Start working on your college applications

July 24, 12:57 AMMontgomery County College Prep ExaminerMarjorie Goode

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July 1st had significant meaning to many people.  However, for the college-bound senior, this was the day the 2009-10 Common Application "went live."  In other words, it became available for students to view, download, and complete for the colleges that accept it as a document for admission. 

Summer is a great time for seniors to start working on the rough draft of their college application(s).  As you begin reviewing the website of your colleges, the college application will be a priority document that begins the process.  You will submit your form online or on paper/print.  I encourage students to do a rough draft before beginning the final copy.  The final copy should be thoroughly reviewed before sending it through cyberspace (online) or mailing it .  And as a final note, don't forget to print or xerox a copy for yourself....just in case it gets lost.

Some colleges still produce a personal application (college-specific) and many others accept forms, such as the Common Application https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx or the Universal College Application https://www.universalcollegeapp.com/.  You may be considering an institution that uses the Common Application exclusively.  In that case, you have no choice but to use it.  In my travels and in my area, the Common Application is the most frequently selected option to the college-specific form.   If the college requires a supplement https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/DownloadForms.aspx, this will be an additional form, which is college-specific,  to accompany the Common Application to the admissions committee.

The Common Application began in 1975 as a standardized application for fifteen private colleges.  It now has nearly 400 members which represent both public and private institutions. 

The Universal College Application is an online form used by seventy-eight institutions and like the Common Application, there are supplements https://www.universalcollegeapp.com/index.cfm?ACT=Display&APP=APPONLINE&DSP=COLLEGEINFO for specific colleges.

There is a student demo link https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/CommonAppDemo.aspx?src=S for the Common Application.  This can be a helpful resource when problems arise, as well as consulting with a school counselor.

Use your time wisely in the summer and consider working on the rough draft of your college applications.  This is one part of the process where you really want to put your best foot forward.