<p>i know that penn’s application consists of part 1 and part 2, but i want to use the common app.</p>
<p>i just have to send in the supplement with the common app at the same time, right? no part 1 or anything like that?</p>
<p>common app = part 1. They do not start reading your application without the penn supplement though.</p>
<p>Common app is just basic info anyway. No real reason to do the common app unless you are too lazy to rewrite your basic info over and over again (and over and over and over........) becuase it is an extra essay you have to write for Penn.</p>
<p>well im applying to 15 schools so I need to use the common app.
its just that when they ask for financila aid forms on the penn website they never specify the common app, just the form 1 and stuff.</p>
<p>so i am doing the common app, with the short answer and the personal statement.
im also doing the penn supplement, with the two short answer and the why penn essay.</p>
<p>thats enough right?</p>
<p>They recomend writing one of the optional essays. In competitive admissions terms, that means write it or you are putting yourself at a disadvantage. The commonapp essays may help you a little, but could also hurt if you do something bad in them. I personally want to keep room for error to a minimum. Common app helps at schools like Emory and WashU where the supplement is nothing, but at schools like Penn and Princeton the supplement is everything on the school specific app. The two benefits of common app are that you have an organized list of colleges you want to apply to and you do not have to rewrite the mundane stuff.</p>
<p>where did you hear that it was recommended to write one of the optional essays?</p>
<p>thanks for your advice so far by the way.</p>
<p>It's on the supplement. I saw that and decided to just do the Penn specific app.</p>
<p>i didn't see it on the supplement. which part?</p>