Common App Flubs and Snubs
JANET GUAN
Staff Writer
College applicants, need more to stress about? On top of the multiple personal statement essays and applications to complete, college applicants now have another issue on their plate if they are using the Common Application to apply to colleges.
Common Application first began in 1975, started by 15 private colleges that wanted a college application process that could be used by any affiliate. As the number of participating colleges gradually increased throughout the years, the medium of submitting applications shifted from paper to floppy disk. The first online system of application was launched and used in 1998. Since then, they have renovated the site three more times, allowed public and international members to join the system, and, starting August 2013, stopped the paper application.
An updated online version of their program was initiated in August. However, a multitude of users have been reporting various technical glitches, such as not being able to upload letters of recommendation and issues with resetting their password. The degree of technical issues varies from person to person, and Alhambra High students are no exception.
“There were times when you couldn’t even log in to your account,” senior Ivy Dang said.
Teachers also had difficulties in terms of submitting recommendation letters.
“I couldn’t access my account. I changed to a new password and tried to access it again, but I still couldn’t get in,” English teacher Kristin Keenan said. “I emailed Common Application, and they fixed the issue three days before the application was due.”
However, looking past the glitches, Ms. Keenan was pleased with the new updates.
“Before, the questions were listed as a continuous survey, and there were times I missed questions. Now, the question are viewed individually. As a visual person, the new format is much easier to read,” Keenan said.
With numerous applicants reporting problems, the Common Application has been working to fix the technical glitches. Due to the influx of issues, many universities and colleges who use the Common Application, such as Georgia Tech and Northwestern, have extended their early action and early-decision deadlines, respectively. However, even with the extended deadlines, a handful of technical roadblocks such as encountering unnecessary error messages still exist that can hinder ongoing applicants, even with Common Application’s efforts to solve the issues.
Senior Nhi Bui also encountered technical issues while using the Common Application.
“I had to send my recommender request forms a few times before they got through,” Bui said.
The technical glitches have some colleges thinking about other application options, such as the Universal College Application, which is used by 37 colleges.
According to NBC News, Christopher Watson, the dean of undergraduate admissions at Northwestern University, stated, “I’m sure after this, we’ll start looking into other options, not necessarily because we want to abandon Common Application, but maybe it’s important for students to have a couple of choices.”
Technical issues are not new to the Common Application. In December 2010, a select group of students, when using the Common Application, encountered a glitch that would cut their essay at the margins when submitted. With three major renovations of the online application, the website would have been open to glitches. The Common Application continues to tackle technical issues that have been reported.