The Common Application

The Common Application is an online college application that is accepted by over 800 colleges and universities throughout the United States. The Common Application allows you to fill out the application once and submit it to every school you’re applying to. The Common Application also allows you to submit and track other components of your application such as supplements, payments, and school forms.

Be aware that many schools have supplemental forms specific to their college or university as well.

This year’s Common Application prompts are as follows:

  1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, please share your story.
  2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
  3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
  4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma — anything of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
  5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
  6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
  7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Students applying for the Fall 2021 school year can create a Common App account at any time during their junior year, however, they cannot complete the application until August 1, 2021. Please make note of your username and password!

Mrs. Sally Checca College Counselor schecca@olma.org 516-921-1047 (ext 192)

Under ACADEMIC SECTION:

Class Rank Reporting: Select “None”
Graduating Class Size: 97
Cumulative GPA: Enter your Weighted GPA (found in Naviance and unofficial transcript)
GPA Scale: Select “100”
GPA Weighting: Select “Weighted”
High School (CEEB) Code: 335-440

Early Decision Using the Common Application

If you are applying online and applying Early Decision (ED) to an institution, it is necessary that you complete the ED Agreement. In order to complete and submit this form, you must select the Early Decision term option for one school (the school you wish to select will be located under the “My Colleges” tab). Once this decision is selected, the ED Agreement will be available in the Recommenders and FERPA section of your Common App account.

  1. You, the applicant, must read and sign the agreement from within your Common App account. You must then notify the College Counselor that you are applying for ED. Go to the Recommenders and FERPA section to read and sign the ED agreement, then save the page.
  2. The College Counselor must read and sign the agreement from within their account (if your counselor has agreed to complete school forms online).
  3. You need to add and then select a parent/legal guardian at the bottom of the page in the Recommenders and FERPA section before the online ED Agreement is sent to this person. Enter your Parent/Legal Guardian details and save the page.
  4. Your parent/legal guardian must read and sign the agreement. The Parent/Legal Guardian must go to the URL provided, enter their email address (enter it exactly as it appears on the notification email, it is case sensitive), read and sign the ED Agreement, then save it.

Please note the College Counselor is responsible for the submission of the ED Agreement once you have completed it.

Note: As of this writing, the following universities do not require the parent signature for the ED Agreement:

  • Wesleyan Universit
  • Miami University

Note: As of this writing, the following university does not require the ED Agreement to be signed by the College Counselor:

  • Cornell University

Linking Naviance and the Common Application

Naviance Student simplifies the process the Wellness Department and teachers follow to send school reports, midyear reports, and recommendation letters to Common Application colleges. You can help make sure your forms and recommendations are delivered promptly by entering your Common App username on Naviance Student. In both systems, you must use your OLMA email address.

Follow the steps below to match your Common App and Naviance Student accounts:

On the Common App:

  • Register for an account
  • Click the Common App tab and enter your high school information in the Education section
  • Click the My Colleges tab and add at least one college
  • Click Recommenders and FERPA
  • Sign the FERPA Release Authorization

On Naviance Student:

  • Click the Colleges tab
  • Click Colleges I’m Applying To
  • Click Match Accounts in pink banner
  • Enter your Common App email address and Date of Birth into the text boxes on the Common App Account Matching screen
  • Click Match Accounts
 Save as PDF