#the common application

[collegeessayadvisors]

Need help with the 2018-19 Common App Essay prompts and questions? College Essay Advisors' founder Stacey Brook breaks down all you need to know about this year’s prompts.

[fruit-circus]

Me, sipping fizzy pink lemonade out of a 2015 New Years champagne glass after filling out forms for 3 hours: b o n e s bones bones Bones BoNES BONeS BONES BONES BONES BONES B O N E S B O N E S

[collegeessayadvisors]

The 2017-18 Common App is live!! No need to sweat the new features and bugs, however, we made you a tutorial to help you navigate the platform!

[collegeessayadvisors]

Not sure how to approach Common App prompt #7? You’re not alone! We broke it down for you!

[lovenotesandtypos]

Working on "the common application" pretty much confused. Help?

[chapmanadmission]

Now that you've submitted your app, take a moment to make sure that you actually submitted your app. Go to your My Colleges page and check the status for each college to confirm that you submitted your application and not just your payment. And it wouldn't be a bad idea to check that you've submitted all required Writing Supplements.

The Common Application

[lenasai]

Dear Common App: Thank you for putting unnecessary breaks into my essay, forcing me to reformat my essay, and then giving me more formatting errors that only reappear when I fix them. Go screw yourself. Sincerely, A high school senior who is completely done with you and your crap

[chapmanadmission]

Across the country, parents and high school seniors are in the middle of the daunting college application process, especially the much-feared, often misunderstood personal essay portion. How important is the essay section? Enough to potentially make the difference between getting into the school of your choice, or landing on the reject pile. A lousy essay can sink a student with terrific grades and test scores; likewise, a compelling, well-crafted essay just might push a more moderate achiever over the top and into class next fall.

Chances are you're completing the "Common Application" used by more than 500 schools for undergraduate admissions. But whether you are filling out a Common Application, or a university's own entry form, the questions, and the principals of writing powerful answers, largely remain the same. Typically, applicants are asked to write a personal essay, followed by a shorter supplemental essay (often asking why they want to attend that school) and a short-answer essay, usually about one of their personal experiences outside the classroom (work, sports, cultural pursuits, volunteering, etc.). All three are critical: Do not equate word count with importance.