Showing Tag: "common application" (Show all posts)

A Guide To The Common Application

Posted by College Connection on Thursday, July 30, 2015, In : College Applications

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know that The Common Application,home to some 600 college applications, goes "live" for 2015-16 on August 1 (that's this coming Saturday, for those who may be calendar adverse).

And so, courtesy of our friends and colleagues at The Prospect, here's a Step-by-step guide to filling out the common app.

Okay, so this guide presumes that Hogwarts is your first choice (is that school even on Common App?), and it is based on the 2014-15 version of The Comm...

Common App -- Turn On The Dark!

Posted by College Connection on Thursday, June 18, 2015, In : College Applications

It's pretty much common knowledge to anyone familiar with the college application process: The Common Application, commonly known as Common App, goes "live" for 2015-16 on August 1. [One might argue as to the definition of "life" in the world of college applications and admissions, but, as Mr. Spock might say, "It is life, Captain, but not as we know it!"]

What most folks do not know is that the current year's online applications, now available on Common App's platform, go dark on July 23rd.

Wi...

Prelude To The Common App: A Primer On "Getting Started"

Posted by College Connection on Wednesday, July 9, 2014, In : College Applications

If there is a single question The College Whisperer™ is asked most about the college application process, it is, "Where do I begin?"

My typical response is, "At the beginning, of course!" ;-)

Seriously, though, getting started down that long and winding road to college admissions, as it is with many things in life, is often the most difficult part of the journey.

So, what will follow below is a basic (very basic, as in, just to give you a push) primer -- a "To Do" list, if you will -- to set y...
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The World According To Common App

Posted by College Connection on Thursday, April 3, 2014, In : College Applications

Or why moving to Iowa (or Bangladesh) may actually improve your chances of getting in to your college of choice!

Of course, the numbers don't tell the whole story. While the folks at Common App pat themselves on the back, touting the many successes of this online college portal, for CA4, as the 2013-14 version was called, failure may have actually been their thing.

Failure to launch. Failure to load. Failure to upload Supplements. Failure to permit log on. Failure to paginate. Failure to produc...

FREE College Planning Workshop, March 26

Posted by College Connection on Saturday, March 8, 2014, In : College Planning

Jump Start Your College Applications!

When: Wednesday, March 26, 2014, 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Where: Ethical Humanist Society -- Auditorium
38 Old Country Road
Garden City, New York 11530

Why: Because getting in to college has become more competitive than ever, and the application process increasingly complex. You need to be in the know and prepared to go!

College Connection, Official Sponsor of College Admission Success™, hosts a free College Planning Workshop. Open to stud...
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Common App Pats Self On Back; Breaks Arm In Process

Posted by College Connection on Wednesday, February 12, 2014, In : College Applications

Well, at least the essay prompts will remain the same on Common App for the 2014-15 college application season!

High school Juniors take note. Begin to think about your Common App essay, and how you will answer those three critical questions inherent in each prompt: (1) Who are you? (2) Who do you hope to become over the next four years? (3) What will you bring to campus, and to the community beyond?

And now, from the folks who brought you the Common App-ocalypse of 2013-14:

THE COMMON APPLICATI...

CA4 Where Are You?

Posted by College Connection on Sunday, October 27, 2013, In : College Applications

If comic legend Oliver Hardy was a high school senior, no doubt he'd be admonishing Stan Laurel, standing in as the now plaintive Common App, with those famous words, "That's another fine mess you've gotten us into, Stanley!" (or was it, Simon?)

Well, we don't have Laurel & Hardy with us (and do high school kids even know of this iconic comedy duo?), but when it comes to CA4, the latest incarnation of the floundering Common App, if we don't laugh, we will surely cry.

So, with profound apologies...
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Not Too Late To Apply Early!

Posted by College Connection on Monday, October 21, 2013, In : College Applications

While the dates to apply Early Action to a few colleges (UNC-Chapel Hill, Georgia Tech - both extended to 10/21) may have passed, most are yet to come (typically, November 1 - December 15), and quite a few deadlines have been or are likely to be extended as a result of the continuing Common App fiasco. [Check college websites for actual deadline dates and extensions, if any.]

So, if you can get your applications ready (not just done, but complete, accurate, and showing you at your scholastic b...
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The Coming College Application Apocalypse

Posted by College Connection on Friday, October 18, 2013, In : College Applications

Not long after the dawn of the nuclear age, with foreboding prospects of mutually assured annihilation looming on an uncertain horizon, Albert Einstein was asked what weapons he thought would be used to fight the next war. Einstein responded, "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Perhaps a prophesy, yet to unfold...

On a less weighty front (after all, it's only college), and given the flaws, foibles and incomprehens...
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Meet The College Whisperer™ October 16th

Posted by College Connection on Monday, October 7, 2013, In : College Planning

FREE College Planning Workshop [And who doesn't like FREE?]

When: Wednesday, October 16, 7 PM - 8:30 PM

Where: Harborfields Public Library, 31 Broadway, Greenlawn, NY

Why: Because getting in to college has become more competitive than ever, and the application process increasingly complex. You need to be in the know and prepared to go!

