Applying for college can be an incredibly stressful time for students and parents alike. The Common Application (or “Common App” as it’s commonly known) helps to simplify and streamline the process.

Similar to the UCAS process in the UK, the Common Application makes it possible for students to apply to several schools using a single application. Although you don’t need to use the Common App—as you can also apply directly to a school using their website or paper application—the Common App makes it much easier to apply to multiple schools at once.

The Common App is accepted by nearly 900 colleges and universities, most of which are in the USA. The website functionality was updated in July of 2019, and it is now an excellent place to begin searching around and making necessary preparations.

Here we’ll give a brief explanation of the key points about the Common App, along with a few tips to get you on your way.

How to Use the Common App

First, go to commonapp.org and simply look around. You can search for colleges or other information, and you can begin getting a feel for how it works. The new application season opens on August 1^st of each year, but you can create an account any time you like.

To use the Common App, you will need to follow these steps:

1. Create Your Profile
2. Add colleges to your list
3. Gather requirements
4. Submit applications

Students are advised to start their applications on August 1^st before their senior year.

The Common App is free to use, though some schools may charge their own application fees, which you will have to pay when submitting those applications.

What Information Do I Need?

To begin an application, go to commonapp.org and click the “Apply Now” button. For the application, you will need standard CV/resume information (academic history, work history, extracurriculars, awards, etc.), and some schools will require letters of recommendation and transcripts.

The Common App also has seven essay prompts that you may need to submit with applications. Some schools require one of these essays, whereas others don’t (some schools will have essay requirements of their own). Still, it’s a good idea to have a good essay ready to go, just in time you need it. We have much more information on the essay prompts in our blog post: All About the Common App Essay Prompts

Need help writing a compelling essay? Contact our SOP Writing Services!

The Common App²

There is also now a Common App mobile app (the Common App-App, as it were), which has the incredibly useful feature of keeping track of deadlines for different colleges. We highly recommend that you download and utilize this app’s features. As you move forward with applications, the number of details, deadlines, and responsibilities can start to spiral out of control.

Maybe you have a special ability to keep track of multiple dates and times and deadlines and remind yourself at just the right time. If you don’t, the mobile app can serve as a second brain, allowing you to keep everything straight and stay on track. 

The Early Bird Gets the . . . Degree

In truth, the Common App is relatively standard and self-explanatory, as far as college applications go. The most important thing to remember is that procrastination will make this process much, much more stressful. It’s important to get started as early as possible (August 1^st, if you can), so that you have as much time to work out any problems that come up.

The essays and letters of recommendation are perhaps the most time-consuming aspect of the Common App, so it’s good to get started on these first.

Be sure to pay attention to the particulars of each university’s admissions process. Some will want different essays or letters of recommendation, and some will charge fees while others are free. If you do have questions, you can contact the university’s admissions department.

When preparing your application to university or graduate school, you may notice that some schools ask for a “Statement of Purpose”, whereas others require a “Personal Statement”. This leads everyone to inevitably type into the search bar:

What’s the difference between a Statement of Purpose and a Personal Statement?

 Think of it like this:

A Statement of Purpose is more about the Statement.
A Personal Statement is more about the Personal.

Statement of Purpose

A Statement of Purpose (SOP) is like a CV in paragraph form. You need to start with an introduction describing why you are interested in your chosen major, followed by a few paragraphs describing your relevant academic courses, extracurricular experiences, work history, and closing by describing your future goals and how the school’s program can help you achieve them. Each of these topics can have their own paragraphs, or sometimes they can be combined. An SOP is usually around 5-7 paragraphs, 500-800 words. It’s fairly straightforward; you don’t need to be overly artistic or creative in your writing style, but it is a good idea to put some work into making sure it sounds interesting, has a good introduction/conclusion, and is error-free and formatted well.

Personal Statement

In contract with an SOP, a Personal Statement tends to be much more of a creative writing project and a chance to showcase what makes you unique. It should reflect your unique voice, your unique experiences, and your unique personality. It should grab the reader’s attention and tell an interesting story. However, given the fact that every student who writes a Personal Statement is going to try to make it as unique and special as possible, it is important to avoid going over the top. Don’t be pretentious. You’re not Hunter S. Thompson. You will need to really take some time to reflect on what makes you stand out from the crowd, and how you can best represent this in a written essay. (Hint: Write, rewrite, rewrite again, get some other people to critique it, and then rewrite it a few more times.)

