<p>Looking to the future, my youngest daughter will be applying to a number of boarding schools in the fall/winter. Attempting to eliminate some stress in the application process, she is thinking about using the Common Application. Would like to hear others thoughts on the use of Common Application vs. individual schools application. It would be great to hear if you used the Common App and were accepted to all the schools you applied to. </p>
<p>Just passing on the information that I was told by an BS educational consultant -- only use the common application if you child is too tired from filling out applications to do the school's own application.</p>
<p>You are better off to do the school's own application -- but if it is either use the common application or not to do the application at all, do the common application.</p>
<p>One thing I did to make it a bit easier was to make a master list of all essay questions (long and short) and indicate which questions were the same or similiar enough that the same answer could be used (sometimes with some minor changes or additions). That worked pretty well -- many of the applications asked similiar things.</p>
<p>My son used a word-processor for every question he could (even the short ones) and did some print/cut/paste/copy to make it fit. He only hand-wrote the single word answers and the questions that the school required to be handwritten.</p>
<p>I feel that D'yer articulated his position well as he often does. His resistance were his own misgivings, it had nothing to do with the schools positions on using the common app. I am 99% sure the schools are being honest.</p>
<p>Still.....Last year we used the schools online apps and the common rec forms. If my D was rejected I did not want to have a feeling in the back of my mind that the common app contributed in some way to it. We were not looking at enough schools that it made that much of a difference.</p>
<p>As far as our results I cannot be of much help. We only ended up applying to one school as we pulled the apps from the others as D really only wanted one.</p>
<p>The placement director at my son's school does not recommend the common application for next year. He said that he expects in 2009 or 2010 there will be wide acceptance among schools.</p>
<p>When I re-read the post I understood that it was wide acceptance of the common application form. I think I was unconsiosly hoping for wide acceptance of students next year.</p>
<p>I heard from the admission office at groton. He said they wanted to look at stident's handwriting. he adbised to let student write the application and essay in handwriting. However, he said it is OK for parents to use word processor.</p>
<p>I agree only use the common application for safety school when you don't have enough time to do their own application forms.</p>
<p>After the interview, we e-mailed Lawrenceville, they said they do accept common app but they prefer their own forms. </p>
<p>My son has his own opinions about every schools' application questions, and judged the school from it. He finished the application for A school two days right after the interview in November (his favorite but not our first choice), got in. He used common app for safety schools, got in. He spent lots of time for first & second choice schools, but on wait list. ???</p>
<p>I applied to 4 very prestigious schools using only the Common App and got into all of them... It really doesn't make a difference. I think some of them require a supplement, too?</p>
<p>I ask this question to every school I visit, and in general, the selective ones tell me that they want to see students fill out their own application/. Non-selective schools tell me it doesn't matter, or often use the common as their own. Of course, selective schools will take someone who used the common if he/she is great in other respects, but showing them that you want the easy way out is not the best thing to show them.</p>