The Common App went live, everyone’s getting back into school, it’s fall, it’s a busy time. Most students open their Common App with no plan, randomly clicking through sections and filling in blanks whenever they see them. This wastes hours and keeps you from working on the things that actually move your application forward. Here’s the simple approach: plan everything outside the Common App first, schedule short meetings with your parents for family information, and use hidden features like the custom career interest field to stand out.
The Common App went live about a month ago. Everyone’s getting back into school. It’s the fall, it’s a busy time, and I just wanted to share a couple tips that I kind of wish I had to help your Common App process go smoothly.
The theme around this video and the number one tip is simple: plan.
A lot of times I’d be at school, I’d be in my study hall, I’d just get home from practice, and I’d be like, “Okay, let’s do some college admissions work.” I would open up my Common App with no plan and I would kind of just stumble through different sections.
“Oh, let me click through my different colleges. What do I need? Have I done recommenders? FERPA?” I would just scroll through random things and kind of fill in blanks whenever I saw them.
Now I definitely know that this is not the way to go about it.
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Why random clicking doesn’t work
When you open the Common App without a plan and just start filling in blanks wherever you see them, two things happen.
Problem one: you waste time
You’re going to take a lot longer on things that could be very brief. What should take 15 minutes ends up taking an hour because you’re context-switching between sections, losing focus, and redoing work.
Problem two: you avoid the hard stuff
It’s easy to do the random clicking repetitively instead of actually working on the hard things that are going to move your application forward.
Filling in your address? Easy. Clicking through recommender sections? Easy. Actually writing a compelling activities description or drafting your personal statement? Hard.
The random approach lets you feel busy while avoiding the work that actually matters.
Tip one: plan everything outside the Common App
When we write in our Common App, we definitely should not be writing our personal statement in that box. We should not be writing essays for colleges in that box.
We should have clear documentation outside the Common App.
Where to write first
Use whatever works for you:
- Google Drive
- Notion
- Apple Notes
- Word documents
- Any notes app you prefer
Create a folder or workspace specifically for your college applications. Write your essays there. Write your activity descriptions there. Draft everything outside the Common App first.
Why this matters
First, it just makes everything a lot easier. You save yourself from accidentally deleting everything, having things not get saved, whatever. The Common App interface isn’t designed for drafting and editing. External tools are.
Second, it just feels much more professional. You’re getting it all out on paper before you actually convert it to your Common App.
It’s super easy to just scroll through your activities section and say, “Oh, what if I tweak this here? What if I tweak this here?” And it’s a lot better to do that when everything’s outside your Common App, where you can see the full picture and make thoughtful changes.
What to draft externally
- Personal statement (650 words)
- All supplemental essays
- Activity descriptions (150 characters each)
- Honors and awards descriptions
- Additional information section content
Get it all polished before you copy it into the Common App.
Tip two: schedule parent meetings
There’s a lot of family stuff in the Common App. You’ve got to talk about your parents, what they do, stuff like that.
The wrong way to do this
All too many times I’d be like, “Mom!” And I would yell down the stairs at her just trying to get some information. “What was your first job?” Or whatever you need to have.
This is inefficient, frustrating, and leads to incomplete or inaccurate information.
The right way to do this
Find a 15 to 30 minute block with your parents. Sit down and do it with them.
If you’re a parent reading this: find your child and do this with them.
Maybe 15 minutes after dinner. Sit together and fill out all the family information sections at once.
What you’ll need from parents
- Their occupations and employers
- Education history
- Contact information
- Any family circumstances relevant to the application
- Financial information (for financial aid sections)
One focused meeting beats dozens of shouted questions across the house.
Tip three: explore the hidden features
There are some quirks in the Common App. Some cool stuff to explore that most applicants miss.
The career interest trick
If you go to the Education section and then go to Future Plans, you’ll see Career Interest. Most students just pick from the dropdown categories or select “Undecided.”
But here’s the tip: you can click “Other” and then actually type your career interest.
I saw this on TikTok when I was filling out my Common App, and I thought it was a really unique thing to do.
Why this matters
Maybe you don’t fit into one of the standard categories. Maybe you don’t really know what you want to do. Or maybe you have something super specific you want to do.
Instead of putting “Undecided” if you don’t know, or just picking a general category, you can tell them exactly what your career interest is.
I think that’s a really strong way to set yourself apart.
Examples of custom career interests
Instead of selecting “Business” from the dropdown, you could type:
- “Social entrepreneurship focused on education access”
- “Sustainable fashion supply chain management”
- “AI applications in healthcare diagnostics”
Be specific. Be authentic. Show them you’ve actually thought about this.
The big takeaways
Let me summarize what we’ve covered.
Plan and stay organized
Create a Google Drive (or Notion, or whatever you use) outside the Common App for everything:
- Activities descriptions
- Honors and awards
- Essays (personal statement and supplementals)
- Any other written content
Draft, edit, and polish everything there first. Then copy it into the Common App when it’s ready.
Set up meetings with your parents
Whenever you need to fill out family information or any section that requires their input, schedule a 15-30 minute meeting. After dinner works great. Do it together instead of shouting questions across the house.
Explore the quirks
There’s cool stuff hidden in the Common App. The custom career interest field is just one example. Take time to click through and see what options exist beyond the obvious ones.
Plan before you click
The Common App can feel overwhelming. Thousands of students open it with no plan, click around randomly, and wonder why they’re stressed and behind schedule.
Don’t be one of them.
Plan everything outside the Common App first. Schedule focused time with your parents for family information. Explore the hidden features that let you stand out.
This isn’t complicated. It’s just organized. And organization is what separates a stressful application season from a manageable one.
Ready to take the next step?
If you want help organizing your entire college application strategy, not just the Common App but your story, your activities, your essays, and your school list, book a free 45-minute college planning strategy session with our team.
We work with high-performing students in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade to build a multi-year plan so that when senior year arrives, you’re not scrambling. You’re executing a plan you’ve been building for years.
Frequently asked questions about the Common App
When should I start working on my Common App? The Common App opens August 1st each year. If you’re a rising senior, you can start then. But all your drafting and planning should happen before that, ideally over the summer.
Can I save my work in the Common App? Yes, the Common App auto-saves. But that’s exactly why you should draft externally first. You don’t want your rough drafts and half-finished thoughts saved in the actual application. Keep those in your external documents until they’re polished.
How many activities should I list? The Common App allows up to 10 activities. You don’t have to fill all 10. Quality matters more than quantity. List your most meaningful and impactful activities, with the most important ones at the top.
Should I fill out the Additional Information section? Only if you have something meaningful to add that doesn’t fit elsewhere. Don’t use it just to fill space. But if you have context that helps explain your story, circumstances, or achievements, use it.
What if I don’t know my career interest? That’s okay. You can select “Undecided” or you can use the “Other” field to describe what you’re curious about, even if you’re not certain. Something like “Exploring the intersection of technology and public policy” shows thought without requiring commitment.
How long should I spend on the Common App each session? Work in focused blocks. 45-60 minutes of focused work beats 3 hours of random clicking. Plan what you’re going to accomplish before you open the app, do that specific thing, then stop.
