Common App Backtracks, Will Allow Changes

<p>Why is the common app company waiting so long to make these changes? Kids are/have already sent out their applications. Is this a definite or a maybe? Does anyone know? Thanx</p>

<p>It is a definite.....They probably are taking this week to fix the software and make changes....Friday is the day....I do agree that this is ridiculous; alot of students already sent apps out....If they let you change your choice of majors or personal info, fine...but if they let students change their essays, it puts the early bird in a pretty precarious position......We were all ready to hit submit for all of our schools last week; thank goodness someone alerted us.....stay tuned!</p>

<p>The big question for us is whether the writing samples can be altered.</p>

<p>S2 decided to apply early to a non CA school because he felt his essays may get better as he does more of them and he knows there will be a few awards coming between EA and RD. If we had known earlier that they were going to change their "locking" position, he would have applied EA to a different school. Oh well, se la vie.</p>

<p>Does anyone know whether they will also remove the "applicants copy" stamp from the preview/printed version? Apparently when you print a copy prior to submitting, the copy comes out with "Applicant's Copy" printed across it. I know the Common App site says not to print and send, but many still prefer to send hard copy applications. If a school does not require an online application, why shouldn't a student be able to fill out, then print the Common App and send it in by snail mail. The alternative for someone who wants to send hard copy would be to print the pdf forms and fill out by hand. What a waste of time.</p>

<p>Not sure why you got that....i am looking at a preview print right now and it doesn't have that stamp across it.....try it again....preview first, then print</p>

<p>Thanks...I will try it again.</p>

<p>sewbusy, if the schools are EA, can't your son still apply to the "other EA" school with the Common App? Or is the first school SCEA? Otherwise, since EA's not binding, multiple EA apps are allowed, and deadlines usually aren't until Nov. 1 at the earliest.</p>

<p>Chedva,
Thanks for that good advice. Unfortunately the other school is SCEA and only accepts common app. Gee, that narrows it down, doesn't it? Besides, he gave teachers and guidance the recommendation forms for the EA school several weeks ago and so doesn't want to inconvenience them either.</p>

<p>There was another school that he was also originally going to apply EA to, but when we realized that they too only accepted CA he decided to wait. By the time we heard about the possible changes at CA, it was too late to ask for recommendations. It probably will work out for the best in the end. S1's SCEA rejection was devastating but turned out to be a good thing in retrospect.</p>

<p>We can't get the print preview to work - what browser are you using?</p>

<p>Waiting for the official word tomorrow!</p>

<p>*** THANKS Carolyn!*****</p>

<p>I just went to Common App website and there is no change yet. Today is Oct.19. Any updates?</p>

<p>The following is what I just got from Common App website. It seems that you won't be able to make changes after submission to any colleges. But you make an alternative version and make the necessary changes in that version.
I dont get the alternative version thing. Can someone explain this?
.......
Once you have submitted your Common App to any institution, you will not be able to make any changes to it. If there is an error on your submitted application, you should contact the institution(s) to which you submitted it so they can record your requested changes. If you would like to submit the application to additional institutions, you may make an alternative version and make the necessary changes in that version.</p>

<p>Sounds like how it used to work. You filled out your Common App (call it version 1). Once you submitted it to a college or several colleges, you could NOT go back and make changes to it. Any errors had to be reported directly to the college(s) that received version 1. But you could make a copy of that version 1 (call it version 2), make changes to it and submit it to a new college. Again, errors had to be reported directly to that college. A month later or a minute later, a student could try a new essay for a new college. He could copy version 2 (call it version 3), change the essay and submit it to the new school... THis process could go on and on. The key was you could only copy the most recent version.</p>

<p>Changes are allowed after submission to any instution. But you have to use alternative version. You can get the instruction from Common App</p>

<p>From Common App's instruction:</p>

<p>Alternate application versions can be used in the event an applicant chooses to provide slightly different information to one institution from another institution. Below are the steps necessary to create an alternate version.</p>

<p>Step1: You must submit the Common Application to at least one institution first. You cannot create an alternate version until this has occurred.</p>

<p>Step 2: You must log out of the application then go to this special URL: <a href="http://app.commonapp.org/application/applicantlogin.aspx?allowcopy=true%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://app.commonapp.org/application/applicantlogin.aspx?allowcopy=true&lt;/a> and login using your existing User Name and Password.</p>

<p>Step 3: You will be presented with a screen titled ‘Application Versions’, where you will see information about the application you have already submitted. You should click on the ‘Replicate’ link to make an alternate version of your submitted application. When this is complete, a second version will be visible on your screen and a special drop down list that will appear in the upper right corner of your application. You can use this drop down to move between application versions.</p>

<p>All data from your original version of your Common Application will be transferred to your alternate version, with the exception of any documents that you uploaded. You may edit any of this information before you submit it to another institution.</p>

<p>You only need to go to the special URL the first time you create an alternative version. Thereafter, additional application versions can be made by going to the ‘Application Versions’ section within your original Common Application and using the ‘Replicate’ link. You may make up to 10 versions, including the original version. You only need your original User Name and Password to access all versions.</p>

<p>You will have a separate My Colleges page and My Checklist page for each application version. Each institution can only be on the My Colleges list of one application version.</p>

<p>cumbersome, but better than nothing. thanks so much for explicit instructions!!!</p>

<p>I'll have to be able to find this later.</p>

<p>sorry this might be an annoying question but i'm wondeirng if we can change the section that says "Please briefly ellaborate on an extra curricular or work experience". will we have access to that part as well?</p>

<p>They (the new software vendor) should have thought of this from the beginning, but better late than never.</p>

<p>Has anyone in CC actually gone through the process of creating alternate versions? </p>

<p>I only see references to the instructions on how to create alternates. Curious if someone has tried it and whether it works as expected.</p>

<p>Considering they sneaked it in at the last min. this year, wonder if it has bugs.</p>