Common App Newsletter: How to Walk Seniors Through the Platform Before Deadline Panic Sets In

The Common Application is the primary application portal for more than 1,000 colleges. Most seniors use it for the majority of their applications. Yet many seniors arrive in their counselor's office in October having created an account in August and done nothing with it since. A Common App newsletter in August or September that walks students through the platform section by section prevents the October panic that results from trying to complete an application in three days.

Creating the account and understanding the sections

Walk students through the primary sections of the Common App in the newsletter. The Profile section collects basic demographic and contact information. The Education section covers high school information, coursework, and academic honors. The Testing section is where test scores are entered or test-optional status is indicated. The Activities section covers extracurricular involvement. The Writing section contains the personal statement. And the My Colleges section is where students add and manage their school list.

The activities section: how to use it well

The activities section is one of the most powerful parts of the Common App and one of the most underused. Students have 150 characters for each activity description and most students write far less than they should. The 150-character limit forces a specific description of what the student actually did, not just the role title.

Include a practical tip in the newsletter: each activity description should answer what specifically the student did in that role, and ideally show something specific about their contribution that the role title alone does not. "Organized three-school food drive that collected 800 pounds" says more than "Food Drive Leader."

Inviting counselor and teacher recommenders

Students must formally invite their counselor and teachers to submit recommendations through the Common App. This invitation should be sent well before the first application deadline, and many schools ask for at least six weeks of lead time. Walk students through the invitation process in the newsletter and remind them that sending the invitation is not the same as asking in person. Both steps are required.

Adding colleges and checking supplement requirements

When a student adds a college to their list, the Common App shows any supplement requirements specific to that school. Students who do not check this section discover supplement requirements the week before deadlines. The newsletter should include an explicit reminder: after adding each school, check the Writing section for that school to see if supplements are required.

Before submitting: the final review

The most important step before the first submission is a complete review of the entire application. Include a pre-submission checklist: verify all dates and names are accurate, read the personal statement one final time, confirm the test scores or test-optional selection is correct, verify the school list is accurate. Applications cannot be edited after submission to a specific school.