<p>Except for two State schools, all of the colleges on my sons list use the Common App. We have been told that when you send off the first app electronically, it becomes locked and you cant make any further changes to it. But he wants to send slightly different versions to different schools (ACT scores only to some schools, ACT and SAT to those schools where he needs to submit SAT subject test scores, etc.) He also plans to submit to one school EA in October, but expects to receive at least one more significant award (and a good chance at two more) to be awarded this fall (in Nov. and Dec.) that he would want on his RD applications.</p>
<p>He is thinking about printing out the Common App forms and submitting a hard copy to each school, so that he can tailor his applications. All of these schools say that they will accept hard copies, but they also indicate that the electronic application is preferred. (One school even offers a discounted application fee if you do it on-line.) Is submitting applications the old fashioned way going to hurt his chances? Will he be perceived as technologically challenged if he does that? (If it makes a difference, he is a prospective math/science major.) Is it more work for the Admissions Office to process the paper versions?</p>
<p>Yea I also wondered about this. I am a senior and I wanted to originally apply via hard copy because then I could edit my essays/awards a bit too.</p>
<p>I am not sure if it becomes locked or not but I heard somewhere that it does.</p>
<p>So for that matter, I am basically posting in this topic to see what responses come up.</p>
<p>Sorry I couldn't be of further assistance.</p>
<p>The way the common ap works it is easy to tailor your ap for each school. You fill it out once, then copy what is in that application to a new one for the next school. The copy can be edited and changed as you wish before sending it to that school. The first application is unaffected by the second editing.
It is a little confusing at first, but if you read the directions carefully you can figure it out. I think that paper applications annoy the ad coms.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>So the online version of the common app doesn't become locked after I send it to one university?</p>
<p>So basically, I can add an award or even change the essay?</p>
<p>Thats right. You can't change the one you already sent, but you can generate as many additional different ones as you want. Check out the section where you add colleges to your list of applications.</p>
<p>I did it last year, so maybe its different. But I think that the above quote means that once you submit to a college you can't change it for that college.</p>
<p>You can't change it once it has been SENT to a college, but if you don't check off ALL the colleges you are applyingto, but instead send it to each college one at a time, , you can submit the app with any changes to your essay, stats, etc... as you like.</p>
<p>you can send it to each college separately, making changes as necessary. I did that for all 6 of my common app schools last year.</p>
<p>happy 3000th post.</p>
<p>Thanks for your posts, but it sounds like most of you applied LAST year. As I understand it, the procedure was changed this year and now you can't change basic info or the essays to tailor it for different schools once you have sent the common app off to your first school. </p>
<p>Would someone who has applied THIS year and was able to change their app -- or tried to change it and couldn't -- please respond?</p>