Common App vs Coalition App: Key Similarities and Differences

Common App vs Coalition App: Key Similarities and Differences

If you are weighing the Common App vs Coalition App, you are not alone. Students keep applying to more colleges, and Common App reports that the average applicant now applies to about seven of its member colleges. [1] More applications can bring more stress. The sheer coordination of competing logistics — different essays, different testing requirements, different deadlines, different forms — can feel dizzying. It’s no surprise that a huge supply of digital resources has emerged to help navigate these complexities.

The centralized application portals like the Common Application and the Coalition Application have impacted the overall admissions landscape for the better, expanding access and streamlining a notoriously intimidating process. Which brings me to a question that many students have: What is the difference between the Common App and the Coalition App? Why would you, a college applicant, choose to use one as opposed to the other? From a Former Admissions Officer’s perspective, does one application methodology offer advantages to its users?

I hope that this blog provides some practical, helpful insight into the pros, cons, and differences between the two dominant application systems. I’ll begin by describing each system separately, accounting for their particular histories and mission statements. In conclusion, I’ll try to make sense of their contrasting features and purposes, and hopefully you’ll get a better idea of the Common App vs. the Coalition Application.

Common App vs Coalition App at a Glance

Before diving into the details, here is a quick side-by-side view of the two platforms.

The Common Application

Mission Statement

The Common App was founded in 1975, over forty years ago, long before the promise of digital interconnectedness. As an educational non-profit, the Common App describes itself as “committed to the pursuit of access, equity, and integrity in the college admissions process,” and today students can use its online application to apply to more than 1,000 colleges and universities. Chances are, most schools on your college list are members of the Common App. Undoubtedly, the Common App is the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive application portal available.

The Different Sections

The Common App is divided into different sections so that admissions officers can learn more about you in an organized way. The different portions of the Common App are:

• Profile
• Family
• Education
• Testing
• Activities
• Writing
• Additional Information

Activities List

Apart from requiring you to fill out basic information regarding your demographics, family, and educational background, the Common App provides the opportunity to list and rank a maximum of ten activities that you’ve been involved with in high school. For the title of the activity, you’re allowed 50 characters (not words); for the description of the activity, you’re allowed 150 characters. [2] 150 characters will quickly disappear as you start writing! You need to be strategic and thoughtful when crafting each one of these descriptions, focusing on leadership, sustained involvement, and tangible achievements. For line-by-line tips, see how to write the Common App activities section.

Personal Statement

You’ll also be asked to write a personal statement of no more than 650 words. The personal statement gives admissions officers a chance to get to know you better! This essay should be true to you and elaborate on a formative experience that you believe makes you unique. The current Common App personal statement prompts are:

• Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
• The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
• Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
• Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
• Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
• Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
• Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Website Logistics

Beyond these fundamentals, the Common App also helps with two other logistical pieces. First, the website will facilitate the request and submission of recommendation letters from your high school teachers; this feature is integrated into the Common App itself. Second, the website is also a first-rate research tool, helping you find relevant, helpful, and accurate information about its member institutions, such as deadlines, requirements, and supplemental essay prompts. In my opinion, this is one of the most underutilized and underrated aspects of the Common App, and I highly recommend it to students and parents alike.

For a complete walkthrough of every section, read our Common App guide.

The Coalition Application

Mission Statement

The Coalition for College was founded in 2015 with a focus on improving access to higher education, and it offers college-planning tools that help students learn about, prepare for, and apply to college. Today, the Coalition includes 150+ colleges and universities. [3] Its member list includes Harvard, Yale, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Chicago. [4] While the Coalition is gaining popularity, you may be able to go through the application process without having to use this platform.

The Coalition also sets standards for its member institutions. In particular, all member schools must meet or exceed the Coalition’s graduation rate requirements. [4]

The Different Sections

Both the Common App and the Coalition App are divided into different sections. Because Coalition with Scoir runs on the Scoir platform, its sections are organized differently from the Common App’s, so review each section in your Scoir account before you begin.

When comparing the Common App vs. Coalition Application, it’s important to note that the Common App does allow students to fill out honors, academic interests, and future plans. They are simply included within the education section instead of separately.

Activities List

The Coalition App requires the same basic information about your background and high school experiences. There are no major differences between the Common App vs. the Coalition Application to note in this regard. But there are changes to be aware of within the activities section. Because the Coalition application now runs on Scoir, its activities format differs from the Common App, so check the number of activity slots and character limits in your Scoir account before you copy descriptions over. Use any extra space to show what you accomplished, not just what you did.

Personal Statement

The essay requirement is also similar: the Coalition recommends about 500 to 650 words. [5] That being said, colleges are also allowed to set their own limits. Since that range lines up with the Common App’s 650-word limit, you can often adapt the same personal statement for both platforms. Just check each college’s instructions in case it sets its own length.

Just like with the Common App, make sure your Coalition essay is true to you and conveys a story only you can tell. Be sure to proofread and edit as much as possible. Coalition with Scoir offers six prompts, including an option to submit an essay on a topic of your choice. [5] The other five prompts are:

• Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
• What interests or excites you? How does it shape who you are now or who you might become in the future?
• Describe a time when you had a positive impact on others. What were the challenges? What were the rewards?
• Has there been a time when an idea or belief of yours was questioned? How did you respond? What did you learn?
• What success have you achieved or obstacle have you faced? What advice would you give a sibling or friend going through a similar experience?

Common App vs Coalition App: Which Should You Choose?

The research functions of the Coalition App are somewhat more limited than the Common App, as the Coalition has fewer member colleges to look-up. Because the Coalition application now runs on Scoir, you enter your basic information once in Scoir to apply to any participating member school. [6]

If your high school already uses Scoir, you may have an account for researching colleges and building your list well before senior year.

I’d like to assure you that — from an admissions perspective — there’s no real or relevant advantage to using one of these websites as opposed to another when thinking about the Common App vs. the Coalition Application. They are essentially identical, and their apparent differences are not demonstrably meaningful. Depending on what you’ve participated in throughout high school, the Common App’s ten activity slots can be helpful. This is particularly useful for students with significant and interesting extracurricular involvement. In the vast majority of circumstances, however, there’s no real strategic advantage to be gained.

There may be compelling practical reasons when deciding between the Common App vs. the Coalition Application. I would recommend that any college applicant simplify their process as much as possible. If you can avoid having to use both application portals, avoid it! The redundant data entry can be time consuming, and can feel especially burdensome (“why am I doing this again?”). Check out the lists of member institutions for the Common App and for the Coalition App, and see if one or the other more completely captures the list of schools you’re interested in.

A few colleges have historically accepted the Coalition App but not the Common App, though many now accept both. Clemson, for example, accepts its own application, the Coalition Application, and the Common App, and it gives no preference to any of them. [7] Always confirm current platforms on each college’s admissions website.

If you want to apply to your Coalition-approved in-state university, and the other schools you plan on applying to are also available through Coalition, then roll ahead with this platform! Simplification is key.

The Common App also offers broader research tools, since it covers far more colleges.

On the whole, when comparing the Common App vs. the Coalition Application for most circumstances, I think the Common App is ultimately a more helpful and pertinent application system, and it is what I officially recommend. As the most widely used application platform, it’s an essential piece of the admissions process. If you don’t need the Coalition, I think you’re better off with a Common App-centric approach.

When deciding between the Common App vs. the Coalition Application, remember that both systems are at the core of the college application process. These platforms ultimately deliver all of your hard work to admissions offices! Don’t underestimate their importance. Start getting familiar with the systems that you’ll need today, and map your deadlines with this college application timeline.

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