Northwest High School: College & Career Center

College Readiness

Types of Applications:

The Common Application (CA) Use one application for 700 institutions across the country (and the world).
The Coalition Application for Access, Affordability, and Success for 113 institutions was developed to improve the college application process for all students as they search for and apply to their perfect college.
Common Black Application (CBA) Created to aid lower-income families in getting into college, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Common App allows students to apply to half of the nation's historically black schools with a single application fee.

*Check for University Specific Applications

Create the following accounts:

Northwest College Application Guides & Resources:

The College Application Process for Northwest High School | see Counseling web page for updates |
The Northwest Senior Year Survival Guide
Workshop: The College Essay. Presented by Mimi Yu with the Montgomery College Writing Center.
Collegiate Directions Workshops (CDI). A resource for all things college related, including the application process and financial aid. Visit their website and look for the events calendar link under 'What We Do' for a list of virtual workshops!

Helpful Links:

The Common App Home Page: Search for current Essay Prompts with Tips & Tools
The Common App Made Easy Guide from College Wise
How to Make the Common App Less Common Summer Workshop recording presented by CollegeWise
Common App Ready Resources (downloadable guides)
The Common App Matching Guide
The Common Application (PDF) presented by Meredith Lombardi, Associate Director, Outreach & Education, The Common Application
The Common Application Workshop Recording, presented by Meredith Lombardi, Associate Director, Outreach & Education, The Common Application
MCPS Common App Webinar Resources: Are You Common App Ready? webinar recording | Slide presentation
Inside The Common App: The Beginner's Guide to The Common Application: A step-by-step guide to capitalize on every section | webinar |
The Black Common App: Apply to several member institutions and pay one application fee.