1) Can you send different essays for different schools that all use the common application? Like, is it possible to send off your application to college A first with essay A and then paste essay B onto the application and send it off to college B?
2) Is it bad or good to write your essay and/or short answer responses about the same activity? Because some schools have a supplment essay that asks you what you enjoy doing the most outside of academics, but the commom application already have you write a paragraph on your most meaningful activity.
1) no unless you create diff. accounts
2) depends... personally 150 words isn't enough to explicate on an activity so I would devote two essays to a particular activity. Just have each essay address a different facet
so its only one common app essay for all colleges? Eh, that's pretty restrictive. What if you are doing EA and find that you'd like to improve your essays for RD?
Why couldn't you complete the Common Application online, send it to some colleges, then go back in and edit it (changing the essay) and then send it to the other schools?
worried_momRegistered UserPosts: 2,205Senior Member
Puzzled88, just search the other threads on the Common App for many comments on this very issue. The Common App website clearly states that once you have sent your application off to the first college, it becomes "locked" and you can't change the essay for your other schools.
menloparkmomRegistered UserPosts: 12,690Senior Member
Unless the rules have changed recently for the CA, the application is only "locked" for a college when you actually click the submit button to send your application to that college. If you send your applications one at a time, instead of checking off ALL the colleges you are applying to with the CA, then you can change the essay for each college. The additonal benefit to sending each application individually is the other colleges won't "see" where else you are applying.
bigreddawgieRegistered UserPosts: 2,161Senior Member
menloparkmom, they changed the comm app this year. once u submit to 1 school, u cant go back and edit for the other schools. I think now, u submit one at a time
I sent them a tech question, asking them if it were the case, and I explained how it gives Early action students a distinct disadvantage and how what if things were to change in those two months that we need to include the updates in our application before regular decision.
If this change is actually true, I encourage you guys to send an email too.
Replies to: Is this possible for common app?
2) depends... personally 150 words isn't enough to explicate on an activity so I would devote two essays to a particular activity. Just have each essay address a different facet
If this change is actually true, I encourage you guys to send an email too.