The Common App is the main platform utilized by nearly 1,000 US colleges and universities for college applications. In 2023, close to 7 million applications were submitted through the Common App from 1.25 million students around the globe. Each fall, students and parents wrestle with filling out the Common App, agonizing over the perfect response for each question.
In this series of articles, I’m going to explore the ins and outs of the Common App, breaking it down section by section to provide students and parents with a complete roadmap. I’ll also cover some valuable strategies and techniques for effectively filling out your applications. Today, I’ll be doing a deep dive into the Education and Testing sections of the Common App.
Ultimate Common App Guide – Article Links
Understanding the Education Section of the Common App
In the education section, you begin by sharing information about your current or most recent high school. It will ask for basic information like the name of the high school, as well as your graduation date. But if your progression through high school deviates from the standard pathway, you will be asked to explain this variation. Some examples of common deviations include taking a gap year, graduating early, or graduating late.
If you’ve switched schools during your high school years or took college courses (for example, through dual enrollment at your high school), you will also be prompted to enter this information in the appropriate areas. The same goes for if you earned an associate’s degree in high school.
The next portion pertains to your grades. Here, you’ll self-report information about your graduating class, your class rank (if applicable), and your grade point average. It’s crucial that what you input here matches what will appear on your transcript. However, if your transcript doesn’t display your class rank, as was the case with my high school, then avoid specifying a rank here.
Next, you’ll be asked detail your current or most recent year courses. In response to this question, you should report all of your courses, not just academic ones because electives like orchestra or journalism can make you appear more well rounded.
Depending on your school’s course structure, you might need to enter a higher number of courses, though you are capped at 15. For instance, if your school operates a semester system, and some courses occur in the first half of the year, like micro or macroeconomics, make sure you correctly enter this information. In some cases, this might result in you having more than 15 courses to report. In that scenario, prioritize your academic courses over non-academic ones.
How to Enter Honors & Awards
The next component of the Education Section is arguably the most important – “Honors.” In fact, I’d argue it’s one of the three most vital sections of the Common App, along with “Activities” and “Writing” (the essay). Filling this section out well is particularly important for selective colleges.
While the question asks about your “academic achievements,” in practice this is a good place to share both academic awards and other awards that are not tied to specific extracurricular activities. Even prestigious awards like the Eagle Scout, which do relate to a specific extracurricular activity, can be added here.
You will need to enter several details for each honor or award, starting with the title, which has a 100-character limit. If the award isn’t well known or self-explanatory, it is critical that provide some context. For instance, if your town has an award called the ‘TJCSY’ Award that commemorates community service in your locality, then simply entering ‘TJCSY Award’ isn’t enough. Instead, you’ll need to clarify by adding something like “(Community Service in Round Rock)” to your title.
On the other hand, accolades like “Intel ISEF Winner” or a “USAMO Qualifier” are relatively well known, so you don’t need to add a ton of additional context. The same can be said for recognitions like the “Honor Roll” or a “Math Award” that are commonly known or self-explanatory.
After entering the title, you are required to input the grade level when you won the award. If you win an award between academic years, like the summer between 9th and 10th grade for example, simply list it as the higher grade year (in this case 10th grade). The reason achievements you attain later in high school carry more weight in the admissions process.
When it comes to choosing the level of the awards, select the level that is most applicable. For awards earned within your town, especially if there are multiple high schools, “State” or “Regional” is typically appropriate. It’s important to note though that claims of “National” or “International” recognition can incite skepticism unless sufficiently substantiated. Once again, you can use the title text box to bolster your claim. For example, you could title your achievement as ‘Academic Bowl National Champion against 3,500 competitors’. This provides validation for your claim that it was a national event.
Community Based Organizations and Future Plans
After entering awards, you are next asked a couple of questions about community-based organizations (CBOs). It’s worth noting that this question isn’t asking about paid college counselors or your school guidance counselor, but rather assistance you’re receiving for free from someone outside of your school.
