Common Application | Firecracker

The Common Application

The Common app the standard application used by US private colleges. Navigating the platform can be a bit tricky so here are steps for making an account and applying to colleges:

Requirements:

(These are school specific and may vary)

Required Paperwork:
Transcripts
Annual income
Social Security Number
Citizenship status

Parent/Legal guardian information

Optional:

Scores and dates of standardized tests

List of extracurricular work, responsibilities, and activities

Academic honors and achievements

How to sign up and apply to colleges on Common App

Click here to go to Common App

Step 1) Click the “start your application” button.

Step 2) Click “first year student”.

NOTICE: Make an account with your personal email.

DO NOT make an account with your school email. Your school email will be deactivated when you graduate.

Step 3) Fill out every section marked by red asterisks(*).

Step 4) Check off the terms and services box.

Step 5) Click on the “Common App” tab and fill out all the sections up to “writing”.

Step 6) Add colleges to your list by pressing college search and clicking “add to my colleges”.

Image taken from IvyWise

Important Tips

We highly recommend that first year students apply early decision or early action.

The deadline for early decision applications is usually November 1st or November 15th. By applying early decision to a college, you are not only notified by the college about decisions earlier (usually December 15th or January 1st) but also show to the college that they are your top choice, significantly increasing your chances of being admitted. However, if you are admitted to your early decision college, you are contractually required to enroll there, except in cases where your financial aid and rewards are insufficient to attend the college.

With all that being said, if you aren’t ready to commit to a college yet, early action is the way to go. Early action has the same deadlines and decision dates as early decision but does not require you to enroll in colleges if you are admitted, providing more flexibility. Unlike early decision however, early action does not increase your college admissions chances.

Step 7) Fill out recommenders and FERPA (we recommend pressing the waive your rights option).

*Waiving rights to your FERPA is acknowledging you will not have access to your letters of recommendation and they will be submitted by your teachers or counselor on your behalf.

Learn more about FERPA at the end of this page

Step 8a) Go to questions and review each section for written responses

Step 8b) Some colleges have questions under academics or other tabs so make sure that you fill those out, if it does not have a red asterisks(*) and is not an applicable question such as “would you like to explain any gaps in your academic history” we encourage you to write a response.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that affords parents the right to have access to their children’s education records, the right to seek to have the records amended, and the right to have some control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the education records.