Essays - Common App. vs. specific Colleges'

NorCalDad
Mon, 10 Jul 2006 22:36:45 +0000

lspf72,

I would take this approach – for his ED application to his first choice school, use the college’s online application vs. the Common App. As a parent who has gone through this process already, I noticed the differences (subtle as they are sometimes) between a college’s own admissions application and the Common App.

Because of these subtleties, my daughter decided to apply to her first choice college ED using the school’s application process online. Yes, you’re going through more effort, but after all, it’s your son’s first choice. I assume he will want to put forth his best effort AND show that he really is interested in the school. I know that the adcoms say they don’t care which form you use, but I’m not convinced that the Common App will provide the best application. Most of the selective schools will require supplements anyway, so you’d still have to go through another step for these schools. I think it’s just easier and more consistent to have as much of the application input coming from as few sources as possible. Also, the questions/formats presented for Teacher Recommendations can differ greatly between the Common App and a given college. IMHO, save the Common App for all the other college choices if you want.