<p>Someone told me that it's better to apply directly through the school.</p>
<p>A lot of the time you can't and the only application to use is the Common App. </p>
<p>I can only remember one instance where it was better for me to use an institutionalized version and that was when I applied to Brandeis. Because I applied using its own application, it waived the application fee. </p>
<p>But otherwise, colleges don't care what application you use.</p>