Common App Undergrad Application - Tips & Tricks - I

The initial step following account creation is to include your preferred institutions. You can accomplish this by navigating to the College Search tab. Enter the full name of the institution without abbreviations and click search. There is no need to input any additional filters. Choose your desired colleges and incorporate them into your personal college roster.

Selecting which institutions to apply to can prove challenging, as determining the best fit depends on various profile elements. Academic marks and standardized test scores serve as the primary foundations. Additionally, how you portray yourself through the essay is a major deciding factor, while extracurricular involvement also strengthens your overall profile significantly.

You are permitted to add up to 20 institutions on the common application platform. Nonetheless, we advise against listing more than 12. When applying, you will typically categorize institutions into three distinct types: Reach, Target, and Safe.

Reach universities are ambitious choices that might stretch beyond your current credentials, representing your dream institutions. Target universities align well with your profile, where typical accepted applicants share similar academic standings. Safe universities are those where your admission chances are very high, providing roughly 75% favorable odds, though absolute certainty is never guaranteed.

This is how the directory appears once you have entered your search criteria.

You can highlight the desired institutions and click Add to incorporate them into your college index.

Your user dashboard will subsequently resemble this layout:

Once your institutions are chosen, the form requiring all your fundamental details is located under the Common App tab. This is an extensive questionnaire requiring approximately 60 to 90 minutes to complete. It must be filled out with absolute accuracy. A useful feature to keep in mind is that your centralized application data is automatically saved every 90 seconds.

Here are several recommendations for completing this section:

1. Within the Address area, provide the physical location where you will be reachable to collect physical documents mailed to you later. For instance, upon committing to a university, they must mail your i20 form to facilitate your student visa appointment. Hence, supplying a reliable address to receive this documentation package is crucial.

2. In the language category, ensure you list every native tongue you speak, such as Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, and others.

3. Under the citizenship category, designate your visa classification as F-1 Student.

4. The Common App Fee Waiver subsection determines whether you qualify for an application fee exemption. Select Yes strictly if you possess an authorized waiver code.

The primary objective of the Family section is to gain deeper insight into your personal background.

You must input all academic particulars within this section according to your college application guidelines. Locate your secondary school using the pop-up search tool. If it does not appear, choose the option stating I do not see my high school on this list, which will prompt you to input your school's information manually.

Later in this segment, you will be prompted to provide contact details for your school counselor. If your institution lacks a counselor, supply the details of the designated staff member, teacher, or principal who will officially upload your academic transcripts. Students are not authorized to upload transcripts or official paperwork directly; only the designated official may submit them on behalf of the institution. If an online counselor is unavailable, you always have the option to dispatch official paperwork via courier to the university's designated department.

It is quite common for students to have attended different educational institutions for the 10th and 12th grades. You must indicate this under the Other Secondary Schools subsection. Ensure you disclose every school or college attended during grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, while providing the counselor details corresponding to your most recent institution.

- Within the colleges and universities area, state whether you have earned any academic credit from an institution of higher education. This may stem from summer programs, exchange enrollment, or completing a year of college prior to applying with a gap year.

It is not mandatory to fill out every field in the Grades subsection. University admissions personnel will independently evaluate your academic standing based on official transcripts. Simply ensure you supply an accurate estimate of your class size.

Under the Current or Most Recent Year Courses section, provide information regarding your 12th-grade subjects. Following that, list all academic honors received, which may encompass subject-specific awards, general proficiency recognitions, olympiad achievements, and more.

Community-based organizations refer to entities that assist candidates with the application process, with EducationUSA serving as a prime example. If you utilized their assistance while completing the form, you may acknowledge it here.

This section requires you to disclose all examinations you have completed or plan to take, along with answering the following inquiry:

International applicants: Is advancement in your academic system determined by standard graduation tests administered at the conclusion of lower and/or upper secondary school by a regional or national examination board? (Students studying in the US typically answer no to this question.)

This means whether you have taken any board exams to advance to a higher grade. The answer here is Yes in nearly all scenarios because all Indian boards mandate taking both 10th and 12th standard board exams. You will see that another section appears called Senior Secondary Leaving Examinations. Here you must state the number of times you have taken your 12th board exams. Likewise, as you include standardized tests (SAT, IELTS, TOEFL, etc.), you will observe that additional sections appear for you to enter the details.

Note: You can choose not to self-report your standardized test scores. Regardless, you must submit your scores through the official websites.

List all the activities you participated in during high school in this section. It is straightforward.

In this section, you will input the common app essay that you will submit to all the universities on your application list. Ensure that this essay does not duplicate what is already stated in your application. It could focus on an event you experienced, a challenge you overcame, or even a positive occurrence in your life. It could also be as uncomplicated as a discussion with your best friend that shifted your viewpoint. Anything that allows the admissions committee to understand you better as an individual.

You can watch the videos provided by Khan Academy, an educational non-profit organization,

Just remember that the word count must exceed 250 words and stay under 650 words; adhere to the limit as closely as possible.

This concludes the Common App tab.

The FAQs section is consistently located on the right side of the screen, and each section features a video link at the top. Consult either of these areas for assistance. If you still feel stuck, please reach out to EducationUSA. They will provide their knowledge to help you resolve your problem.

Now, if you want to proceed with your application, click here for our guide on Part 2 of completing the application.

Otherwise, you may sign out. Read our upcoming article where we discuss university-specific criteria and the college application checklist!