News from the Commmon App

As many college application deadlines approach, the folks at the Common App have joined with CollegeWeekLive to provide everyone with an opportunity to get answers to lingering application questions. Scott Anderson, the Common App’s Director of Outreach, will participate in a live broadcast hosted on the CollegeWeekLive website, tonight starting at 7:00 pm, ET. You must be registered to participate in the event—guest registration begins at 6:00 pm. If you miss the broadcast, note that broadcasts are “archived” for up to two months on the CollegeWeekLive website and may be viewed there.

In the meantime, the Common App continues to post impressive statistics. Applicant registrations are up 15 percent over 2008—more than 673,600 individuals have registered to-date. In addition, the number of submitted applications is up 24 percent over last year. And on November 30 at 3:15:17, a student from Northfield VT became the one-millionth unique individual to submit an application through Common App Online since the current system was launched on July 1, 2007.

As usual, the Common App warns students not to wait until the last minute to submit applications. Not surprisingly, tens of thousands of students wait until midnight on the day their applications are due to submit online. By going through this process a few days or even hours earlier, the online support team and/or the colleges to which you are applying will be in a better position to help if you have questions or technical issues that need addressing. You also are less likely to experience server delays or snafus as the system becomes clogged by procrastinators.

Finally, if you’ve ever wondered what winter is like for admissions staff reading your applications, check out a video produced by Common App member, the University of Delaware. While not quite ready for prime time, the cast of Reading Season: The Musikal appeals to applicants to feel their pain. Not.