What's the deal with filling out the Common App?

Junior winding up the school year here, and the whole college admission process is looming large. When's the earliest I can start filling out my Common App? Do colleges see any info before I hit submit, or is it all on me until I'm ready to send it out?

Hey there! It's great that you are starting to think about this process early. You can create your Common App account at any time and start to get familiar with it, but the application for the next cycle typically opens on August 1st. Before that date, you can still fill out parts of your application such as basic demographic information, your education history, and activities, but you'll need to wait until the new application season officially begins to complete and submit applications to colleges.

Colleges will not see any information you've entered until you actually submit your application to them. So, feel free to work on sections, edit, and fine-tune your responses until you are ready to submit. Many students find it helpful to work on their essays over the summer before their senior year, so when August arrives and the application opens, they're ready to copy and paste their final drafts into the application. Remember, it's on you to ensure everything is in order before hitting that submit button—colleges will only see the finished product. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to review your application and perhaps have a teacher or counselor proofread it for any errors or areas of improvement.

Tackling the Common App step by step will definitely make it more manageable. Best of luck with your application!