I don't think Common App was a great invention

[Anonymous]

Older parent here -- How long has the Common Application been used?

I don't think it has been all that great a blessing for students. The old way (they way I had to do it) you had to apply separately to each school, true. You had to fill in all their requests for information (activities, transcript) and you had to write an essay.

It was HARD to submit more than a few applications so it kept our submissions reasonable.

I *thought* the point of the Common App was that you just had to fill out stuff once. But I'm watching my kid fill it out, and she has to fill out different information for each school, and separate essays for each school IN ADDITION to the general one? So what the heck is the flipping point?

All for the "convenience" of now HAVING to apply to way more schools that she really cares to (and pay more in application fees) just because the whole application process is a gigantic crap shoot/lottery and we have no freaking clue where she will be accepted.

I don't see how students really benefited from this invention.

[Anonymous]

lol students benefit

It’s a plot by colleges and universities to game the system and drive their acceptance rates down.

[Anonymous]

OP again, OK I see Common App started in 1975? Well, I had no idea, and I applied to colleges in 1985 but never heard of it back then.

Maybe when they switched to all online applications (in 2013) was when the number of applications per student started to skyrocket? Which had led to colleges requesting a ton of supplemental information to screen out students who aren't really interested?

[Anonymous]

I used the Common App. High school class of ‘88.

[Anonymous]

Your right it sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again, OK I see Common App started in 1975? Well, I had no idea, and I applied to colleges in 1985 but never heard of it back then.

Maybe when they switched to all online applications (in 2013) was when the number of applications per student started to skyrocket? Which had led to colleges requesting a ton of supplemental information to screen out students who aren't really interested?

NP here

I applied to college in the fall of 92 (graduated HS in '93) and I had never heard of the common app either. Everyone I knew back then applied to 3-7 colleges. I think the 12+ colleges that students today apply to is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

I used common app in 1993 for I think 4 out of my 7 schools. The school I did eventually attend sent me an addendum that required a picture and some personal statement, but luckily not to answer their absolutely ridiculous application questions that I refused to touch.

[Anonymous]

I used the Common App in 1987. It wasn't that significant really, since everything was on paper, so you still had to fill out separate apps and mail them to each school. The "common" part was that they were all formatted the same way, so once you did the first one, you knew the drill. Other non-common app schools had designed their own applications, so they required a little more effort to complete.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used the Common App in 1987. It wasn't that significant really, since everything was on paper, so you still had to fill out separate apps and mail them to each school. The "common" part was that they were all formatted the same way, so once you did the first one, you knew the drill. Other non-common app schools had designed their own applications, so they required a little more effort to complete.

Pretty sure we photocopied

[Anonymous]

My DS filled it out over the summer. I was surprised that you had to fill out essentially the same questions over and over again. There should be check boxes for duplicate questions like "Which application plan do you intend to use? Early decision, early action, regular decision, etc"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again, OK I see Common App started in 1975? Well, I had no idea, and I applied to colleges in 1985 but never heard of it back then.

Maybe when they switched to all online applications (in 2013) was when the number of applications per student started to skyrocket? Which had led to colleges requesting a ton of supplemental information to screen out students who aren't really interested?

NP here

I applied to college in the fall of 92 (graduated HS in '93) and I had never heard of the common app either. Everyone I knew back then applied to 3-7 colleges. I think the 12+ colleges that students today apply to is ridiculous.

ITA
- HS class of ‘90

[Anonymous]

I went to a big three in the nineties and they discouraged us from using the common app. Said it didn’t show enough interest in the school and would hurt our application chances.

I spent so much time perfectly typing each application. I practiced on xerox copies first for each one and then retyped on the original app.

[Anonymous]

Never heard of it didn’t use it. 1988 Fairfax county

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS filled it out over the summer. I was surprised that you had to fill out essentially the same questions over and over again. There should be check boxes for duplicate questions like "Which application plan do you intend to use? Early decision, early action, regular decision, etc"

OP here, that's what I'm talking about. It doesn't seem like you are actually saving any time or effort to use this common app.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a big three in the nineties and they discouraged us from using the common app. Said it didn’t show enough interest in the school and would hurt our application chances.

I spent so much time perfectly typing each application. I practiced on xerox copies first for each one and then retyped on the original app.

I had to hand write my application to Brown.