Reply to I don't think Common App was a great invention

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[quote=Anonymous]CommonApp mostly benefits high school counselors (who don't seem to do much counseling these days) by streamlining the process for submitting standardized paperwork and ensuring they meet deadlines. The [u]student[/u] questions and supplemental writing vary by college. The counselor data is pretty much the same across colleges- transcripts, generic "recommendations" (you should see it, lol), GPAs yadda yadda.

Some colleges welcome the inflated applicant rates. Looking at you U of Miami and Tulane. :wink:  But it's a double-edged sword for the single-digit acceptance rate schools and Ivies. There's no way to know how many students who [i]would[/i] be a great fit don't even bother to apply because a counselor told them they won't get in and shouldn't even try (because rejection makes counselors look bad -- not kids). This is partly why Georgetown doesn't use the Common App. Not to exclude students, but to make sure students do at least some research so that they're actually choosing to apply for their own benefit and not simply playing the lottery because of rankings. (Personally, I think it's a more honest and transparent approach.)

The online CommonApp process definitely benefits First Generation, Low/Middle Income, undocumented, underrepresented, and non-traditional students.

It reduces the significant hurdles:

expands search capabilities for those with little/no advising
calculates costs and connects to aid at identified schools
easily waives application fees

In short, CommonApp -- and to a greater extent IMO -- Coalition for College Access, UC System, Texas, New York, and HBCU Common App, empower students with potential who lack support and opportunities.

But if you're only applying to 5 or 6 schools or if your family and school have the resources to navigate the admissions process (like legacy), the CommonApp is pretty much online paper.[/quote]

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