<p>As deadlines for early decision applications near, students worry they have missed something or messed up, while colleges face delays in reviewing applications.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting that article. I have spent a lot of time on trying to figure out the “new and improved” Common Application. I have 4 years experience with the CA and never would have I thought that the old system was better but it truly is compared to this new version. I am really worried about the students who don’t have the support. It will be very difficult for them to figure out some things. Plus I believe many students will believe that they have submitted an application when they have paid which is not true. </p>
<p>Also I hear colleges are just having “fits” over the CA since the glitches are not allowing them to download the CA into their system. My DD has received many emails from colleges encouraging her to submit her application via a non-CA method. My favorite part of one email was from a college saying “if you submitted the CA before Oct. 3 can you let us know so we can track it down.”</p>
<p>So glad we don’t have to worry about this till next year. It worked fine in the old version–maybe they should have left well enough alone?</p>
<p>No ED or EA applications for my daughter. Hoping it’s better before December 31!</p>
<p>I read the article this morning and have heard of these issues on other threads. This is our first experience with CA. If my S is not applying early, I guess he should he wait to paste essays and finalize his application until these glitches are resolved.</p>
<p>My D applied 3 schools on CommonApp for EA a week ago. Two of them still have not received confirmation from schools (but from CA) yet. The third one got confirmation from the school and can now be tracked online, but the supplement was stuck at CA. Now we start to worry about the other 2 applications.</p>
<p>For those of you still in a panic because of Common App issues, read the NY Times article linked to above:</p>
<p>[Online</a> Application Woes Make Students Anxious and Put Colleges Behind Schedule](<a href=“Online Application Woes Make Students Anxious and Put Colleges Behind Schedule - The New York Times”>Online Application Woes Make Students Anxious and Put Colleges Behind Schedule - The New York Times)</p>
<p>And if that doesnt make you feel better, check out the Common App [url=<a href=“https://www.facebook.com/commonapp]Facebook[/url”>Common App]Facebook[/url</a>] page.</p>
<p>My daughter pushed the CommonApp submit button on Sept. 20th to six schools. (Regular decision, not early action. She’s an in-season athlete and wanted the process done. She sent her non-CommonApp school applications in late August.) Lehigh received it right away; Northeastern told us after we inquired that they could not reach her application but know that she applied; Delaware said the same; College of NJ just finally acknowledged a few days ago. Two other very important schools have not been heard from. Just don’t know what to do.</p>
<p>The CA is giving us fits. D started and finished in early September but with the 8 schools she has applied to we have no clue what has been received or sent because of issues at each end since high school uses Naviance. I was so impressed that she handled this on her own but now this is beyond anyone!</p>
<p>Columbia has extended their ED deadline–from today’s email:</p>
<p>If you are considering applying Early Decision to Columbia College or Columbia Engineering, please note that we are extending our deadline for applications and all supporting credentials to Friday, November 8, given the challenges some applicants have experienced with the Common Application. This deadline extension is also in place for applicants to the QuestBridge National College Match Program.</p>
<p>I hear UNC is also kicking their deadline forwards a week (to the 22nd) in response to the “I can’t log in” BS from yesterday. CA may be non-profit, but that doesn’t mean it can screw around with a serious future decision that many of us face. Get your shizzle together CA!!!</p>
<p>Georgia Tech delayed their deadline by a week… Maddening !</p>
<p>I had many years of experience with the old Common App. It was terrible, but for different reasons (bad design, counter-intuitive navigating, cutting off of the ends of student responses, etc). Scary technical glitches were pretty much limited to the evenings it would collapse from the traffic of last-minute types (Happy New Year, everyone!).</p>
<p>This new, “improved” site takes us from terrible to horrendous. Sure, the Common App is prettier now, but watching already stressed-out seniors break down in frustration as they waste time trying repeatedly to submit apps is definitely not a pretty scene.</p>
<p>U Chicago also pushed the deadline for their EA back by a week quoting the CA technical difficulties.</p>
<p>More schools to follow? </p>
<p>If the notification deadline is the same, that means they will have less time to process all the late ED/REAs. </p>
<p>My son is about to EA stanford. For their large app pool, if they also extend the deadline, I am not sure it is good news or bad.</p>
<p>Duke has also extended their EA Deadline to November 8th:</p>
<p>"Thank you for your interest in Duke University. We know that a number of students and school personnel are experiencing some difficulties using the Common Application to apply to colleges this fall. If you have, or are considering, applying Early Decision to Duke, I am pleased to let you know that we have extended our application deadline to Friday, November 8. All parts of the application, from both you and your secondary school, should be submitted by the end of the day on November 8.
All applications submitted by November 8 will receive the same careful review and consideration, and the same benefit, we give all Early Decision applicants. We fully expect to make our decisions available in mid-December as originally planned. "</p>
<p>Are you guys sure U Chicago pushed the deadline back? The deadline still appears as Nov. 1st on the Common App.</p>
<p>Here is part of the email we got on 10/16/2013 from <a href=“mailto:collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu”>collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu</a></p>
<p>Greetings from UChicago. Like many other students, you may be experiencing difficulties due to the Common Applications recent redesign. We want to let you know that we are aware of these issues and stand ready to help in any way we can. One way we would like to do so is by extending our Early Action Deadline to November 8th, 2013 for anyone experiencing technological difficulties when submitting their application. This deadline also applies to QuestBridge National College Match applicants.</p>
<p>Our team is happy to make accommodations to assist you in sending all of your materials to us. If you have any other specific needs, just let us know.</p>
<p>This time of year can be stressful, and technology glitches should be the last thing on families and students minds. If you need anything, simply send us an email at <a href=“mailto:collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu”>collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu</a>, or call 773.702.8650. Were ready to help.</p>
<p>A college advisor told me that for all the problems applicants are having with the Common App, she believes that deadlines have been extended because the colleges are having worse problems.</p>
<p>We’ve submitted four applications so far. Three of the schools have their own online application: NC State, Virginia Tech, Penn State. No problem with any of them.</p>
<p>On October 31, 2013 my son submitted his application to the University of Virginia via the Common App. His counselor submitted all his stuff November 1. To play it safe, I sent a hard copy of the fee waiver and my son’s transcript to University of Virginia a week before. Today we logged into University of Virginia’s online application tracking system to discover that they are missing my son’s “secondary report” and that his application is incomplete. The CA shows that it’s submitted, the counselor says his portal also shows submitted. So I called U of Va and asked about it. They said they cannot see it and they are asking applicants to tell their counselors to print it out and fax it to them. They said it is happening to many of their applicants. Of course they have his transcript and his waiver (probably because I sent copies to them). I wish that we could’ve just printed out the application and all the parts and sent hard copies instead?</p>
<p>The worse part is the no phone support at Common App. How could colleges trust this process to an organization with no phone support?</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins just sent a letter about their ED deadline being delayed:
"Greetings from Johns Hopkins University. We’ve extended our Early Decision application deadline to Monday, November 10. While we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible, we want to make sure you have ample time to produce your best work as you consider applying Early Decision to Hopkins.</p>
<p>Check out our admissions blog, the Hopkins Insider, for application tips and more information about applying Early Decision.</p>
<p>Need more time to complete your application? Our Regular Decision deadline is Monday, January 5, 2015. If you have already submitted an application, thank you! We will be in touch soon if there are any items missing from your file.</p>
<p>Don’t hesitate to contact us at the e-mail or phone number below if you have questions. "</p>