<p>S2 is considereing applying EA to MIT and Cal Tech, but I’ve read on other threads that once the common app is done online and submitted to a school, then it can not be changed. Does anyone know if this is true? If so, he may not apply early at all. Our experience with S1 was that his essays got better the more supplements he completed and he wound up using a totally different (and much better) essay for his RD apps than his EA app, but he did them all on paper so it was easy to change. Now many schools require or strongly request the apps be submitted online and we need clarification from thse who have completed the online common app in the past. Thanks!</p>
<p>MIT doesn’t use the Common Application. </p>
<p><a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/CollegeInfo.aspx[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/CollegeInfo.aspx</a> </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_freshman_application/index.shtml[/url]”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_freshman_application/index.shtml</a></p>
<p>I didn’t realize you could change EA applications. I will have to keep that in mind when my kids are applying. I would not have thought it an option. I think the only thing that changed when I applied is that my RD application included 1st term senior year grades. Pretty significant, actually, since I did all my senior year classes at a local college, which I guess was more uncommon 20+ years ago. I didn’t get in anywhere EA, and my GC thought it was because colleges wanted those grades (I got into both EA schools RD, so he might have been right). I did work quite hard on all my applications, and I don’t think the early ones were any worse than ones submitted later.</p>
<p>eg1, you can’t change submitted ED (or EA) applications. I think what OP meant is that RD apps were better because they were worked on between the ED and RD deadlines.</p>
<p>To the OP:
When submitting common application, you don’t have to submit it to all the schools at the same time, even if you do it electronically. It is my understanding that you can keep changing your application and submitting it to various schools one at a time (once submitted to a specific school, it can’t be changed for that school). I hope that I am right about it…</p>
<p>Sorry if post was confusing; I did in fact mean that EA application was a bit rushed with S1 and as he worked on the other apps, his essays became better and he wound up using a different main common app essay for his RD apps than he had submitted with his EA app. </p>
<p>I hope nngmm is correct and that the common app can be tweaked between submissions to different schools. I didn’t mean if it could be changed for a particular school once submitted to that school. We’re just worried because S2 is very stressed about the whole process and I know his essays will probably get better the further he gets into the process.</p>
<p>tokenadult: Thanks for that clarification about MIT and the common app. We’ve been to their local info session and did the whole campus visit and don’t remember that detail being mentioned. Somehow when I saw the words online app on their website I assumed it was the common app.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, nngmm was correct for last year, but not this year. This year they changed the common app, and you can no longer change it to submit to another school. Last year’s “copy” function has been eliminated.</p>
<p>If this is a concern, you may want to consider submitting the early applications in hard copy, by snail mail, and submitting the regular applications electronically. Alternatively, if Cal Tech has its own application as well as using the common app, your son could use that for the early application.</p>
<p>Chedva - thanks for the updated info for this year’s common app. Caltech uses only the common app, so he’ll either do snail mail or wait for RD since MIT is closer to home anyway. </p>
<p>Thanks to all for the info. There’s just so many things to consider and unfortuneately it doesn’t seem to be any easier the second time around. Maybe in three year’s time when it’s fourth child’s turn we’ll have it all down pat, but somehow I doubt it!</p>
<p>Would it be possible to set up more than one common app account? The student would have to retype the info again for the second account but it would allow for changes after the first one was submitted to the EA/ED school.</p>
<p>No, it’s not possible. The Common App site doesn’t let you do that.</p>
<p>Wow, that is a serious disadvantage compared to previous years. I wonder why they did that?</p>
<p>
How would they know? Are students tracked by ss#?</p>
<p>I think the point is that it is no longer something that can be done easily. </p>
<p>In past years the common app was theoretically very convenient, because all of the demographic data (name, address, activities list, etc.) could be entered once and reused, but the essays could be tweaked over time or even changed entirely to fit the college. It was simply a matter of opening the file and editing it before resubmitting it.</p>
<p>Now (as I understand it)… that convenience is gone. Yes, its possible that a student could created multiple online accounts, one for each application… but what’s the point then? Might as well use paper.</p>
<p>In any case, my daughter and I both found the old common app site to be poorly designed and hard to work with, so she elected to submit paper apps to any colleges that took the common app only. Many offered the option of using a different online site or one of their own, and in those cases the online submission worked fine.</p>
<p>I seriously think that it is important to tweak applications and tailor them somewhat to each college – all colleges are not the same, and those little tweaks can be the way that the app comes to life for a particular college. The tweaking could be something different than the essay – for example, it could be in the order of listing various activities or a short answer response. Maybe a strong but non-recruitable athlete will emphasize her sports when applying to smaller LACs, but choose to focus more on her literary accomplishments when applying to a Division I college unlikely to be as impressed by the athletics. </p>
<p>Maybe I’m wrong. But I watched my daughter prepare 10 different college applications one at a time, starting each from the beginning as if it were new, beginning in November and ending sometime in mid-January… and I also saw 9 acceptances roll in, including big fat “YES” envelopes from all but one of her reach colleges. I don’t know whether the individual attention to each is what did the trick… but at least she doesn’t have any regrets about what was or was not included in any application.</p>
<p>Thanks for the explanation … this change in the common app makes it much more difficult to use. Im not sure how D will make her adjustments, but I think it is wise to approach the applications as your D did.</p>
<p>yea sucks that they wont let u edit it</p>
<p>Chedva,
Thank you for pointing out that the application can no longer be changed between submissions. This change does not make any sense, but I guess it does not matter what <em>we</em> think about it…</p>
<p>Well, D just informed me that my idea of multiple common appl accounts will not work - you can not have two accounts w/ the same name at the same address. So, I guess another solution will have to be found inorder to change the appl in between submissions. :(</p>
<p>My son contacted tech support and was told the application is locked after one submission – this was the decision of the common app members/board/whatever. I think they will get a lot of complaints this year and, hopefully, revisit it next year. My daughter did not use the common app and got into great schools, but I think the supplements still allow a lot of individuality to come out in the process for the kid who wants to really tailor each application. There are tons of questions and essays to write in the supplements each school supplies so I’m not sure the locking is a reason to not use it online. He simply need to use an essay he feels strongly about for the common app and should something happen between EA and RD that is noteworthy, he can contact the schools individually about it.</p>