Sales of our updated guide to the Common Application that we released on August 1st have already surpassed those of last year’s guide. We’re excited to see it doing so well and have gotten some very positive feedback from the families and counselors who are using it.
A few families who bought the guide last year have asked us what’s new about the updated version. Roughly 85% of the guide is unchanged, which reflects how little the Common App itself changed this year. But here is what’s different about our guide:
- In every instance where the Common App changed this year (which they highlighted in this PDF), we updated our guide. For example, one of the more significant changes to the Common App this year was the wording for this question, as well as the pop-up box that follows it:
“If you have taken any courses, including online courses, at a College or University for credit or have attended any enrichment programs hosted on a college campus since 9th grade, check this box:
That was an instance where we needed to rewrite a section.
- The section for test scores gets tricky for kids who are applying to schools that are test score optional. We cover what to do in those instances.
- We provide even more detail in the “Activities” section, including some updated advice on abbreviating appropriate terms to maximize your allotted space.
- For the past year, we’ve paid particularly close attention to the questions our students ask us about their Common Apps. We’ve made sure to address those FAQs within the guide. For example, the “School Forms” can look quite different for kids whose schools are linked to Naviance. We mention that difference in this year’s guide.
Can you fill out a Common App with last year’s guide? Absolutely. But we can confidently tell you that this year’s version is updated and improved. If you bought and benefited from last year's guide, we think at $12.99, it’s worth it to make the upgrade.