? What is a problem you would like to solve? When did you learn or do something like a grown up? What topic, idea, or concept interest you? The last question is an open ended essay where you can write about anything. Dr. White also said “The more authentic you can be whether its self-effacing or real about your life is better.” These questions give students the opportunity to show whatever college they are applying too anything about them that wouldn’t be covered in the resume or supplements, they also give the student the ability to write about a variety of topics either with or without a guided question.    

Another aspect of the Common Application are the individual school’s supplements. Some schools choose to include their own writing questions on top of the generic essay. These supplement essays allow schools to further infer specific information that they may be interested in. They may be as simple as asking what you did last weekend, or more personal questions trying to uncover your character through the essay.

It is important to spend time on these supplements as well, as they are also insight for the college on whether you will be accepted. Some examples of the questions may be “Why ___ (the college name)?” With this type of question, it is important to specify what aspects of the particular college most interest you and are the best fit. Examples of this can be the location of the school, the majors at the school, and particular opportunities that interest you.

If we didn’t have the Common Application, then what would the majority of our schools require for their application? More time would be spent on individual parts of the application for each school because there would not be easy access to everything at one time. You would have to submit your information more than once. Think of it this way. This generation is lucky we have the technological access available for us when applying to college and we should not take the Common Application for granted.