Hey everyone, just your typical stressed junior here. I've been hearing a lot about the Common App and the Coalition App. Is there a significant difference between the two? Which one do you guys prefer and why? Any inputs would be super helpful!
While both the Common App and Coalition App are platforms that allow you to apply to multiple colleges with one application, there are a couple of key differences to consider.
The Common App tends to be more widely used and is accepted by over 800 colleges including many international colleges. The Common App contains a variety of prompts for the main personal statements, which provides flexibility in the story you want to tell about yourself. Its layout is also generally considered more user-friendly.
The Coalition App, on the other hand, is accepted by fewer colleges (around 150) but includes some major schools that are not on the Common App. Notably, public schools in the State of Washington and Florida use the Coalition App exclusively. The unique factor of the Coalition App is the Locker feature, which allows you to compile and store documents, such as graded assignments or awards, from your high school years. This could be a helpful organizational tool, although keep in mind that colleges are unlikely to look through and assess all the documents inside the locker.
You can choose the application platform based on which colleges you plan to apply to and which application style feels more comfortable to you. It's not that one is inherently better than the other—they just have slightly different features. Remember, what matters most is the content of your application and how well it represents you, not the platform you use.
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