Friday, September 23, 2011

The Common Application - Have No Fear

Students planning to attend college in the fall need to be thinking about the application process very seriously at this point in their year. If they have not already begun to fill out applications, now is definitely the time. The quickest and most efficient starting point for those applications is known as the Common Application, and it can be filled out online. It is important to get this application filled out now and submitted for review because many colleges are approaching their application deadlines. Students will need time to get appropriate data and references, so don't wait on getting this application done.

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The Common Application, an online college application accepted by a large number of colleges and universities, will allow students to complete a single application and open the doors to many schools all at once. This form can be printed off and submitted by mail, however it is much simpler to complete it online, both for students as well as the teachers and counselors from whom students request references. This application will ease the process of getting paperwork taken care of for many schools and eliminate redundant requests for evaluations and references. This makes the application process go more quickly, allowing students to focus on learning, fundamental skills and final college selections.

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In order to fill this form out, students will need to have access to a few things. They will need names and addresses of any high schools they have attended, as well as any colleges where they might have done dual credit work. Students will also need the names and email addresses of those from whom they plan to seek teacher and counselor evaluations. And finally, students will need SAT and ACT test scores and test dates.

Filling this form out may take a little time and assistance from parents, but it is not difficult. It can be saved frequently, just like any computer document, and then returned to at a later date should students need more time to access required information. Additionally, there will be a personal essay that needs to be included, so students will want to take time to do a good job on this essay. If your student has been learning to write solid papers and essays over their high school years, this essay will be pretty straightforward, and the minimum number of words, 250, makes this not a cumbersome assignment.

The Common Application is an excellent tool to avoid some of the confusion of multiple paper applications. Parents and students should not be afraid of this process, even though the details can look dense when you access their website. This will allow one source for your student's information, and that is helpful to many schools. This singular application will also streamline the numbers and sources of references that students must obtain, making the application process easier on evaluators as well, a definite plus!

Even if a student is unsure as to which college they plan to attend, filling out the Common Application is a good thing to do now. This will get them into the application pool for a number of schools and it is better to do that early, now if possible, than to miss the various college deadlines by waiting to make a decision until it's too late. Keeping a student's options open will serve your student well in the long run. And, getting the references and evaluations going by starting this form right away, will help to remind your student that these accountability partners are good sources of feedback on their progress, strengths, and skills as they move toward more independent learning in college.

The Common Application - Have No Fear

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