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Community Corner

College Application Update

You may have heard that the Common Application released a new version this year on August 1. Maybe you’ve heard that there have been technical glitches. Perhaps you’ve even heard high school seniors lament that they won’t be able to apply to college as a result.

My thoughts?

1. Yes, there was a new version released on August 1.

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2. Yes, there have been several, lingering technical issues.

3. The problems will NOT impact a student’s ability to apply to college

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College counselors wait for August 1 with an anticipation akin to that of a child waiting for her birthday. It is the unofficial start of the college application season, and the first time that high school students all over the world can access and begin to work on filling out their college applications (hopefully students have been working on essays and other supplemental application pieces throughout the summer). 

This August 1 added a level of nervous excitement. We’d heard so much about the release of the new Common Application, the CA4, and attended webinars to help familiarize us with the forms, and now the application was live. Sure, there were a few problems in the first days, which would of course be expected with the release of any new website. At the time, I advised my students to wait a few days for the bugs to be worked out, then create an account and start their applications! Little did I know this was a sign of things to come…

You don’t have to look far in the media to learn about all of the problems that have occurred (a Google search for ‘common app glitches’ returns 1.9 million results). Here is the link to just one article, "Common App glitches frustrate students, expose vulnerabilities in admissions system." 

My students and I experienced a number of the same issues that others did. In some cases, because I was aware of what may happen, I was able to avoid some of the common problems that caused students to submit application fees multiple times. 

I was very concerned that the Common App would not be able to handle the rush of the November 1 deadline and ensured that my students submitted their applications at least a week in advance. To their credit, the Common App has worked furiously to resolve issues as quickly as possible. Although it took them until the 3rd week of October to communicate regularly with counselors and application users, they haven’t shied away from criticism and have taken responsibility for the application’s shortcomings. However, November 1 came and went, and while some students experienced challenges, the vast majority of applications were successfully submitted.

As I’ve had time to reflect on the last month and submitting early applications, a few things stand out:

1. I feel that students who diligently worked on applications and prepared early were unfairly penalized as it was these students who dealt with the bulk of the difficulties. Students who waited until the last minute or who have not yet started the application process will likely not be impacted, at least not to the same degree.

2. This caused an incredibly unnecessary amount of stress and anxiety for ALL involved. Students began to question if they would be able to apply; parents felt frustrated and helpless; guidance counselors took the brunt as the ability to upload transcripts and recommendations to colleges was not fixed until mid-late October! 

3. Regardless of the problems, I continued to tell my students that they would not be penalized by colleges, and that schools would be understanding. In fact, colleges have been very understanding. Schools have extended early decision and early action deadlines, have acknowledged students’ frustrations and ensured them that the Common App will NOT have a negative impact on their application. Some colleges even provided alternative applications through the Universal College Application.

Of course, lots of blame has been placed and fingers pointed, much of it deserved. I’m sure if the Common App had a chance for a do over, there is much they would change. Ultimately, things seem to have worked out OK. Sure, colleges may be a bit behind their timeline because it’s taken longer to receive materials, but the process will continue and soon enough, this will all be a memory. Students will be accepted, deferred, wait listed, and denied, and next fall, hundreds of thousands will enroll at the college of their choice. It’s unfortunate that with perhaps more planning and testing, this could have been avoided altogether.

I sincerely hope that the 2014-2015 is a much smoother process and that the CA5 is many, many years away!

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