Compare this student’s Statement of Purpose with his Personal Statement below:

SOP-vs-PS-SOP

SOP-vs-PS-PS

As you can see above, although the core content of these two essays is the same, the information is expressed in very different ways in the two essays.

*The Advice Here is True, Except When It Isn’t

On this page, we’ve tried to describe how SOPs and Personal Statements are different. But it is important to note that some people/schools tend to use these terms interchangeably. Therefore, it is important to look carefully at each school’s requirements for their application essay. Many schools will give a specific list of points that they want you to cover. Also, many schools will give you a word limit or character limit, which you should adhere to precisely. And if you really get stuck and have no idea which type of essay to write, it can be possible to write an essay that is kind of halfway between an SOP and a Personal Statement—basically an SOP with more pizzazz and more of a personal touch.

Our SOP Writing Services feature writers with years of experience writing SOPs, Personal Statements, and virtually every kind of application essay that you could think of. We have written thousands of successful application essays and would be more than happy to help write yours!

The Common Application can be used to apply to over 800 colleges or universities in the USA.

For the Common App, you will need to submit an answer to an essay prompt. The good news is: the Common App provides a list of seven essay prompts, and those for the 2019/2020 year are the same as those from the previous year. So if you need help, you can surely find samples and ideas online.

The essay prompts for 2019/2020 are at the bottom of this post. You should choose one of these prompts and write an essay of no more than 650 words.

Tips for Writing Your Essay

Everyone is going to give you basically the same advice for writing your essay: Be original, genuine, and interesting. Try to stand out. Proofread and rewrite. Make sure there are no errors, and get a proofreader if necessary.

This advice is about all you need. However, it is also worth considering hiring someone to help write your essay. Some students are simply not very good at writing, and there are plenty of majors, from highly sophisticated engineering programs to labor-intensive technical programs, that require little in the way of writing talent. If writing is not your strong suit, a professional writer can help give you a leg up in your application.

Of course, we recommend our Essay Writing Service, though you may have acquaintances who would be even better writing help. Feel free to contact our writing service or email writer@essaysmith.com, and we’d be glad to help out!

The 2019/2020 Common App Essay Prompts

Here they are, the essay prompts used for both the 2018/2019 and the 2019/2020 Common Application:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, please share your story.
2. 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?
3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma — anything of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging 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?
7. 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.

What is UCAS?

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS) facilitates the application process for many higher education institutes in the UK, from undergraduate to postgraduate. The UCAS application process will involve filling out the application form, writing a personal statement, submitting reference letters, and other steps depending on your level and subject. Level- and subject-specific guidelines can be found on the official UCAS site: https://www.ucas.com/

The UCAS Personal Statement

The personal statement is a key part of the UCAS application, as it is your chance to present your individual qualities and convince schools that you are a worthy applicant. Therefore, you will need to spend a lot of time on this essay and include the right information.

Here are some ideas for what to include in your UCAS personal statement:

• Make the essay as personal as possible. This is your chance to show the admissions staff who you are and what makes you unique. Take some time to think about your life, your interest in your proposed major, and what led to this decision.
• Talk about why you want to study your chosen course. Spend a lot of time on this. This is a chance to either stand out and distinguish yourself as a unique candidate, or else blend in to the crowd as another average applicant without clear ambitions. You should be passionate about your chosen major, and you should relate this to some personal stories from your life, your influences, and your past upbringing, if possible.
• Focus on your skills and experiences. This includes things you may have learned in classes (math, research, quantitative skills, for example), skills you may have developed through extracurricular activities (leadership, communication, interpersonal skills, for example), and what you have learned from work experiences (professionalism, time management, for example). Be specific, and try to be as engaging and sincere as possible, rather than just stating a list of qualities that you have.
• Avoid mentioning any schools by name. You only write one personal statement, and this essay can be used to apply to several different schools. So you should not mention the name of any particular university, department, or courses that you plan to take.

