<p>if you use the common app, will the colleges know which other schools you applied to
if true, wouldn't that be some what of a disadvantage?</p>
<p>so like if you are doing ED, shouldnt you do the application that is specific to the school you want to do ED to rather htan the common app?</p>
<p>Colleges don’t know anything you don’t send them. Some colleges ask specifically to what other schools you applied, though.</p>
<p>Ha, I always wondered this as well. My dad had a theory that all the top schools shared applicant information in order to spread the wealth of top students and try to get them where they wanted them to attend. He quickly went away from such a theory when my acceptances came in but it was an interesting concept.</p>
<p>They won’t know unless you tell them but they will ask afterwords in these annoying surveys they send you to see where you ended up and what factors were involved in your decision.</p>
<p>Are you referring to like naming your school in the essays or did you plan to write the essays from different angles based on the schools? I remember the essays being general enough that I felt they fit any school on the common app. That’s also why there are usually separate extra forms to fill out that are school specific. All the common app colleges I applied to had me also fill out a supplement and in those essays I was able to go a little more school specific.</p>
<p>Colleges generally won’t know where else you applied unless you tell them, and some colleges ask you to do so. Common App is not a source for them to learn where else you applied. Common App sends your app info to each college sans any reference as to other colleges you are sending it to.</p>