2009-2010 Common Application Now Available

The Common Application for 2009-2010 has been released, so you seniors can get started early at www.commonapp.org. The personal statement prompts have not changed, so if you've been working on your essay this summer, full speed ahead!

Here's a run down of what's different:

Demographics:
  • Student--There are a lot more demographic questions about the student, most related to race and ethnicity, all of which are optional, except for a question about first language and language spoken at home.
  • Family--There are a few more questions about families, including a designation of "other" for person with whom the student makes his/her home.
  • Other--They ask whether the student has had college counseling or assistance with their application process "from a community-based organization" such as Upward Bound or Questbridge.
Other Sections:
  • In the disciplinary statement, if you answer 'yes' to either question, they now want you to write about the incident and what you learned from it and include that in your application.
  • If you are not applying for financial aid using the FAFSA, you no longer have to provide your social security number.
  • They ask for your career interests
  • They've added additional legal verbiage in the signature area.

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