What is the Common Application and how is it different from a college's provided application format?Answered
I am a junior, so I was looking into what you need to do to apply to certain colleges. I see that there are usually two options: Common App Application and the college's application. I was wondering what the difference is, and which one is better to use. I appreciate the help!
-Iridescence-2025
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4 answers
Either one works great! Personally, I prefer the common application because I'm applying to multiple colleges and it keeps the information so that I don't have to re-enter everything for each college I apply for.
There's not a huge difference between the two. With Common App, you can apply virtually anywhere and all your applications are in one place. If you apply to the university directly, it's the same process except results usually come faster. There are pros and cons to both, just decide what's best for you.
I just finished applying to college, and I used entirely common app. It was pretty easy to use and it saves a lot of time, but either one is a perfectly valid option.
Well, there is no better, it depends on how that university looks at its applicants and what values they want to see. As an international student myself (this is also an important factor, whether you are international or not) I am mainly applying over Common App because it is clearer and easier to use.
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