I left an online application unfinished and am planning to simply use the common app. I didn’t submit it yet. It just says it has saved to the college’s database. Does that look bad to the colleges?
Makes no difference. A college that accepts either common app or its own app cares only about the one you finish and actually submit. Starting to use one and switching to another means nothing, except that in the case of switching to the common app you will often find that the college requires a supplement to it that requests some additional info that might not be requested by the common app.
It depends on the school. No school will see it as a negative but you might be giving up a positive.
Those few schools that have their own online applications often see it as a strong indicator of interest that you used their online app. This is because applying on the Common App is so easy, especially for schools that don’t require additional essays, that the fact that you would take the time to re-enter everything using their online app shows you are fairly interested in the school.
My son only used the Common App if a school required it. Otherwise, he used the school’s app. It was more work, but he felt it was worth it to show the colleges he was willing to make the effort.
Do any of you who say that using the schools own app is better have solid data on this or is this just more of what you think would be the case?
We have been to two recent college visits where they insisted it made no difference which app you used. One went so far to recommend the common app if your high school uses naviance. My D’s high school is quite adamant that you must use the common app if you can because it simplifies things from their perspective.
I neither have “solid data” nor is it “just what I think would be the case”. It is anecdotal evidence from conversations I have had with several schools. As part of my job I talk daily with a wide array of admissions folks on a wide variety of admissions topics. Furthermore, my sister-in-law is in undergraduate admissions.
If a college tells you they prefer the Common App then, by all means, you should use the Common App. If they tell you it doesn’t matter which application you use then I would believe them. I certainly have to agree that using the Common App is much easier on the high school counselors. But I can also attest that on more than one occasion an admissions officer has remarked that when someone goes through the trouble of filling out their in-house application they know this person is serious.