Guidelines for Writing the UCAS Personal Statement

The UCAS Personal Statement has a word limit of 4,000 characters or 47 lines, which will be around 500-600 words.

You should write your personal statement in a Word document first, so that you can proofread, edit, and revise the essay as many times as you need. When you are ready to submit it, you can simply copy and paste the essay into the online application.

UCAS also offers a personal statement writing tool to help you practice writing your essay.

You can view the official UCAS guidelines here:

https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/how-write-ucas-undergraduate-personal-statement

Still Need Help?

If you need examples of successful UCAS personal statements, you’re in luck! We have several free sample UCAS personal statements that you can use to jumpstart your brain and start putting pen to paper (or … fingers to keyboard). 

If you’re still stuck, we are happy to help write your UCAS personal statement. It’s important that you first think about your experiences and goals, and provide as much information to us as possible. Contact our essay writing service (or simply email writer@essaysmith.com), and we’ll do what we can to get you on the road to UCAS success!

If you intend to study abroad in a university program in Australia, you will need to satisfy the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) Criterion as part of your visa application. To do this, you need to provide a written statement of no more than 500 words, which convinces the immigration officer that you are worthy of a student visa.

What is the GTE Criterion?

Basically, the Genuine Temporary Entrant Criterion exists to determine whether to issue GTE visas to applicants. The Department of Immigration and Border Patrol (DIBP) officers want to see the following in your application:

• Acceptance from an educational institution in Australia
• Your GTE statement
• Proof or English language proficiency
• Proof that you meet the health requirements
• Proof of adequate health insurance
• Evidence of sufficient financial means

As stated on the official website of Australia’s Department of Home Affairs, “All applicants for a Student visa must show they are coming to Australia temporarily to gain a quality education.” They essentially want to ensure that you are eligible to study in Australia, that you are coming to Australia temporarily, and that this will significantly add value to you in your future career after you leave Australia.

You should carefully look over the document requirements of the Department of Home Affairs’ website: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/student-500/genuine-temporary-entrant

The Department of Home Affairs has also produced a pdf document explaining in detail what they expect to see in the GTE application:

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/Visa-subsite/files/direction-no-69.pdf

You will need to go over each item carefully and take the time necessary to ensure that you meet the requirements. Of these requirements, the GTE statement may prove the most daunting and the most time-consuming.

What should I include in my GTE statement?

Your GTE statement is an important part of the GTE visa application because it will give you a chance to explain your reasons for going to Australia and how this will help you in your future, as well as alleviating any potential worries the immigration official may have about your application.

The GTE essay is similar to a statement of purpose, but you need to make sure that you address all of the following points in your essay:

• Why have you decided to study in Australia? (Why not remain in your home country? Why not go to a different country, such as the US or UK?)
• Why have you chosen this university/program in particular? (What are its unique strengths or benefits, and how do these relate to your career goals? What are some courses or research projects that interest you? Be specific!)
• What connections do you have in Australia? (Do you have family/friends there? Are you supporting yourself financially? What are your plans for housing and other accomodations?)
• What are your ties to your home country? (In other words: How do we know you will leave Australia? Are you married? Do you have a job waiting for you in your home country?)
• What is your travel history? (Have you travelled to Australia before? Why? Have you applied for visas in other countries? Explain any of these situations as clearly as possible.)
• What are your future goals, and how will studying in Australia help you achieve them? (Be as specific as possible!)

Is the GTE Statement the same as a Statement of Purpose / Personal Statement?

No! For the GTE statement, there are a few key points that differentiate it from an SOP:

• Answer specific questions
• Focus less (though perhaps a little) on academic/work/extracurriculars
• You can write the GTE statement in a foreign language! You simply need to submit a translated English version with your application.

The government does not set a word limit for this statement, but you should try to keep it relatively concise, at about one page. Some schools advice a limit of 500 words; others suggest an even shorter 2,000-character limit. It can be difficult to address all of the above points such a relatively short essay, so be prepared to write, rewrite, and edit several times.

Still Need Help?

We have several free sample GTE statements that you can use as a guideline to write your own statement.

If you need still help crafting your essay, contact our essay writing service. We’ve written several GTE statements over the years, and we’d be glad to help with yours!