As a college process pro whose passion is helping high schoolers get into their dream schools, I always look forward to August 1. That’s the date that the Common App reopens, and when the class of 2023 can start working on their college applications!
What *is* the Common App?
The Common App is a website that lets you write just one college application…and submit it to almost 1,000 participating schools! It’s revolutionized the college admissions process, making it far less redundant and complicated for both students and admissions offices alike.
It should be noted that not EVERY institution of higher learning accepts the Common App. However, so many colleges and universities DO —and more keep getting added every year—that most of the hundreds of students I’ve worked with over my 12+ years in the test prep industry have submitted only the Common App. (Is the Common App a totally new concept to you? Check out this post I wrote breaking down what it is.)
The college application process is a rite of passage…one that can be grueling. To help YOUR experience be a little less exhausting, every year I bring you a summary of all the most important ways that the Common App has changed since the last application season.
Luckily, this year, there are really only TWO changes to the Common App:
Update to Sex and Gender Identity Questions, and
Expansion of the Fee Waiver Question.
Over the years, the folks who run the Common App have observed that certain student demographics tend to begin but then abandon their applications more often than other students. And there’s a pattern: students who don’t finish their applications tend to get tripped up on a single question or two. As a result, the designers of the Common App have been changing the application to make it more accessible for members of these marginalized groups. The goal is to edit, add, or remove certain questions in order to make the application more representative of ALL students who want to go to college—not just to the majority.
Here are the updates for the upcoming 2022-2023 application cycle that aim to remove barriers to entry in this way:
1. Updates to questions about Sex and Gender on the 2022-2023 Common App
To build upon the last admission cycle’s Gender Identity question updates, the Common App is continuing to make an effort to better respect and reflect the diversity of today’s high schoolers. Specifically, the website will be changing to become even more LGBTQ-friendly:
Adding “Mx.” and “other” as prefix options for counselors, teachers, parents, recommenders and advisers;
Adding “legal” to the “first/given name” question label.
It’s wonderful that the Common App continues to evolve to be more inclusive of the gender spectrum. I hope that these semantic changes will help to give nonbinary and transgender students (and mentors!) the level playing field they deserve!
2. The Common App has expanded its Fee Waiver Question!
This one is truly exciting. In its ongoing research, the Common App identified that nearly 39,000 first-year applicants did NOT request a Common App fee waiver, even though they likely were eligible. In addition, Common App found that another 55,000 potentially eligible students may have abandoned their applications entirely, due to fears about paying the fees! (And who can blame them? Why complete a grueling application and write the 650-word essay if you think you ultimately won’t be able to submit it for financial reasons?!)
To combat this, the Common App isn’t going to simply ask applicants if they want to request a fee waiver: the question will actually include a list of fee waiver eligibility criteria so that students have a fuller understanding of whether they might qualify in the first place!
This step to educate applicants WITHIN the application will hopefully do a lot to help students in need of economic support to ask for it…and to complete their college applications without money being the obstacle.
Are the Common App Essay Prompts Different this Year?
After two and a half years in a global pandemic, the Common App has concluded (as their website puts it) that “consistency is not a bad thing”—and I couldn’t agree more!
HERE’S THE FULL LIST OF COMMON APP ESSAY PROMPTS FOR 2022-2023 (FROM THE COMMON APP WEBSITE):
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
The Common App will also keep the optional Covid-19 essay question in the Additional Information section of the application.
SO, NOW THAT YOU’RE CAUGHT UP TO SPEED, YOU’VE GOT A LEG UP ONCE THE COMMON APP OPENS ON AUGUST 1ST.
But hey, that’s not to say challenges and confusion won’t necessarily come up once you’ve started your Common App. If you’d like tailored assistance with the App’s questions, or essays, or with getting an SAT/ACT score that you’re proud to write down on the App…all of that is what I specialize in!
For example, you can make an appointment here to hold a private essay writing session with me. During our meeting, I’ll get to the bottom of what specific traits/experiences both make you stand out and provide coherence to your college applications. (I call this your “Organizing Principle”.) Then, I help you write prose that brings you to life in just 650 words!
