Many private colleges require the use of the online Common Application. With the Common App, you enter your basic information and stats into a single application that is sent to all your member colleges. The Common App also centralizes all the pieces of your applications in one place, such as essays, supplemental questions, recommendations, and deadlines. How-to Guide
The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success was developed to improve the college application process for all students as they search for and apply to their perfect college. The platform provides a single, centralized toolkit for students to organize, build, and refine their applications to numerous institutions.
How do I report grades of high school courses taken in middle school (ex: algebra, language)?
Only report middle school courses that appear on your high school transcript, otherwise don’t report it. If it is not reported, it will be assumed you took the class in middle school in order to qualify to take the next in the series as a Freshman in high school.
If it appears on your transcript:
use the “Other courses” section under "Courses & Grades"
Answer "yes" to "Do you have other courses on your transcript with grades?"
Click the button to add the course, the choose the high school that lists the course on their transcript. You don’t need to add the middle school name.
https://appsupport.commonapp.org/s/article/How-do-I-report-middle-school-courses-in-Courses-Grades
Which GPA is used if I attended more than one high school?
Use the GPA from your current high school.
How do I report courses not taken at my high school, such as a summer pre-college class, Coursera class, etc?
Use the "Additional information" section under the "Writing" section to list the course, grade (if any), and institution. You can also briefly describe why you took the course.
Can I report "Athletic PE"?
Yes, since it is on your transcript you may report it.
How do I report summer-school grades?
If you attended summer-school to make up a grade in a high school class, you will report it under “Other courses” in the Courses & Grades section.
Answer "yes" to "Do you have any other courses on your transcript with grades? (This may include middle school, post-12th grade, or summer courses that appear on your official transcript.)"
Click the button to enter the course.
Choose the name of the high school whose transcript reports that grade.
Enter the year, grading scale, under "Schedule" enter "Other", under "Please describe" enter "summer school" .
Complete the remaining information.
How or when do I use the "Additional information" section?
This section can be found in the “Writing” section and can be used to describe:
events that impacted you (250 words max)
additional information you want to share (250 words max)
Advice on when/how to use it: https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/common-app-additional-info-guide-examples
Where do I report SAT, ACT or AP scores?
You'll find prompts for these under the "Testing" section under the Common App tab.
How do I assign my Recommenders for my Letters of Recommendation?
Our district uses MAIALearning to manage the Letters of Recommendation from our teachers.
However, if you are seeking a letter from someone outside our district (ex: employer, retired teacher, coach, etc.), you can make that request via Common App. You will assign Recommenders to each school so that the Common App knows to send that recommendation to that school. This lets you decide which colleges receive certain recommendations.
To assign a Recommender, follow these steps.
Go to the Recommenders and FERPA section (left menu) of a school in the My Colleges tab
Click the "Invite recommenders" button. Complete the information and click "Invite". Note that you can click "Invite Recommenders" to add additional people.
The recommender is now assigned. You'll need to repeat this assigning process for each of your schools and for each of your Recommenders.
The Recommender will receive email instructions on how to submit the Letter of Recommendation electronically through the Common App link or via mailing a hard copy.
Do I need to ask my high school to send the School Report or Counselor Report if it's required for a college?
No. This information will automatically be sent on your behalf.
How can I find answers to other Common App questions?
There is an FAQ section of the Common App, for example. https://appsupport.commonapp.org/applicantsupport/s/topic/0TO0V000001QRLFWA4/courses-grades
You can also Google your questions, such as "Common app how to enter..."