Harborfields Public Library hosts a free College Planning Workshop. Open to students and parents alike, this forum will explore such topics as choosing a college t...
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Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Submit Your College Applications. . .

Posted by College Connection on Thursday, October 3, 2013, In : College Applications

If you thought last year's Common App made submitting college applications second in difficulty only to a quadruple backward flip off the uneven parallel bars while sticking the landing from 1000 feet above the ground (Check out, So, You Think You Submitted The Common App. . .), read on...

For anyone attempting to submit a college application through the new and congenitally defective Common Application, please read the following --

As you watch that spinning wheel spin (with due respect to th...
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As Seen On Common App's Facebook Timeline...

Posted by College Connection on Tuesday, September 24, 2013, In : College Applications

Not that we would have this blog become a diatribe against the Common App, but we couldn't help chuckle out loud when we read the following on Common App's Facebook timeline:

"APPLICANTS: Do not try to trick the system into letting you create two accounts. If you succeed, you have no idea of the potential mess that awaits you: confused colleges, confused counselors and teachers, mismatched records, incomplete applications....and that's just the beginning. For your own good, please don't go dow...
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BEFORE You Submit The Common App

Posted by College Connection on Tuesday, September 24, 2013, In : College Applications

Our friends and colleagues at College Admission Book (you don't have to buy the book. You have The College Whisperer ™ and College Connection! :-) have created a step-by-step guide to completing and submitting the Common Application. [Click HERE to view.]

Yes, it is lengthy. True, some of the advice must be taken with that proverbial grain of salt. Agreed, that the round "How To" does not always fit neatly into the square holes of Common App. And yes (sigh), most folks (especially teens apply...

In Defense of The New Common App. Really?

Posted by College Connection on Friday, September 20, 2013, In : College Admissions

In response to public comment to The College Whisperer's™ recent blog post, Oops! Common App Has Done It Again!!!, that which has been said -- not to mention all that has been left unsaid -- bears, we believe, repeating.

Below is the commentary, verbatim, for your consideration, pro and con. Your further comments, on either side of the argument (or on the fence, for those who, like Switzerland, choose to remain neutral), are most welcome.

Allow me to simply say here, and for the record, that ...
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Oops! Common App Has Done It Again!!!

Posted by College Connection on Thursday, September 12, 2013, In : College Applications

For those familiar with the Common Application, portal to more than 500 college applications, the flaws and foibles of a most imperfect tool are self evident.

To the unsuspecting and newly initiated -- as almost all high school seniors are, it being their first foray into the wild and crazy world of college admissions -- Common App is fraught with pitfalls and hazards, not to mention the occasional stealth essay.

Take, for instance, the Activities section, where a simple click to open, without ...
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Tips For Completing The New Common App

Posted by College Connection on Sunday, August 4, 2013, In : College Applications

Our good friends and colleagues at CollegeMapper.com offer some great tips, as well as interesting insights, into the ins and outs, dos and don'ts of the new Common App.

So, before you begin filling in the blanks, click on the following links and get the inside track:

New Common App Breakdown: Top Tips

The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to the New Common App
- - -

Plan. Prepare. Prevail!

When The Common App gets to you, you need to get to us!

Contact us at COLLEGE CONNECTION, home of The College Whi...

Live From The Common App, It's CA4!

Posted by College Connection on Thursday, August 1, 2013, In : College Applications

Well, not quite...

The new and improved version of The Common Application, $8 million dollars and more than a year in the making, launched at Midnight on August 1, giving entree to some 500 of your favorite college applications, and serving as starting gate to the great college admissions game.

And so, at 1:10 AM, your intrepid blogger excitedly clicked on CommonApp.org, in the hope of creating a login, perusing the application, and reporting back to the masses on the highlights, insights a...

Live from the Common App

Posted by College Connection on Friday, July 30, 2010, In : College Planning

It's college application time!

Yes, the Common Application is "live" as of August 1. [More on that in a moment...]

First, The College Whisperer sends out a great big thank you to his college planning colleague and compatriot, The College Answer Guy, for the kind words (all true, but still kind ;-) offered up on his blog. Check it out at I Have a Twin!

It's nice to be thought and spoken of highly, especially by one's peers. And, if two heads are better than one, college-bound students will benefi...
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The College Whisperer™ | Navigating The Road To College

Showing Tag: "common application" (Show all posts)

A Guide To The Common Application

Common App -- Turn On The Dark!

Prelude To The Common App: A Primer On "Getting Started"

The World According To Common App

FREE College Planning Workshop, March 26

Common App Pats Self On Back; Breaks Arm In Process

CA4 Where Are You?

Not Too Late To Apply Early!

The Coming College Application Apocalypse

Meet The College Whisperer™ October 16th

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Submit Your College Applications. . .

As Seen On Common App's Facebook Timeline...

BEFORE You Submit The Common App

In Defense of The New Common App. Really?

Oops! Common App Has Done It Again!!!

Tips For Completing The New Common App

Live From The Common App, It's CA4!

Live from the Common App

The College Whisperer™

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