College Applications
College applications are like putting together a puzzle of you. Don't leave out any important pieces or admission reps won't get the full picture of who you are. Take a look at these:
Basic Types of applications
The Common Application
- The most widely used application with over 1000 member colleges and universities:
- Applications are electronically submitted.
- One universal document that can be sent to any member college.
- Colleges may have their own supplemental/essay questions.
- Deadlines will vary by college.
State Based Applications
Some states have their own applications that like the common app can be used to apply to any of the campuses in the state. Depending on the state, the common app may or may not be accepted.
Example of state applications that do not accept the common app:
University of California (UC) / California State (CSU)
- The UC and CSU applications use their own forms which are also electronically submitted.
- The common app is not accepted at these schools.
- These schools us an A-G matching formula for calculating GPA
Example of state applications that do accept the common app:
Texas University System
College Specific Applications
- Some colleges provide their own college-specific application system
- Ensure that you do not send both a Common App and college specific app to a school.
- UC Application HomePage
- UC Application Video
- A-G Matching (use Pomona HS for reference)
- A-G Matching for Fairview Students
