College vs. University: What’s the Difference? Family: This section is where you’ll answer questions about your household, your parents, and your siblings. If you cannot find the occupation or category, select “Other.” If a parent is retired, choose the occupation she had while working, and choose “retired” under the employment status heading. However, most colleges won’t report ranges of donations or exact figures that influence admissions decisions. Next, the application will ask you information about each parent, including name, country of birth, occupation, and education level. Our Why College Matters page can help explain the value of a college education – and so can an array of other advocates like school counselors, teachers, principals, advisors, coaches, community mentors, and college admission and financial aid officers. If you have started working on the Common Application, you may be wondering about the Family section, which asks several questions about your parents and siblings, including if and where they attended college. Whether your child will be the first person in your family to go to college or your child comes from a long line of college graduates, there are two truths about the application process that cause apprehension for families. Discover schools, understand your chances, and get expert admissions guidance — for free. It also enables students to stay on top of deadlines and manage school-specific tasks – without leaving our system.Â. For example, if one or both of your parents are immigrants, have low-paying jobs, or don’t speak English as their first language (or at all), colleges want to know, because it indicates that you have faced greater obstacles than some other applicants. I am a Navy brat who was born in Japan, but I am not Japanese. They are different from chores in that you are meeting an important need for your family as opposed to simply lending a hand. A legacy student is technically any relative of an alum. For example, if a child wants to buy an app, the family approver can see the app … The applicant’s family must have made a large-scale donation — typically in the six-figure or higher range — to be considered a development case. But remember: there is a difference between helping and over-stepping.  College will require your child to be independent and self-reliant – and managing the process of applying to college is his or her first step towards a successful, fulfilling education. Development cases have an even stronger edge in the admissions process. (Note: The Advisor role does not allow users to complete and submit forms.) For Household, you’ll need to enter who you live with and the marital status of your parents. Common Application Answers. The Profile section asks you to provide some basic information about yourself and the institution where you work. Think carefully about leaving out your parents’ information. Here are a few tips for families to help their students along the journey to college. With nearly 900 member colleges and only one application, Common App is comprised of a rich and diverse membership – colleges that are public, private, large, small, secular, and religious. The Common App for recommenders is divided into three sections: Students, Profile, and Resources. The first topic choice in the Common Application asks about your background or identity, so if you have a meaningful story to share, this is an excellent place to do so. Furthermore, students whose parents did attend college are likely to have a better understanding of the admissions process, which in turn gives their children better insight into what admissions committees are expecting from them and their applications. As with your parents’ education, colleges want to know your parents’ occupations for demographic purposes. However, your legacy status is really only likely to make a difference if you are a child, grandchild, or sibling of an alum, with your parents’ alumni status offering the greatest impact on your application. The main reason that applications ask this question is to give admission officials a bit more insight into where you’re coming from. The Common Application (informally known as the Common App) is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to any of more than 800 member colleges and universities in 49 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, China, Japan, and many European countries. The information is not generally mandatory unless it is needed to assess eligibility for an educational opportunity program (such as financial aid). Many colleges collect this information for demographic purposes even if you are an adult or an emancipated minor. Why should I consider using the Common App? Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we see from families about applying to college. You can also visit the paying for college section of our site for links to even more resources. August 1st means that The Common App is now open and it’s time to start the application process for college. It is worth noting that development cases don’t refer to applicants who simply come from affluent families. We will ask for your parents occupation, employment status, and education level. Read more to learn about the 5 most important things to do. There are few cases in which their information will hurt your application, and in many cases, it may help it. Additionally, some schools weigh legacy status more heavily than others. The Common Application will not ask applicants about their sexual orientation or gender identity. Since they are looking for a diverse freshman class, they want to know the percentage of their students whose parents attended college, as well as the general background of the incoming class. Use this resource to empower your student as they take this important step and reach higher. Work on your Common Application during less congested hours. Examples might include engaging in the following several hours every week: Caring for your children; Supervising a younger sibling Info Box Common App alerts Pease click here for more information about the announcement that Common App is removing the discipline question starting in the 2021-22 application year. Colleges are looking to gain insight into your background and circumstances. Then we noticed that the Common Application asks if parents are divorce, and what the divorce date was. Many colleges collect this information in the Family section for demographic purposes. You still need to have a strong profile comparable to other admitted students for top-tier schools. Info Box Common App alerts Please click here for more information about the announcement that Common App is removing the discipline question starting in the 2021-22 application year. The cost of college can be daunting. After-school and Sunday afternoons are the Common Application equivalent of rush hour. If your child has a proven record of following through with responsibilities and obligations, that trend will likely continue throughout the preparation and application process. Here are his answers: 1. As with