Hayley Graham
Reporter
As if applying to college isn’t stressful enough, students all over the country are experiencing problems with the Common Application. Over 500 schools use the Common App, so when glitches in the system started happening this fall, students everywhere began to panic about their applications. Issues range from whole essays being deleted to people being unable to access their account. These problems are not just happening in New Canaan, but nationally.
Susan Carroll, College and Career Center Coordinator, explained that the reason the Common App is having so many problems is that this is the first year it has been fully online. The whole application was changed, and when they changed it, they never really tested it out, according to Ms. Carroll.
According to Ms. Carroll, they had to re-train everyone in the new system and technology causing for problems in the system. Not only are the applicants having problems, but the recommenders and colleges are as well. Ms. Carroll said, “If you don’t test a new system, you are bound to have problems.”
NCHS seniors who have had the technical issues with the Common App are aggravated with the experience. “Common App was really stressful. I wrote my essay on the supplement section and it deleted the whole thing,” senior Katie O’Sullivan said.
Some colleges are even pushing back their early action deadlines due to the Common App glitches. “Colleges understand, and are fully aware of the problems students are having with the Common App,” Ms. Carroll said.
According to an article in the Washington Post, schools such as Yale, Columbia, Duke and Northwestern have pushed their early action deadlines back one week, in order to relieve applicants’ stress.
Ms. Carroll has a couple of simple solutions to fix the issues, and offers her advice to students. She suggests that if you are having problems, see Mrs. Granite, the registrar, or visit your guidance counselor. If you still can’t figure out your problems, visit the homepage of the Common Application website and go to the “Help Center.” Here, you can search for or ask a question, and expect to receive an answer within about 48 hours.
Luckily, a lot of the problems are being solved everyday, and Common App sends out daily update emails to the guidance counselors with tips and solutions. Common App is improving its problems little by little each day. “Be patient, and keep at it,” Ms. Carroll said.