Unless the organization or mentor you’re working with has a relationship with a particular school that you’re applying to, there’s limited upside to adding this information. If they do have a relationship, having that on your application might prove beneficial. However, in most circumstances, it’s extra information that requires time to fill out – time you could put into your essays or other application materials.
If you do decide to note a CBO, you’ll be prompted to enter the name of the organization. Several organizations are pre-listed, but you also have the option to add another. You also can enter info about the specific counselor or mentor you’re working with.
The last piece of the Education section asks about your future plans, starting with a question about when you are planning on entering college. While you’ll answer this question for each college specifically, it’s key to maintain consistency within your application by thinking through your answer here. As for the highest degree you intend to earn, the main thing to solve for here is consistency with your other answers. If you are applying for an accelerated program with graduate learning, be sure that your answer here matches up with that.
The career question is another intriguing one. Typically, your answer matters in one of two ways. First, if you are planning a major unrelated to your intended career, that can send a weird signal to admissions offices. Second, if you are aiming for a special, competitive program like a BS/MD medical program or a Business Honors program, sharing that career aspiration here is important. Similarly, if you’re applying to a more specialized major like Art or Acting, you might want to note that you intend to be an artist or actor. Maintaining consistency throughout the application is key.
Filling Out the Testing Section
The next section is dedicated to collecting self-reported information about standardized tests. Regardless of how you fill this section out, you will still be required to submit official score reports directly to colleges from the testing provider. You have the option of reporting scores for several exam, including the ACT, SAT, SAT Subject, AP, IB, Cambridge, TOEFL, PTE, IELTS, and Duolingo English Test.
It may still be beneficial to share your scores in this section. For instance, if your scores surpass those of an average applicant, colleges may provisionally accept you before you’ve even submitted your formal scores. However, keep in mind that colleges will still review your test scores separately through your official score report.
You may still choose to self-report, and if you do, there are a few guidelines to bear in mind. First, if you’re only applying test-optional, don’t self-report at all. If you plan to submit scores to some schools but not all, you do run the risk of accidentally sharing a test score with a school that you planned on applying to without a test. The best policy is only to self-report if you plan on sharing your scores with every school to which you apply.
If you are an international student, you should only report your English language test scores only if they are already good enough for the schools you’re applying to. If your TOEFL score isn’t yet up to the mark, and you’re working on improving and retaking the test, don’t include that information. Instead, submit your final score once you have taken the test for the last time.
AP subject tests and IB subject tests aren’t major factors in the admissions decision, and are primarily used for college credit. Therefore, I recommend only reporting AP subject tests if you scored a 5, and IB tests with a 6 or 7. I have analyzed countless applications and found that whether an applicant scores a 3 or a 5 on an AP exam, it generally does not significantly impact the admissions decision. Additionally, the College Board has ceased to offer SAT Subject Tests, and colleges no longer consider them when making admissions decisions. Don’t waste time reporting your SAT Subject Tests.
For each test, there’s a bunch of additional information you’ll have to fill out, starting with how many previous scores you want to report. If you plan on retaking the exam, you have the option to report that as well.
Then for each exam, you’ll report your highest score for each section, also known as a superscore format. For instance, if you took the ACT twice and received high scores in Reading and Science on one exam and high scores in Math and English on another, your combined ACT score will incorporate the best scores from both exams. Although colleges may accept your ACT or SAT scores in this method, each college’s policies for SAT and ACT scoring can vary.
It’s a straightforward process, however, it’s important to double-check whether the colleges you’re applying to have test-blind policies. More and more colleges are adopting this policy, which means they don’t consider your ACT or SAT scores. If this is the case, there’s no need to fill out this section. It’s crucial to carry out extensive individual research into testing requirements and options on a college-by-college basis.
The Common App asks for information about English language tests like the TOEFL iBT in a very similar format. Once again, the Common App will prompt you to enter your highest score in a superscore style format, along with the scores for each section, namely writing, listening, speaking, and reading. It’s important to note in the COVID-19 context, numerous colleges are accepting the Duolingo English test as a valid English language proficiency examination. So, if you’re an international student, this could be worthwhile to consider.
Read the full article here