<p>Two years ago, my first son applied to college. I was all excited about the common AP, because I remember struggling to type error free responses on the various colored pages of college aps back in the dark ages. It seemed so easy to fill out one application and send it to multiple colleges. Of course then he discovered all the supplemental questions and the stress ensued. He persevered and ended up with several wonderful choices and is enjoying his sophomore year. </p>
<p>My second son is applying to colleges this year. I thought with one round of common ap under my belt, I could advise him and everything would run smoothly. I read through his application, admittedly after midnight last night, and I thought the layout was appalling. Endless windows to open. Short little boxes to enter text. Rather invasive personal questions about parent's education and jobs. Does it really matter what year I graduated from college? Bless his heart, my son wrote me down as graduating 7 years after I did. I guess I still look that young. </p>
<p>He isn't finished, so I have no idea what the final layout will look like, but I am dubious. Does common ap change this much every year? Was it just so late, it seemed hideous? I got the feeling they were expecting people to fill them out using their tiny iphone screen. Is presenting yourself to colleges not worth the effort to fill out an actual electronic page? Everything must be a tiny generic check box with no more than a twitter-length comment?</p>