Do Colleges Know Where Else You're Applying? Do They Care?

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There was a thread here on CC last summer that indicted that some think that the Common App give colleges information on where else that app has been submitted. I don’t know if that is true or not but it is widely believed.

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<p>Widely believed, yes. But not true. As MD_Mom has just posted, the Common Application has a FAQ about this on its website. To find the FAQ, go to the Common Application contact page, selecting help desk. </p>

<p><a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/TechSupport.aspx[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/TechSupport.aspx&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>From there, follow the link with the link text “click here” (yeah, real original) and that will open a new browser page in which you can enter your email address. Do that, and you are led to a page </p>

<p><a href=“https://commonapp.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/commonapp.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php[/url]”>https://commonapp.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/commonapp.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>(you may not see this unless you enter your email address first; try it both ways) </p>

<p>listing FAQ answers. FAQ answer number 27, which has probably been posted for quite a while, reads </p>

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@Common Application

Question
Will institutions know if I have applied to other institutions and if I have chosen Early Decision or Early Action?
Answer
No. each institution can only see its own applications, and they will not know if you have also applied to other colleges.

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<p>Seems pretty clear to me. Not terribly hard to look up, either, for anyone who visits the Common Application site. It appears that the Common Application’s list of colleges you are sending your application to works just like the bcc: line on an email software program–it sends an application to each destination in turn, without giving any sign where else the application was sent. </p>

<p>After edit: Read the Common Application FAQs–I’ve just told you how–for more information about updating the Common Application and many other frequently asked questions.</p>