Universal College Application

Available now! A Completely Revised and Updated College Admission

College Admission: From Application to Acceptance Step by Step has been completely revised and updated for changes to the Common Application, testing, the essay, financial aid and more, including information for transfer students and  undocumented students, and timelines for the college application process. Look for the red banner! You can find it here.
 

Our Updated Guide to The Application Form is Available Now!

The Common Application goes live next week -- on Friday, August 1! So we're bringing you a real-time digital supplement to College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step -- our completely revised and updated guide to The Application Form .

It's a complete guide to filling out the college application, which serves as the cornerstone of a student's admission file, including:

Dr. StrangeCollege Has Help for Common App Woes...

Dr. StrangeCollege, aka Jane Kulow (one of our favorite guest bloggers), has some straightforward, actionable advice on her blog today for students who are applying early and experiencing struggles with the Common Application -- "Got Common App problems? Here's what we're trying." Her three-point plan includes advice from Virginia counselor Nancy Griesemer, who has been on top of the Common App complications from the beginning, as well as a link to our real-time digital supplement on how the application form works, including the August changes to the Common Application. (Available as a free download here, too.) It also includes our most well-loved advice: Check the website of each college to which you are applying. Many schools are pushing back early deadlines or offering alternatives such as the Universal College Application or paper submissions.

Seniors: Get your Applications!

We're back! With our weekly reminders for seniors. Each week, we'll be providing information, checklist items and advice on applying to college -- testing, essays, deadlines, college visits, letters of recommendation and more.

First up? Seniors, get your applications.

Visit the websites of every college to which you will apply and find out what application form they support -- the college's own unique form, the Common Application, Universal College Application, or some other electronic application provider.

Download or obtain any university's unique forms (public universities often have their own forms) and if you are applying to schools that use the Common Application or another electronic provider, go ahead and register and create an account.

No need to complete the applications at this point. Just familiarize yourself with the forms and requirements, including deadlines and any supplemental material that you may need to submit. This way you will understand what is ahead of you and can begin to pull together the information required, as well as start budgeting your time accordingly.