Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Common App Woes

The most frustrating things about the college application are the things you cannot control.  The Common Application is a good example.  You may have seen a few stories about the Common App this year: it's a new version, and it has experienced a lot of problems.  For some it's been difficult to submit a payment. For others, there have been essay formatting issues.  Both students and counselors have had trouble submitting documents.  And I'm not even counting the day that no one could log into the site.

The good news is that the Common App people are well aware of the problems people are having, and they are now sending daily updates on the resolution of those problems.  Colleges are responding, and in many cases, they are extending their early decision/early action deadlines.  Anyone can follow the Common App on Facebook and Twitter and follow their progress.  Most important, if you experience any problems with your application, please go see your college counselor. 

One more word of caution, however.  Don't wait until the last minute to submit your application.  Let's be honest. If you wait until the last minute, you're probably not putting as much thought into your applications/essays as you should have.  You're more likely to make careless mistakes (and I can't proofread your application at 11:30pm).  And you're more likely to encounter some of the problems mentioned above.  Just because the deadline is 11:59pm on November 1 doesn't mean that you should wait until 11:58pm to submit your application.  There's a lot we can do to help you on the front end, but there's not much I can do on the back end.

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