your parents, this information is gathered for demographic purposes. If you have an older sibling you attended a college to which you’re applying, this may also provide a hook in the admissions process, giving you a slight boost. How should I discuss college with my child? Earlier this year, the Common Application organization broke down 800,000 unique applications from last year. (For this question, you have the option of listing a guardian, that you are the ward of the court or state, or other if you do not live with either or both parents.) extracurricular activities and summer programs, Reporting Honors and Awards in the Common App, How to Fill Out the Common App Activities Section. She lives in Brooklyn, New York and works as a freelance writer specializing in education. Your student is finally ready to apply to college. That doesn’t mean, necessarily, that you shouldn’t answer them but understanding the ramifications if you do are important. The scales are tipped even more in the applicant’s favor if both of her parents attended a certain college. What is Cumulative GPA? The Common Application asks some other demographic information about your parents, but only requires you to include their marital status relative to each other and with whom you make your permanent home. How Do You Calculate it? It might be that your child believes that college is not for them, or they aren’t aware of the many opportunities it might offer. Think in broad or general terms when selected form the list of occupations, since a parent’s specific job may not be available as a choice. However, a legacy status may be a deciding factor in the case of a borderline candidate. Family responsibilities come in many forms and can be permanent or temporary. No one knows your child better than you, so you should follow your instincts and let past experience serve as a guide. You are not required to fill out any of this information if you don’t have it or don’t wish to do so. Common App members, of which there are more than 800 -- including all eight Ivy League institutions -- may still request this information as part of a supplementary process. No other college application system matches the diversity of institutions accessible through Common App, which is why more than 1 million students, counselors, advisors, and teachers rely on us every year. You may want to make your story the subject of your essay. Consequently, I asked Scott Anderson, the director of outreach at The Common Application, Inc., to field some of the issues that students often encounter. Students who come from highly educated, affluent families have different circumstances and experiences compared to students whose parents did not attend or graduate college. This also provides some insight into your background and circumstances. Some schools, particularly private, top-tier colleges, give students with these statuses an extra edge. These sections ask you to list information such as the education levels and occupation levels of your parents, siblings, and stepparents. If you record your parents as divorced or widowed, you will also have the option of including stepparents’ information, but are not required to do so. In other words, when they evaluate your grades, your writing, and, especially, your SAT or ACT scores, it’s helpful to know about the intellectual climate in which you (presumably) live. College application guide for first-time students applying to college with Common App. First-generation college students often enjoy a slight boost in their application because of the difficulties they may have faced in applying to college. Please click here for information on the wildfires impacting California, Oregon, and Washington State. There are four sections that you’ll need to fill out on the Family section of the Common Application: Household, Parent 1, Parent 2, and Siblings. How can I help my student understand how to pay for college? His father got married to a woman who has three kids older than my son and the first one behaved in a delinquent fashion and didn't go on to college. In contrast, students who come from less affluent families and have parents who did not attend college may not have had as many opportunities afforded to them. And, if you need additional help with Common App, please contact our solutions center team for 24/7 application support. Otherwise, why do they ask? Join thousands of students and parents getting exclusive high school, test prep, and college admissions information. It says: "Please list both parents below, even if one or more is deceased or no longer has legal responsibilities toward you. So why exactly do colleges want to know about the rest of your family’s education? Colleges request a large amount of information from applicants, and we simplify the process by collecting much of that information in one place. Please click here for information on the wildfires impacting California, Oregon, and Washington State. What Class Rank Do I Need to Get into a Top School. First, with its many moving but interconnected parts, applying to college is complex. Second, every student advances towards college at his or her own pace. Please click here for information on the wildfires impacting California, Oregon, and Washington State. All others are not required. Common App is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to access, equity and integrity in the college admission process. Regardless of whether or not you’ve been to college yourself, you have an important role to play in your child’s journey to college. Congratulations! Hi, my son is finished with his common app, but before we turn it in I wanted to ask a quick question. The Common App will no longer ask college applicants to share whether they got in trouble in high school as part of its standard application process. FAQ About the Race/Ethnicity Section of the Common Application, A Guide to the ‘Demographics’ Page of the Common Application. If you have some holes in your application due to family circumstances, this section may even help explain them. Why should my student use the Common App? For the Common App, you'll need to reflect on what you have learned from your activities and how they have helped you develop. These percentages nearly match my experience as a counselor, with the exception of Prompt 2 (very few of my clients write about failure) and Prompt 4 (more than 10 percent of my clients write about solving problems). This is because colleges want to reward family loyalty, as well as encourage donations, which parents and grandparents are more likely to give if their children and grandchildren continue to attend their alma mater. Start your search today by exploring all the colleges that accept Common App. Going in, many students already know that the Common App will ask them to list the standard components of a college application: grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, and personal statements. How involved should I be in my child’s college preparation and application process? This may include contact information, high school