College Applications Overview

  From Sept. until Jan., many seniors complete their college applications in hopes of attending their dream university to pursue their careers. With around 5,300 colleges in the entirety of the United States, students research which colleges best suit them and make sure to apply to those schools.

  Some of the most prominent applications that seniors fill out are the Common App, the UC App, and the Cal State App.

  The Common App is applicable to many universities throughout the United States. This means that when applying, students will have various processes and deadlines for the different universities they apply to. Some of the applications require essays, letters of recommendation, activities lists, etc. Since the Common App applies to over 900 universities, it is important for students to keep track of all their different deadlines across the platform.

  Nearly all students who plan on attending a university after high school fill out the Common App regardless of what they desire and want to do in the future. The Common App also allows students to work on the Common App mobile app, which allows students to work on their application anywhere at any time in the day.

  The Common Application is beneficial for seniors to fill out because it could lead to their admittance into some of the most prestigious universities in the country, and even the world.

  The University of California Application, or the UC App, allows students to apply to the nine UC Campuses. The application allows students to submit their information to any of the campuses by selecting which ones they would like to apply to. The application consists of portions where students implement their personal information, an activities list, and four personal insight questions.

  Many California students fill out the UC application at all nine campuses that reside in California. 

  Other important information to note is that the UC’s are all test blind, which means that schools are physically unable to view SAT or ACT scores. This comes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented students from taking the standardized tests throughout the last year and a half. Test centers frequently closed down, which caused students to not take the SAT and ACT.

  Overall, the UC App, also known as the University of California Application, is beneficial for seniors to fill out in hopes of being admitted into these prestigious universities.

  The California State Application, or Cal State App, is another app that many seniors fill out in hopes of being admitted into one of the 23 prestigious campuses. These Cal State Apps are also very common with many students in California as all of the universities are.

  The Cal State Apps are also test blind, similar to the University of California colleges. They also require the A-G High School Graduation requirements for those who reside in California. Also, some majors at the colleges are more difficult to get in because the universities specialize in certain areas of study.

  Both the University of California and the California State University Application are both due on Nov. 30.

  Good luck to all seniors on their college applications and future endeavors.