With the deadline of the Common Application upon the seniors, the stress is palpable. The normal coffee in the morning is just not enough to get through the day anymore. Many seniors stay up until the wee hours of the morning, trying to finish supplemental and Common App essays along with balancing  school work.

College counselors have closed their office to send out transcripts and recommendations that need to get to universities before the early decision and early action deadline. Many students are applying to one early decision (binding) and multiple early action (non-binding) schools. Many of these schools have more than one essay required, which is the factor that makes most students cringe. Senior Lizzie Clemons said, “The supplements are really hard because it’s like starting your Common App essay all over again!”

Some schools even have their own applications that are separate from the Common App, which makes life that much more difficult for applicants. As if filling out a whole new application wasn’t enough, students must also write multiple supplementary essays! However, the main aspect worrying this year’s students is not the application process itself, but the program used to apply to college: The Common App.

Established over 35 years ago, The Common App was designed to facilitate the college admissions process.  This software allows  students to load all of their information onto one website, and then electronically apply to schools throughout the nation. Today, it has been widely used by over 500 universities, including most Ivy League schools, to receive student applications.

Recently upon the unveiling of their updated website, the Common App has come under scrutiny for experiencing many technical difficulties and glitches with its server, jeopardizing thousands of students nationwide in the process. Over 46 universities and colleges have been forced to postpone their deadlines due to these unexpected problems.  Some of the problems include the site’s inability to copy and paste from Microsoft Word, the inability to save one’s work, the inability to log on to the website at particularly busy hours, and even problems with paying for and submitting the application. PC senior Laura Rivas says, “It’s really frustrating when you have a deadline to meet and the Common App won’t submit.” Especially now since the deadline is approaching so quickly and all the stragglers have yet to submit their applications, the Common App is likely to have more difficulties.

The PC college counselors have found that it is easiest to submit applications in the morning rather than at night, due to the lower volume of website traffic. While filling out applications may be aggravating now, it will all be worth it when the college acceptance letters start being mailed! For all the seniors out there- best of luck getting into your schools!