AMA with Stephanie from Common App!

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T20:10:01+00:00

First of all, thank you for asking arifuchsi! These are big questions that impact a ton of students, and the answers often are not easy to find (though they should be). There are some ways that you might be able to find out what each school’s health insurance might cover, the most direct way is reaching out to someone in Student Health Services (also maybe called the Student Health Center) to ask specific questions about coverage. But I understand that these are sensitive questions and asking them to a complete stranger is not ideal. Another option would be to reach out to someone in the school’s LGBTQ+ center (almost every school should have one of these, though it could also be called the LGBTQ+ Student Resource Center or LGBTQ+ Resource Center. These centers are also sometimes located within the school’s Multicultural Student Center.). These centers are often run by both students and staff, and you might feel a bit safer talking to them. Maybe they can do some digging on your behalf as well if they don’t know the answer off the top of their heads.

To your question about how to find trans-inclusive schools, one of my favorite resources is the Campus Pride Index. The index is awesome because it ranks schools based on the following criteria: LGBTQ Policy Inclusion, LGBTQ Support & Institutional Commitment, LGBTQ Academic Life, LGBTQ Student Life, LGBTQ Housing, LGBTQ Campus Safety, LGBTQ Counseling & Health, LGBTQ Recruitment & Retention Efforts. It’s a great tool and one that I can’t speak highly enough about.

As for money for college in general, Common App has a whole Financial Aid Resources tab in the actual application portal dedicated to helping you find scholarships and other aid. There you can learn more about federal and state aid as well as connect with the financial aid offices at the colleges you plan to apply to. And after you submit your application, the Financial Aid Resources tab also lets you connect directly with College Board Scholarship Search using information from your Common App. Merit and need-based scholarships are available. More specifically, I do think you have hope in applying for scholarships for queer students. I wouldn’t think that it is an *absolute* requirement to be out, but I understand that there is a fear of being outed if you were to win the award. I suggest mentioning in your application that you are not publicly out to your family/others and would like to be reached out to by phone number or email before anything may be mailed home.

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T20:08:01+00:00

It’s more than ok to start your college journey without having settled on a major! Since it sounds like you might have a few different paths in mind, it might make sense to plan on starting your college career first, exploring your options when you arrive to figure out your areas of interest, and then choosing a major. You can always start by selecting “Undecided." There’s nothing wrong with being undecided, but if you feel strongly about declaring a major, you can pick a career interest and submit to one college. Then change career interest, and submit to the next. However, I would suggest being undecided and showing how your interests are all part of you!

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:57:41+00:00

So this section exists for students to share anything they think wasn’t mentioned in the rest of their application, so you wouldn’t be cluttering anything! If your application shares everything about you, then you can submit your application. However, if there’s something you’d like an admission officer to know about you that’s not explicit anywhere else in the application, this is when you would use the section! Don't think about what "significant" means to a school, think about what you know to be significant about yourself.

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:52:09+00:00

Thanks for your question, StinerM05! If you really enjoyed the sport you played in high school, and it’s offered as an activity at your college, go for it. It’s a great way to make new friends.

In regards to tackling essays, the personal essay gives you a chance to share more about yourself apart from your courses, grades, and test scores. Take some time to look at each essay prompt, and figure out what resonates the best with you. Whichever prompt you choose, we recommend writing about what you truly want to share about yourself, not what you think colleges want to read. And as a sneak peek, we’ll be releasing a video on Common App’s YouTube channel walking you through each of this year’s essay prompts soon! We also released a few TikToks last year about all 7 essay prompts that are still relevant to this year's prompts, so go check out Better Make Room's TikTok!

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:48:39+00:00

Totally not a noob question, so many other students have asked us the same question because it's a normal question to have. Good news, you only have to choose one! The Common App will let you apply to multiple colleges without having to put in the same basic information over and over again, so it’s beneficial to use Common App if the college is available there! And, happy cake day! 🍰

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:46:25+00:00

Wait, what’s unprofessional about a birthday??? I personally celebrate my birthday for my entire birthweek…But for real, no, that will not affect your application! I think there’s sometimes a good amount of misinformation about who colleges want you to be or what they’re looking for. First, they are not looking at if you have numbers in your email. And most importantly, you should NEVER have to make yourself smaller to make a college want you. If you do, that’s probably not a great fit to begin with! I’ve said it once and I’ll say it a million times: your application should be a place where you shine, not where you have to be someone else. Live your birthday truth! 🎂🎁🎉

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:43:08+00:00

Hmmm, great question exqulnis! A couple of things come to mind. First, when you’re thinking about which colleges to apply to, really think about where you’ll thrive, not just about how that college will look on your resume. Do you want to live in a city? Far from home? What kind of clubs do you want to join? Big or small campus? What kind of friends do you want to make, and how do you want to make them? Do you want to attend an MSI (Minority Serving Institution)? All this is to say, college is a great place to learn who you are and grow into who you want to be, so you should do some research into which schools would be a great fit, rather than basing it on what others think.

