Class of 2026…the Common App is ready for YOU! This is an exciting day and the beginning of a new chapter for college-bound students. Here are some of my tips for navigating this year’s Common App.
Side note…one of my first PR campaigns many years ago was 7-Eleven’s “So many changes, it isn’t even funny!” That line stuck with me, and I think it applies to college admissions, too! Why? So much information and so many requirements are college-specific, and things CHANGE! Prompts, deadlines, requirements, etc. Even comparing college websites to the Common App, you may see discrepancies. Try to stay on top of all of the moving details, even if it feels like you’re trying to catch wet spaghetti! Research is an amazing and powerful tool when navigating college admissions.
Now let’s talk Common App!
- Account Rollover – If you started your Common App prior to 8/1, SOME info will roll over; some won’t. Verify anything you already entered. Check out my article explaining that, plus intel on what’s NEW in this year’s Common App. There are definitely some changes this year, but nothing too major. I’ve outlined most of the big ones in my article linked here.
- Preview – That’s your best friend in the Common App. Preview + proof what you enter with the PREVIEW button before submitting. If you’ve seen me talk at schools, I share the comment from one admissions officer who told me a student uploaded breakup texts from a boyfriend by accident. Preview + proof! Trust me, it’s worth it!
- AI-Generated Essays – No. Please, no! So many reasons why. This is definitely NOT the writing colleges are looking for, and it can really backfire on you. Present your best, authentic work – THAT is a winner!
- For the WRITING SECTIONS – Write & edit somewhere else before copying & pasting into the Common App. Then PROOF again. Many times, spacing & formatting get wonky and need to be adjusted. Also, note that the dash (-) sometimes counts as a word.
- Activity List – Did you edit first offline? Change/add anything? UPDATE! Also, note the activity section allows you to MOVE activities UP & DOWN after entering. Again PREVIEW! Position + Organization appear in BOLD and are automatically separated by a comma for you.
- Respect the Word Counts 🙂 – One year, a student called me to say that the Common App was allowing him to enter MORE than the word count. Should he? No. Follow the directions provided 🙂
- Formatting – Again, sometimes this has to be redone after entering content and is really limited (italics, bold, underline). This is a REAL bummer to me. I’ve had many students who wanted to insert emojis or international languages, and I’ve suggested this upgrade every year to the Common App. Maybe one year…
I’ll be adding a video to this post to SHOW you how to navigate the 2025-26 Common App below.
Good luck, and let me know if I can help you!
