<p>When should I start applying for colleges? </p>
<p>Is it okay to use the commonapp for LACs? (For some reason, I feel it's nicer to use each of their own apps.) </p>
<p>Are online apps preferred? </p>
<p>That's it for now. :o</p>
<hr>
<p>When should I start applying for colleges?
Answer: Although it depends on the school. the general answer is as soon as possible. Some schools, such as University of Cincinnati, have rolling admissions. It is imperative to apply early for these types of schools. If you are apply using EA or ED, early applications are important too.</p>
<p>Is it okay to use the commonapp for LACs? (For some reason, I feel it's nicer to use each of their own apps.) </p>
<p>Answer: If the LAC accepts common apps, use it. It saves a LOT of time. Most schools that use common apps note that it will make no difference in the admission's process whether you use their own app or the common app. However, make sure that they do accept the common app.</p>
<p>Are online apps preferred</p>
<p>Answer: I am not sure of the answer here. I don't think it makes a difference one way or the other; however, more schools are gravitating to this type of application.</p>
<p>Most colleges aren't going to review your application for admission until they receive all the needed info.- which is going to include Teacher Recommendations-Info from Guidance Counselor and Secondary School Report (I think that is what it is called) and your SAT/ACT Results. So even if you sent in the Application with all essays tomorrow, the Admissions Committee will probably not review it until all the other info is provided. As most HS Guidance Offices don't fill out the necessary forms until the beginning of the school year, I doubt too many applications are reviewed before September/October. If your colleges accept the Common App, you can start filling it out ASAP-you can work on your essays--you can be prepared to go into your HS Guidance office once school resumes and give them the listing of what schools you are applying to. Many HS's have a very prescibed method as to how they handle the college application process. Also if your schools are not using the Common App, they may still be showing last years application of their website. Alot of the new applications that you will be filing, may not be on the website until early August-so you still need to show restraint before filling out Last year's Application. Colleges do on occasion change the essay. If you are thinking about an activity sheet attachment, now is a good time to work on it. Good luck--try to enjoy some of your summer recess! And I agree with Tax Guy- try to get them in ASAP (especially rolling admission schools) but keep in mind- No application is going to be reviewed until all the info from your HS is obtained.</p>
<p>Addendum to above posts:</p>
<p>The Common Application for 2005-2006 is already available.</p>
<p>What can be done now:<br>
--Make a list of reaches/matches/safeties.
Check their deadlines for applying.
--Decide on which, if any, to apply EA or ED to.
--Make a list of the documents that will be needed for applying( transcripts, board scores, AP reports, etc...).
--Identify which teachers to solicit recommendations from (and request them as early as possible once school starts, especially if applying to colleges with rolling admissions.
--Draw up a resume/brag sheet to give to your teachers and GC (and maybe to include in your application). Think about some anecdotes you can provide your teachers and GC to use in their recs.
--Start thinking about your essays: think about what you want to convey to colleges about yourself: your academic and extra-curricular interests, your personality, your experiences, your aspirations, etc...</p>
<p>Many schools waive the application fee if you do an online application. Obviously they prefer to cut down on mail/paper/filing.</p>
<p>When our S was visiting and applying to colleges, all the adcoms we met were unanimous about one thing - use the online application if possible. It makes their lives immensely easier. It's readily downloadable and is set up to drop data where it needs to be. Nobody has to go through your application and enter data into the database, nobody has to try to read your handwriting, and any errors will be that of the applicant's, not the admissions dept.</p>
<p>On using the college's application.</p>
<p>If you feel that you 'look' better on the college's app - because of the way it is structured, purhaps, you may want to take the time to do that.</p>
<p>Just wanted to add: Most colleges also have an online version of their own application. If you want to use the college's own application, for whatever reason, this is a good alternative to the common application.</p>
<p>I have mixed feelings about the common application, especially for LACs. My feeling is that while the common application saves time, it also encourages students to send a "one size fits all" application to all schools. This might not matter much for numbers driven large universities, but it can make a difference at smaller LACs using a more holistic approach to admissions review. </p>
<p>I believe, for example, that essays and EC lists can - and should - be tailored to what individual schools place weight on. Yet, if you use the common application, you miss the opportunity to target your essay/EC's to the individual school because you are sending the same essay and EC info. to all schools. </p>
<p>Example: School A likes candidates who've done community service, School B likes students with a passion for learning, School C likes students who have artistic ability, etc. Writing the same essay and same EC list for all three schools may work in some cases, but you may be better off tailoring your application for each school rather than using the same common application across the board. This is especially true if the individual schools do not have any sort of supplement to the Common Application. </p>
<p>So, I guess my advice would be to decide if any school on your list has a unique admissions slant. Next, see if that school (or any others on your list) has a supplement to the common application. If it does, great, that may be enough to tell why you are a fit. If it doesn't, the common application may not be the way to go; instead choose the school's own online application if you think it will work better for you.</p>
<p>Correction to carolyn: I bow to my good friend carolyn on all things college, virtually all of the time. But.. S used the common app last year for several schools. You do NOT have to submit the same essay to each school. You can revise after submission <em>for another school.</em> You cannot revise after submission to a given school. </p>
<p>So, for example: [ul][<em>]Complete common app with essays, list of ecs, "additional info", etc. Submit to your state U, safety school or whatever. Once you press submit, you are DONE, cannot change for those schools. [</em>]logon to commonapp.org, open your app and revise at will; re-jigger the EC list to highlight certain ones; revise essay or write entirely new essay, add new "additional info". Submit to your favorite LAC(s). Once you press submit, you are DONE for those LACS, cannot change for those schools. [li]Repeat at will.[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Here's the link: Scroll down to "Can I submit a different application to each college?" <a href="https://app.commonapp.org/index.cfm?APP=AppOnline&ACT=Display&DSP=FAQ#9%5B/url%5D">https://app.commonapp.org/index.cfm?APP=AppOnline&ACT=Display&DSP=FAQ#9</a></p>
<p>Jmmom, Thanks for correcting me!!!! I am so glad you did. That makes a huge difference and I now retract what I said above!!! LOL!</p>