What began 30 years ago as a concentrated effort to simplify college applications has become a prominent force in the realm of higher education.
The Common Application, initially accepted by only 15 elite institutions, will have 300 members by this July, including Penn.
And in the process of recruiting new schools and attempting to standardize the application process, the Common App has managed to influence the manner in which admissions are conducted throughout the United States.
The Common App spearheaded the shift from paper to online applications, which has been the single most significant change in college-applications history, said Jennifer FitzPatrick, a college counselor involved with the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling.
In 1998, when the Common Application became available online, it was one of the first applications to do so.
The shift "really has made the process easier," Fitzpatrick said.
During its effort to move the application process online, some say the Common Application -- which makes it simpler to apply to multiple colleges -- also caused a rise in applications overall.
Joan Jaffe, associate dean of admissions at Mills College in Oakland, Calif., which was an original Common Application member, said that the school started to receive more applications when the Common Application was introduced online.
"The paper application is on its way out," she said, adding that Mills now receives around two-thirds of its applications online.
David Hawkins, director of public policy at the National Association for College Admission Counseling, a group of about 9,000 college-admissions counselors, agreed that the shift to online applications is one of many reasons why more students are applying to college.
Still, it's not the only reason behind such increases.
"Penn had many large applicant-pool increases over the years without being a Common App member," Common Application Executive Director Rob Killion said in an e-mail interview, adding that "while the Common App streamlines the process, it doesn't make it easy or quick."
Aside from online availability, the Common Application has also encouraged "holistic admission" -- which means that factors other than grades and test scores are used to evaluate students. Use of this system is the sole criterion for membership in the Common Application.
Killion said he hopes all holistic-scoring institutions will eventually use the Common Application, adding that two-thirds of such universities are already members.
But despite its effect on college applications, the application's future expansion may be limited.
Hawkins said he doubts that the Common Application will become universally accepted due to the "unique needs of each school" in their applications.
He added that he has heard criticism that "standardized applications might stifle student creativity," though these ideas are not widespread.
Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Va., for example, withdrew from the Common App in part because it requires an essay, and Lynchburg doesn't always seek essays from applicants, Director of Admissions Sharon Walters-Bower said.
Nonetheless, Common Application officials stand by the progress they have made so far.
The application "streamlines the college-application process and therefore saves valuable time for all parties involved," Killion wrote in an e-mail interview.
Speedy growth
- The Common Application was started by 15 schools 30 years ago
- 300 will accept the common application as of this July
- Penn is among 23 schools to join this year
