OFFICIAL Common Application Questions Thread

[Nadash]

I applied to Williams ED. The checklist page shows:

Application Status
Submitted
Supplement Status
Submitted
Payment Status
Not Submitted

I have already mailed in my paper fee waiver form. Will my application be processed before it arrives? o.o

[Mister Sinister]

Should a resume be included in the "additional writing section" on the common app, or should it be mailed with the transcript? When they print our application when they receive it, would they be able to read the resume I uploaded?

[daisy28]

I just submitted a supplement with the "wrong version" of the application, but I didn't submit the application yet. Can the version be changed??? I contacted tech support, but I have not gotten a reply yet! Has this happened to anyone else?

[Nadash]

Did all the 'answerers' go to bed already?

[QuixoticRick]

I can fill in.

Nadash: It will say not submitted until the college receives your fee waiver request and approves it. If they do not approve it, they will hold onto your application until they receive the required fee.

Mister Sinister: Most colleges actually ask that you do not include a resume along with the application. When you submit your application, they will download it onto their computers or print it out. When this occurs, the status of the application will change to "Downloaded."

Daisy: You need to contact Customer Service and hopefully they can retract your supplement. Otherwise, once it is submitted, it is final.

[blddrake44]

Daisy

If you can't do anything else and you haven't submitted any other supplements, just change that version of the application to fit that school.

You can have up to 10 versions of the common app, so you won't run out of versions.

[Nadash]

Ah.. thanks the reply quixotic..

I am using a paper fee waiver request. So will they 'hold' the application TILL they receive it? Or just till the deadline..then..too bad...?

[JDorian]

Can we like...put a really personal essay in the Additional Info section?! =P

[Senluck]

When I enter SAT/ACT score, do I just put the scores I want colleges to see or do I put all the test taken? (I know I have to score report from CB separately)

[JohnC613]

senluck I just put the good stuff
daisy, can you still move that school to a different version? If it's an all-in-one school, the neither the supplement or the app is actually sent until both are done.

[daisy28]

Yes!! Tech support at Common App moved it for me!! It was weird, because on the main page of my common app account it had the new name version next to the school of the supplement I submitted, so I thought all was good. But, I didn't realized that you actually had to "move" the school to the new application page, so even though it had the name of the version I wanted to submit with that supplement, it was still "attached" to the original version, and I wouldn't let me move it, since I submitted the supplement already.

After I did this last night, I saw (too late!) the info in the "help" section, about making sure that the supplement was attached to the new version.

I'm so happy! The difference between my 2 versions was minor, but the exact name of my major was different (although similar), and I would have felt stupid submitting the exact major name of my ed school to the rd school, because if I don't get in to my ed school, my rd school is my next favorite by far!!

[art_star]

Hey everyone,

I'm using the online Common App for most of my schools but is it true that i can only use ONE essay for ALL the colleges if i apply online? I was thinking of changing the essays up for some colleges since some things that i'd like for the school to know about me are not addressed in their supplements. am i better off sending out a paper application then? or is there a way to send different essays to each colleges?

thanks!! PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS

[blddrake44]

You can make different versions of the Common App and upload different essays for each one.

[NJ Mom]

RealMom and Nickel: my son contacted the Common App and they said you do need to match recommendations/school reports to each alternate version because of those ID numbers at the bottom of the pages. They said the colleges use the ID numbers. That means teachers can't just xerox them, unless it's for the same version. One of his teachers had already sent in all his recommendations and Common App people told him to have the teacher send recs in again using the matching version so the ID numbers will match. This seems really ridiculous to me. I think he will contact some of the schools to see if they really use these ID numbers. It seems like a lot of people will have this problem since the instructions about this are buried in the "school forms" area.

[Nickel Xenon]

But if you don't create alternate versions and just submit the same application to all the schools...is it necessary to match the school forms? Or can you photocopy?