Lots of Questions

<ol>
<li><p>For "preferred name," do I put an alias? For example, my legal name is my Chinese name but I use the alias Ryan for everyday conversations.</p></li>
<li><p>When is the Common App normally submitted? I'll be applying ED to a school, but I want to update my App after I submit it to that school. Can I do that? Must the Common App be submitted to all schools at the same time?</p></li>
<li><p>I keep seeing people say that they are attaching resumes and documents. What is the resume about? What other documents should be attached?</p></li>
<li><p>What do people normally put in the additional info section? I put down my extra test scores and I'm not sure if it's the place to mention hardships.</p></li>
<li><p>What happens if I click "submit"?</p></li>
<li><p>What does "credit value" mean? It asks me to indicate the credit value of my Senior classes.</p></li>
<li><p>What's "release authorization" and school form?</p></li>
<li><p>I don't have a home phone number, but "phone" is a required field. So basically do I put my cell phone number there?</p></li>
<li><p>The Common App score section asks for "best scores." So far I have only taken 1 AP course, Art History, at school and received a 4. I've taken many other tests, however, with six of them having scores of 5. So if I only put "best scores" in the section, Art History will not be on it, but I deem it the most important because colleges are interested in how I did on the corresponding AP test of a class. Should I put Art History in that section, even though it's not a best score, or should I put it in the additional info section?</p></li>
<li><p>For the school I'm applying ED to and the UCs, the deadline is November. I will be taking more SAT Subjects in November, so do I leave space on my App for them, or can I instead say in the Additional Info section that "I will be taking the following SAT Subjects in November."? For certain reasons, I want my AP scores highlighted in the scores section so if I leave more room for SAT Subject Tests, I will have to put more AP scores in the Additional Info section.</p></li>
<li><p>Do my teachers and counselor have to fill out the recommendation forms just once or as many time as the number of Common App colleges on my list?</p></li>
<li><p>This doesn't really have anything to do with the Common App. For the BU Supplement, it asks for other colleges I'm applying to. Will this count against me?</p></li>
<li><p>This doesn't really has anything to do with the Common App. For the Colgate Supplement, the essay asks to describe a family, community, or cultural tradition. To be honest, I don't really have any, so should I take Colgate off my list just because I can't seem to write that essay?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I have more questions but I can't think of them right nao...</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Preferred name means precisely what it asks- is there a name, other than your real name, that you prefer to be called? If you wish to be thought of as Ryan, go with that. It doesn’t matter too much.</p></li>
<li><p>You submit to each college separately. They do this precisely because of stuff like early vs. regular. Submit your early, and then your regulars. It doesn’t matter when as long as they’re before the due date.</p></li>
<li><p>A resume is a nicely formatted list of all of one’s activities, work experience, internships, etc. Most people just fill out the activities section, but if you have a whole lot of activities and such you can add a resume too. The other documents to be attached are your essays and additional info (if you want)</p></li>
<li><p>Anything additional… Like anything… Extra activities, certain things you’d like to add in that don’t fit elsewhere. I think it would also be a good place to mention hardship, but probably only hardship if it impacted your academics in some way… To explain why they are not tip-top.</p></li>
<li><p>Nothing until you finish it. If everything is finished, then it will probably send.</p></li>
<li><p>How many credits that class receives. Normal classes receive 1 credit.</p></li>
<li><p>Release authorization is basically where you authorize your school to release all necessary documents to the colleges. School forms are these documents, one’s transcript, permanent record, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>There is a place to check that it is a cell.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m pretty sure you should put it down. 4s and 5s are considered the best. However it is not necessary if you don’t want to, but it would probably only help you look nicer.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m pretty sure you can just add a note about it in the additional info section and then rush the scores to the colleges. I don’t see the point in leaving blank spaces for tests to be taken.</p></li>
<li><p>Well, just once, but they must be sent to all the colleges. Think copies need be made.</p></li>
<li><p>Hm… Tricky tricky BU. Here’s the thing, with your scores, if you don’t put anything down, they’ll know you’re lying anyway. So you honestly should just say the truth and put down the other colleges. However, if this list includes 10+ colleges, I really don’t think it is necessary, or looks good, if you put down 13 other colleges. However, it shouldn’t matter, cause I feel like there has to be a disclaimer somewhere saying they don’t take it into account… </p></li>
<li><p>Well, you could do the risky thing and turn some ordinary thing into a tradition of sorts. Such as ‘dad and i go take the trash to the dump every sunday.’ Just have to make it really well written, and show instead of tell, etc. Of course, the more unique and interesting, the better. However, seeing as you seem pretty willing to just cross it off instead of working around it, i’m guessing it’s not a college you’re /too/ interested in, anyway. And if you have a bunch of other colleges you’re already going for, then probably wouldn’t wanna waste your time.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks. You said that if I’m finished and click submit, it will send. But I can choose to which college? How can I do that?</p>

<p>I meant to ask what are typically the “other documents” that other people attach?</p>

<p>Anyone else have opinions?</p>

<p>I have a question: for one of my extracurriculars, the space is not large enough to list all of my awards. What should I do in this case? The awards are all very legitimate.</p>

<p>@Ryan For the BU one, I would say something like, “I prefer not to answer this question and hope that I will be judged as an applicant based on my accomplishments rather than what schools I am applying to.”</p>

<p>hahalolk: Create a resume and upload it under “additional information” in the writing section.</p>

<p>^Thank you</p>