More than 900 schools and universities use a single online application called the Common Application. You only need to complete the same general information once, rather than a dozen times, such as your address, GPA, and extracurricular activities. You can also keep track of crucial deadlines and required application materials, such as your reference letters, using the Common App dashboard.
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What Is the Common App?
The Common App enables students to submit personal details, academic history, test scores, recommendation letters, and a personal essay all in one place. It simplifies the college admissions process, especially for those applying to multiple schools. As mentioned, there are more than 900 schools and universities that accept the Common App. Here is the list of all the colleges and universities.
Although more than 900 universities worldwide accept the Common App, a number of prestigious universities have their own application methods. For instance, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Georgetown University each have distinct admissions requirements that are catered to in their application procedures. Similarly, instead of using the Common Application, the University of California (UC) system uses a single application for all nine undergraduate campuses.
In this blog, we will be addressing the changes introduced in the Common Application for the admission cycle for the year 2025.
How to Register for the Common App
1. Visit www.commonapp.org
2. Click “Create an Account.”
3. Select “First-Year Student” or “Transfer Student.”
4. Provide your email, create a password, and enter basic details.
5. Start building your application and adding colleges to your list.
What is Changed?
First change
The big update for the year 2025 is that the additional questions are expanded; here are the exact changes. The current “Community disruption” question will be updated to a “Challenges and circumstances” question. The new question language will expand to capture a broader range of impacts students may experience. The word/character limit will remain the same (first-year app 250 words max, transfer app 1250 characters max).
Common App declared that the “Community Disruption” section would be broadened in breadth rather than word count. During the pandemic, this part was developed to provide students the opportunity to respond if they had experienced any negative effects caused by the pandemic. With the changes, students can now talk about any kind of life disruption in this section, including housing instability, natural disasters, physical or mental health problems, and more.
The word limit of 250 words is still in effect. Unless they have encountered a hardship that has affected their high school experience, the majority of kids can just skip this portion.
Here is the list of challenges a student can brainstorm on:
- Limited access to safe study space or technology
- Community issues like violence or strikes
- Family disruptions such as divorce, job loss, or illness
- Discrimination, displacement, or caregiving responsibilities
- Natural disasters, war, or health challenges
The Second Update
The “Additional Information” question word/character limit will be reduced. The first-year app limit will be reduced from 650 to 300 words max. The transfer app limit will be reduced from 3500 to 1500 characters max.
Let’s break these changes down: Common App declared that the “Additional Information” part will be condensed from 650 to 300 words. This is a necessary and welcome development. If at all, this area should be utilized sparingly. This part is useful when a student needs to communicate information that is absolutely necessary, such as describing a scheduling difficulty or giving specifics about an uncommon situation.
However, many students view this area as a free-for-all. We have observed students using it as an addition to their honors or activity lists. Sometimes, even the resumes have made their way to this section. We’ve also witnessed students adding more essays to the space. This is not how this section is supposed to be used.
Here’s what we think about this update: one must understand that this area can become a burden on admissions officials’ lives because of the pressure of reviewing a large number of applications in a short span of time, You would want their job to be easier, and it becomes hard, especially if the student uses the space by sharing unneeded substance.
Although students still have the opportunity to provide relevant material here. However, the reduction in the maximum word count should be a clear signal to students that this section is not intended for unnecessary writing. However, this portion is usually completely unnecessary for the majority of applicants.
Now that these changes are in place, one may ponder how significant they are! Will they disrupt how students generally prepare for the Common Application? The answer to these questions is no! As mentioned, the question regarding the community was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to address the disruption caused by such an event. With the change in scenario, the question has been expanded to address more personalized challenges faced by the students; thus, it is not something that will create a major hurdle for the applicants.
Regarding the second change, the word count has been reduced to keep the response concise and to the point, which should not pose a major challenge to the students.
However, we at Rostrum realize that crafting a compelling application is challenging, and one must maintain good grades and score excellent marks on their standardized tests like the UCAT, SAT, etc., depending on onthier program and the university they are aiming for, and one must do all this while maintaining a compelling narrative in their application, especially if they are applying to universities in the US, and it should be top-notch if one is aiming for the likes of Harvard, Stanford, and other top US universities. If you share our sentiment and would like to streamline your application process, please contact us to schedule a free consultation session.
What is not changed?
For 2025, the Common App has announced that they will not be changing the seven essay prompts and will continue to have the prompts that were there for 2024. Here are the seven essay prompts.
1. 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.
2. 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?
3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
5. 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?
6. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
7. 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?
8. 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.
How to answer these prompts? How to start practicing for them and how to start brainstorming? Well, we have answered all these questions in the Common App Essay Prompts for the 2025 Admission Cycle.
Strategies for Writing Compelling Essays
1. Pick Your Prompt Carefully: It’s critical to pick a prompt that either profoundly connects with personal experiences or that enables a student to reveal something special and valuable about themselves. Choose a prompt that complements your narrative. Writing should come naturally to you and be really you.
2. Show, don’t inform: A good essay should not only inform the reader who you are but also demonstrate it. To make stories come to life, we recommend employing detailed information and vivid descriptions. “Don’t just claim to be resilient; provide concrete examples of your resilience in the form of choices or actions.”
3. Start Early and Edit Frequently: It’s important to get started on the essay-writing process as soon as possible. This gives you plenty of time to edit, get input from others, and polish your story”. A great article frequently undergoes several revisions. Allow enough time for you to refine and perfect your remark.
4. Keep a Strong Personal Voice: The essay should sound authentic, not like it was written by a thesaurus. This could entail stepping back from your usual academic writing style and writing as though you were addressing a reader across the table. “Speak in your true voice.”
FAQs on Common Application
Q: How should one choose which extracurricular activities to list on the Common App?
A. Pay more attention to depth than width. Emphasize the instances in which you have shown initiative, dedication, and development. The impact and level of participation in the activities are more important than their quantity. If at all possible, pick those that best reflect your interests and fit with your intended major.
Q: How can I differentiate my essay for the Common App?
A. Tell a story that only you know. Concentrate on a distinctive facet of your life or an angle that demonstrates the depth of your thought process. Stay away from clichéd subjects and speak in your own voice. Consider what the admissions officers would find intriguing or novel, and keep in mind that sincerity is essential.
