Smarter Admissions

There’s no denying it: college applications are a lot of work! Many students know that writing college essays will be time consuming, but they don’t often plan for the time investment necessary for other components of the application. In this blog post, we will look at the information students need to complete for the Common Application (“Common App”).

To be prepared to complete the Profile, Family, and Educational Background sections of the Common App, students should gather the following information:

Profile

This section is straightforward, asking for the student’s:

• Name
• Address
• Date of Birth
• Citizenship

Family

The Common App requires some background information about each parent that students often don’t know. To ensure the accuracy of this information in their application(s), and to help students complete this section efficiently, parents should plan to participate in this step of the application completion process.

Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*). This information is needed for each parent and college attended, as applicable.

• Parent Name:*
• Preferred Email:*
• Preferred phone number and type (cell, mobile, or home):
• Occupation (or former, if retired):
• Employment status (Employed, unemployed, retired, self-employed):
• Education level (highest level completed):*
• Total number of higher education institutions attended:*
• For each college you attended:*
  • College Name:*
  • Number of degrees earned:*
  • Degree received (Associate, Bachelor, Master’s, Doctorate, Business, Law, Medicine, Other):*
  • Year Received:*

Educational Background

To complete this section, students will need a copy of their High School transcript, standardized test scores, and dates of testing.

High School Transcript

In most cases, an unofficial transcript is acceptable for college applications. You should have an unofficial transcript that includes classes and grades through the end of Junior year so you can complete the courses and grades section of the Common App. You will also need to include your Senior year courses.

This is a time-consuming, tedious task, so make sure you have dedicated time to complete it accurately!

Students should understand the process that their high school uses for sending official transcripts to colleges in case one of your chosen schools requires an official transcript upon application (and not just upon enrollment). 

Test Scores (SAT/ACT) and dates of testing

If your student is choosing to submit standardized test scores, the subsection scores and composite scores are required.

Students should know whether the schools to which they apply will allow superscoring and/or if all test scores must be submitted.

Preparation Makes Completion Easier

Understanding from the outset that this background information will take time to complete accurately can help stave off frustration when students sit down to work on the Common App. Taking the time to gather this information beforehand can help students complete these initial sections of the Common App more efficiently. 

For more information, students can use the AXS Companion for guidance on completing the Common App. Each section of the AXS Companion includes informational videos, helpful tips, a glossary of application terms, and links to resources mentioned in the videos. This resource is a collaborative effort of Oregon State University and the Independent Educational Consultants Association.