College Applications Technical Problems with the New Common App? You’re Not Alone. Written by Elyse Krantzon October 17th, 2013 I became interested in the college admissions process after serving as a student tour guide in the admissions office of my alma mater. After graduating, I accepted an admissions counseling position at Bennington College in Vermont where I evaluated applications and reviewed art portfolios from students across the country. Three years later, after pursuing my master's degree in New York City, I joined the admissions staff at Barnard College where I served as a senior admissions officer. At Barnard, I directed Long Island and Boston recruitment in addition to managing the College's alumnae interview program, coordinating admissions statistics, and editing various college publications. Having also served as an alumni interviewer for Dartmouth College and visited over 75 colleges, I feel especially well-equipped to help students prepare for admission interviews and campus tours. Learn More About Elyse common app, common application, common application help, Update: Read the latest tips for the 2017-18 Common App. Students are stressed. Parents are stressed. As if the college application process weren’t nerve-wracking enough, the new Common App has made it nearly impossible for thousands of students to upload, preview, and submit their college applications. The New York Times recently published an article outlining many of the issues applicants are facing. From blank print preview pages to essays that are devoid of all proper formatting, the errors are significant. With deadlines for early decision and early action schools rapidly approaching, some colleges are being forced to accommodate students experiencing major technical glitches. The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill was among the first schools to push back their EA deadline, but Barnard College, the University of Chicago, Duke, Columbia, Tufts, and Northwestern have similarly followed suit with their early deadline extensions. Strikingly, Princeton University – which used to be an exclusive user of the Common App – is now allowing students to apply using the Universal College Application, an alternate to the Common App that is accepted by 33 member colleges. While we, the former senior admissions officers at College Coach, can’t fix the Common App’s woes, we can share with you 16 tips to make the application process a little easier. What to Know Before Submitting the New Common App [Part 1] What to Know Before Submitting the New Common App [Part 2] What to Know Before Submitting the New Common App [Part 3] What to Know Before Submitting the New Common App [Part 4] If you have questions about the new Common App, post them below and one of our experts will be happy to respond! Related Resources Read | Posted on November 15th, 2023 How to Reduce the Cost of Applying to College Read | Posted on October 12th, 2023 Financial Implications of Applying Early Decision Read | Posted on October 6th, 2023 What are the Different College Admissions Deadline Types?