coursework, honors and awards, list of extracurricular activities, application essays, and test scores (fun fact: the Common App superscores your ACT® test results). Like legacies, these students are typically flagged by admissions officers and set aside for closer review. Some aspects of applications, such as whether or not candidates are underrepresented minorities (URM), give students a “hook” in the admissions process, offering them a boost that they might not have gotten otherwise. She dreams of having a dog. Many students who apply to these schools have top GPAs and test scores, so extracurricular activities are one of the best ways to differentiate yourself from the rest of the applicant pool and make yourself stand out as an exceptional candidate. Please click here for information on the wildfires impacting California, Oregon, and Washington State. Not only is the Common App a major time saver, you can use your account to collect all the materials required to apply to college. An email sent by the Common Application to its members Tuesday noted that they were split on the issue. For starters, colleges are using this information for demographic purposes. With Ask to Buy, when kids want to buy or download a new item, they send a request to the family organiser. No other college application system matches the diversity of institutions accessible through Common App, which is why more than 1 million students, counselors, advisors, and teachers rely on us every year. Here's how you can help your student plan ahead. Help students understand how to apply for financial aid and scholarships, Understand the difference between different types of financial assistance, Learn about application fees and fee waivers, Provide tips for finding scholarship opportunities. See how your profile ranks among thousands of other students using CollegeVine. These parents are also more likely to understand the importance of application boosters like extracurricular activities and summer programs, and may be more able — and willing — to pay for them. Info Box Common App alerts Pease click here for more information about the announcement that Common App is removing the discipline question starting in the 2021-22 application year. Knowing where a student’s family members attended college can also be used to determine whether or not she is a legacy or development case. You can create more than one application. Admissions officers are going to be particularly interested in seeing how you have been involved in leadership positions and that you have dedicated a significant amount of time and energy to your activities. However, a sibling’s legacy status is less impactful than a parent’s or grandparent’s. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. The Common Application asks some information about your siblings in addition to your parents. "Member feedback shows there are strong and differing opinions regarding both keeping the question 'common,' and for leaving the decision on whether and how to ask the question up to individual members," the Common App's statement said. No matter where you come from, or how much money your family has, I want you to know that you can succeed in college, and get your degree, and then go on and build an incredible life for yourself. If that it is the case, select “I have limited information about this parent” under the first question in each parent section, “Parent 1 type” or “Parent 2 type.”. While the premise of the Common App is simple, it generates a lot of questions. If your child is someone who requires structure and guidance, offer to help. You may add siblings, half siblings, or step siblings only. We know you might have a lot of questions. Here's what you need to know as a parent or guardian to help them get over the finish line. Because first-generation college students often have fewer resources available to them during the application process, as well as throughout their high school experiences, admissions committees evaluate their applications differently. It is important to understand the applicants’ backgrounds in order to evaluate their applications fairly and contextually. For many parents and guardians, particularly those who have not been to college, it's difficult to know where to start. Avoid Admissions Deadline Traffic Jams. The Common Application (Common App) is a non-profit membership organization representing nearly 900 diverse institutions of higher education.We connect applicants and those who support them to a wide array of public and private colleges and universities across all 50 U.S. states, and 20 countries. Info Box Common App alerts Pease click here for more information about the announcement that Common App is removing the discipline question starting in the 2021-22 application year. Learn about application fees, fee waivers, navigating financial aid, and how to find scholarships. However, the Common App actually has several other sections designed to collect more directed information about the applicant. Keep in mind that if you are a legacy at a particular school, your admission is not guaranteed. We’re committed to the pursuit of access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. We'll send you information to help you throughout the college admissions process. The software grinds … Calculate your chances at your dream schools and learn what areas you need to improve right now — it only takes 3 minutes and it's 100% free. The Profile section also includes the Common App’s fee waiver request form, which you can learn more about on the CollegeVine blog in our post How to Receive a Common App Fee Waiver. Here is his essay: Charlie's Common Application Essay The activities section is one of the most important parts of your application, particularly if you are applying to very selective colleges. My son self-identified as white on the app, but I want to be sure to give accurate information. Most of these advocates – school counselors, community mentors, advisors, and college admission and financial aid officers – will offer their advice freely and generously, so don’t be afraid to reach out and use their expertise.Â. The prompt allows students to write about just about anything they find extremely important in their lives. The Common Application asks some other demographic information about your parents, but only requires you to include their marital status relative to each other and with whom you make your permanent home. Being a legacy or development case also offers you a hook in the admissions process. Laura Berlinsky-Schine is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, where she majored in Creative Writing and minored in History. Common App Questions: To Answer or Not To Answer: The only questions that a student is required to answer on the Common App have a red ‘*’ next to them. Creative Writing and minored in History, fee waivers, applying for scholarships with Scholar Snapp parents... General applications white on the wildfires impacting California, Oregon, and State! 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