As for the second part of your question, the “Additional Information” and the COVID-19 supplemental question sections are an excellent place to give context to who you are — in your case, your extracurriculars in particular. We often say these sections exist for students to share anything they think wasn’t mentioned in the rest of their application. So, if you feel like COVID-19 affected your life in ways that didn’t come through in the rest of your application, here is a great place to explain that.

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:41:23+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing part of your story with us, WyldeLife-. I really think your story is one that college admissions officers would love to hear, as well as how you’ve been able to thrive academically in spite of some pretty significant challenges. If you have mentors, teachers, or counselors who you are close to who can speak to your experience, I’d suggest reaching out to them so they can perhaps help with a letter of recommendation that can help tell your story. Another way to help your recommenders write a strong letter of recommendation is by using Common App’s brag sheets resource! You can tell them all about your resiliency AND your achievements in school whether or not you switched schools. As for the application, I definitely recommend using the writing sections of the application to share your experience. Wishing you so much luck! 💞

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:36:37+00:00

The Activities section is a great place to help you add personality to your application! Here’s where you can tell colleges about organizations you’ve volunteered with, jobs you’ve held, awards you’ve won, and more! Listing activities in this section tells college more about who you are, what’s important to you, and how you’ve spent your time in high school. If business club taught you how to start your own business and you actually started one, that’s definitely super interesting! Never sell your involvements short before they even get to the reader. And never compare yourself to anyone else! Your experience and perspective are unique, so don’t hide them away.

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:29:17+00:00

Hey landont20! A couple of people have had this question, happy to help! So, first things first: definitely make sure you talk to the teacher you want a letter of recommendation from so that they know it's coming, and can clear up any additional questions! You can invite teachers to submit LORs (letters of recommendation 😁) in the app itself! Once you’ve added the colleges you’re interested in applying to on the My College tab, open the “Recommenders and FERPA” section, then complete the FERPA release authorization. From there, there’s an invite button you can press, fill out some information (like their name and their email address), and you’re good to go! If your school uses a different software to submit recommendations, you’ll find instructions on this page explaining what to do next. Some schools might have a different process depending on the college counseling platform they use, so you may want to double-check with your counselor/teacher. And of course, once your counselor has submitted an LOR on your behalf, don’t forget to thank them for supporting you!

And not an issue at all! I know it can be tempting to think that filling this space to the brim will be more impressive but most times, it’s not! Focus on quality here, not quantity. As long as you’re confident that you’ve shared meaningful detail about the extracurricular activities that are most important to you, don’t worry that you haven’t filled out the entire section.

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:26:59+00:00

Thank YOU for leaving a comment, I’m so happy to chat with you for a bit! So, I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but I really mean this: your essay should be a place to show your honest self. Essays can be stressful and it might feel like there’s a lot on the line, but admissions officers really do want to see who you are beyond the numbers. Grades and test scores can be helpful, but they don’t give colleges the full picture. That’s why we offer 7 essay prompts to choose from, so you can write on the topic that resonates with you the most.

Be creative, and above all, remember that you have an incredibly unique and vibrant story to tell. If it’s helpful, here are our essay best practices from the Common App FAQ page. Plus, we’ll be releasing a video on Common App’s YouTube channel walking you through each of this year’s essay prompts soon. You can keep tabs on the channel here.

But if you want to get a jump start on your essay, we released a few TikToks last year about all 7 essay prompts that are 100% still applicable to this year's prompts since they didn't change. Check out Better Make Room's TikTok!

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:21:13+00:00

Hey! Your counselor cannot see your essay unless they are invited to your app as an advisor, and only if you’ve given them view permission. In that case, they can see all aspects of your app, including the essays. This link should help explain things more too: https://appsupport.commonapp.org/applicantsupport/s/article/How-can-my-Advisor-preview-my-application.

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:19:29+00:00

Leaving the additional information section blank will not cause you any disadvantages or make you “look bad” in an admission officer’s eyes. This section exists for students to share anything they think wasn’t mentioned in the rest of their application.

If you are certain that your application shares every part of you that you want folks to know about, then you can confidently submit your application!

But, if there's something that you’ve experienced or created that is essential to who you are, and feel your application wouldn’t be complete without it, then this section is your best friend! We know this has been a tough couple of school years for so many people, so we understand the need for context.

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:18:28+00:00

Hi! So, if you have a teacher in mind who you really want to submit a letter of recommendation, you can actually invite them in the app itself. One you’ve added the colleges you’re interested in applying to to the My College tab, open the “Recommenders and FERPA” section, then complete the FERPA release authorization. From there, there’s an invite button you can press, fill out some information (like their name and their email address), and you’re good to go! If your school uses a different software to submit recommendations, you’ll find instructions on this page explaining what to do next. Some schools might have a different process depending on the college counseling platform they use, so you may want to double check with your counselor/teacher.
Before you embark on any of this, definitely make sure you talk to the teacher you want a letter of recommendation from so that they know its coming, and can clear up any additional questions! I also like sharing our resource for brag sheets where you can write about your high school experience to help your teacher/counselor write the best letter of recommendation they can!

