Navigating the Common App (2026-2027)

What is the Common App?

The Common Application is a platform that enables students to apply to over 1000 colleges. The Common App helps to streamline the application process by allowing students to apply to multiple schools through this single portal, rather than applying to each school through its own separate process. Though some parts of this application will be sent to every school, you will also be able to supplement and customize your submissions for each specific school. 

Finding Your Way Around the Common Application

It takes a little time to get comfortable navigating around the Common Application. The first step is to understand the main tabs available to you: Dashboard, College Search, My Colleges, and My Common Application.

DASHBOARD TAB

The Dashboard tab is the default opening page once you sign into the Common Application. The Dashboard tab displays your colleges, the status of your work for each major admissions component, and upcoming deadlines. From here, you can get a quick overview of your progress and jump directly to the work you want to complete. 

COLLEGE SEARCH TAB

The College Search tab, located under “Explore” in the sidebar, will bring you to a screen where you can search for colleges. After searching, you will be presented a list of results, where you can click on a school name for more information. Click on the plus sign to add the college to your list and the “My Colleges” tab. Be sure to spell the name correctly (the search engine does not navigate errors or abbreviations) and select the correct college from the results given (e.g. six schools from all over the United States will populate if you search for “Concordia”—and all they have different application requirements!).

MY COLLEGES TAB 

Once you’ve added a few schools to your list (via the College Search tab), the My Colleges tab will populate with those schools and a lot of information. You can add up to 20 colleges. Clicking on a school’s name will give you information about the school, its deadlines, and its requirements, from school-specific questions to recommenders and writing supplements. The My Colleges tab is where schools can individualize the application to fit their own needs; therefore, this section varies widely from school to school. Schools may ask for: 

• Specific information about your family
• Test score reports
• Letters of recommendation
• Additional essays etc.

Though many colleges may suggest that questions and essays are optional, these “optional” fields really are not optional if you actually hope to be admitted. We HIGHLY recommend completing all applicable essays. NOTE: You will need to individually fill out each college’s questions—none of your answers in this section will automatically carry over from one college to the next, even if asking for the same information.

MY COMMON APPLICATION TAB 

The Common App tab is the section of your application that will be sent to all of your prospective schools. Therefore, this section collects information that every school will need, such as your name, date of birth, family history, high school transcript, test scores, activities list, and personal statement essay. After finishing each section, be sure to click continue to save. You do not need to complete these sections in any specific order and can return to make edits any time before submitting. That being said, it is important to fill in this information accurately, so make note of any information you need to look up and come back to later. 

Have lingering questions about the completing the Common App? Reach out! Call us at 608-841-1053 or email info@galined.com to learn more about our college counseling programs and all the ways that we support students!