College applications are incredibly stressful for seniors. On top of the grades and extracurriculars students struggle to maintain, they also have to obtain recommendation letters, craft essays, and write a multitude of supplements. The complications included in this process only worsen through the declaration made by many colleges that they require all applicants to apply on their own, ‘special’ website that is separate from the general Common App.
With students having so much on their plate already, having to deal with the stress of applications across many different platforms only heightens confusion and worsens the mental health of the students struggling to get everything right during this stressful time. To aid students with this pressing issue, it should be mandated that all colleges admit students through the Common App.
The Common App was founded in 1975, at a time where many in-state schools received almost entirely in-state applicants. For this particular purpose, state schools utilizing individual application processes to manage applications was convenient and realistic. However, in-state schools are now receiving thousands of out-of-state applications annually, and those in-state applicants who are still applying in-state are applying to schools in a much wider span of locations. With the expansion of geographic areas students are applying within, it is much more convenient for students to submit all their applications within a single portal. The time saved for students will be substantial, as in an already lengthy process, students’ time is further wasted by forms having to be repeatedly filled out as students jump across various platforms.
Mamaroneck students much concur about how easier their college application process would have been if they only had to apply through a single portal. “College applications are already so time consuming, and having to apply through two or three different platforms is so inconvenient,” Emma Lassman (‘25) explains. “It would be so much easier if everything was through the Common App.”
Coordinator of the Counseling department Cathryn Quackenbush expresses similar feelings. “Everyone on the Common App would be very nice,”Quackenbush states. “Logistically, I think it’s reasonable… the simpler it is, the more schools students can apply to.” Students having the opportunity to apply to more schools is important, as it gives them more opportunities to receive acceptances and financial aid. For the colleges themselves, increased applicants can be beneficial, as it can allow their acceptance rates to decrease, and students and adults alike may see these schools as more desirable.
In a short-term view of profits, colleges switching over to using the Common App can be a costly decision. However, in the long run, colleges could certainly expect to see an increase in applications by switching to the Common App, and the increase in received application fees would make this short- term cost unproblematic for the financial well being of the schools.
No student should be restricted from applying to schools that they feel genuinely passionate about due to the inconvenience caused by colleges requiring students to apply through a multitude of platforms. Regardless of religious, geographic, or military affiliation, colleges must put aside their differences and merge their application websites into the singular Common App for the wellbeing of the students. This is a much needed change.