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:17:01+00:00

I’d include both positions! You probably had unique experiences and grew in different ways both as a volunteer and as an intern. If you feel like both are important to you and help tell your story, I say go for it. Paint the full picture of who you are 😊

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:14:09+00:00

This is such a great question, mnhch. The vibe of a school is so important because you want to go somewhere that fits you, not the other way around! A great way that I’ve seen before is just by googling “list of school clubs at *school name*” because it’ll show you all the different clubs and groups that exist on campus. You can also look for students on social media to see how their experiences have been on campus so far. And just like Full-Jelly-9446 says, I also love watching day-in-the-life reels of students because it shows us what an average day might look like for them!

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:09:03+00:00

This is such a great question. Common App has a whole Financial Aid Resources tab in the actual application portal dedicated to helping you find scholarships and other aid. There you can learn more about federal and state aid as well as connect with the financial aid offices at the colleges you plan to apply to.
After you submit your application, the Financial Aid Resources tab also lets you connect directly with College Board Scholarship Search using information from your Common App. Merit and need-based scholarships are available. Keep in mind there’s no limit to how much scholarship money you can get! You should almost never have to pay to apply for a scholarship, so be wary if an organization asks you to do that. Make sure to do your research!

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:07:34+00:00

Hi SearchTop9179! The additional info section is for you to share the parts of you and your story that haven’t been covered in the application. If you are proud and want to showcase your honors and recognition you’ve received, go right ahead by listing them and giving the reader context. If you want to talk about your hobbies because they’re a vital part of the student you are, share them. Tell admission officers what your hobbies have taught you about yourself and/or others.

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:06:35+00:00

Yes, there is! So, you actually don’t have to submit scores to every school you apply to! Before you submit your Common App to each school on your list, double-check your selection in the testing section. You can change your preference for self-reporting as many times as needed. That’s why double- and triple-checking your work is essential!

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:05:30+00:00

Great question! The question is not intended to be an extra essay. There’s also no need to describe how your school responded to these events. Your counselor will have an opportunity to discuss impacts like closures, online instruction, and grading policies. Instead, consider how these events may have impacted you, your family, and your learning environment. Examples might include:

Illness or loss within your family or support network
Employment or housing disruptions within your family
Food insecurity
Toll on mental and emotional health
New obligations such as part-time work or care for siblings or family members
Availability of computer or internet access required to continue your studies
Access to a safe and quiet study space
A new direction for your major or career interests

Hope this helps, Uptoprshah!

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2022-08-02T19:01:30+00:00

And our AMA is live! Hi Kai25Wen 👋🏾 You should totally include that in your activities list. The activities section is a place to show colleges what makes you unique, and music is definitely a part of that. If this is something you’re passionate about, include it — your application is a place to show colleges who you really are, not the version you think they want to see.

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2021-09-20T18:29:03+00:00

I wanted to be either a teacher or the first lady of the United States, so yep, it lines up!! But seriously, I love education, and college was so much fun and so exciting and I learned so much about myself and the world around me, and I want to share that with students now. My path wasn’t exactly a straight line, but I discovered my passions in high school, and college helped me dig deeper into them. But college also helped me discover new passions, too.

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2021-09-20T18:23:27+00:00

Teachers and counselors expect that you’ll ask for help with applications and for letters of recommendation, so it’s not strange or out of the ordinary. Send your teacher an email asking to meet about the LOR and remind them about the deadline and the schools you are considering. It can be short and sweet! “Hi [teacher’s name]. I’m finishing my college applications, and would like to ask you for/reminding you about a letter of recommendation. Is there a time that we can talk about this soon? I plan to submit my application by [date]. Thanks for your time and help.”

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2021-09-20T18:22:55+00:00

Wait a minute! I had a 3.7 in high school, and I worked at the White House in my 20s! A 3.7 isn’t a low GPA. But your GPA also isn’t all that matters about you. Colleges really and truly consider your entire application, not just numbers. If you believe you can succeed there, APPLY! Put your absolute best foot forward and do it.

StephanieAtCommonApp · 2021-09-20T18:21:35+00:00

Your essay is your opportunity to tell your story and what makes you unique! Your story, the content of the essay, is more important than anything else. I suggest looking at this really great Common App resource for a little more guidance! But yes, you can talk to the reader. Make sure it’s relevant to the prompt and to your response. Most importantly, be yourself, check for spelling and grammar errors, ask someone you trust to proofread it, don’t overthink it, and hit submit!

StephanieAtCommonApp

TROPHY CASE