<p>As the parent of a junior at the University of Florida and a freshman at MIT, I recall the stress my sons and family have experienced. For the most part, the variations in college applications had to do with demographic questions. The most difficult task in the application process, however, was the creation of the essays, so standardization (i.e. the same essays usable for all applications) would relieve a lot of the angst and insomnia associated with the application process. The University of Chicago has always had very unique essay prompts (“The Uncommon Application”), but now it allows an applicant the option to use the Common Application (including the standardized essays) instead; schools with unique applications might take heed of this.</p>
<p>Otherwise, my advice is: get very organized and be very patient with your child!</p>