How to Complete the Common App: A Section-by-Section Guide

For many students, opening the Common App for the first time is the moment college applications start to feel real. The personal essay usually gets the most attention, but it’s only one part of what admissions officers review. The activities list, courses and grades, recommendations, and school-specific supplements all shape how colleges see you, and each section has its own quirks, deadlines, and common pitfalls. In this Common App guide, we’ll walk you through the most important sections, share what admissions officers look for, and explain how to avoid the mistakes we see students make most often, so you can submit an application you’re proud of.

What Is the Common App?

The Common Application is a shared platform used by 1,200+ colleges and universities for the undergraduate application process. Since it streamlines applications to one portal, that sounds like it’s making things easier for students. However, I would like to warn you that it’s not as simple as it seems. Depending on the number of applications a student is completing (Common App typically allows up to 20) it can easily become a complex and time consuming project to finish. In this guide we’ll cover some of the most important things to know for students getting to work on their Common Applications.

How to Fill Out the Common App Activities List

After the personal statement, the activity list is the next biggest opportunity to tell your story by describing how you spend your time outside of school. College admissions officers care about how students are going to participate in opportunities on campus and the activity list shows your track record for past involvement which is a strong indicator of how you will contribute to the campus community. 

What’s New in the Activities and Experiences Section

For the 2026-27 application cycle the title of the section changed to “Activities and Experiences” to be more inclusive of hobbies and family responsibilities. This change makes it more clear that you can list things beyond organized or school-sponsored activities. If you spend time on it, it’s fair game! But, you only get ten spots, so focus on what is most important to you. 

Should You List a Leadership Role?

Another change this year is the addition of the question: “Did you have a specific position or leadership role?” Answering “yes” reveals a box giving you an opportunity to add your role. We believe the answer is always “yes” so that you can provide more specific information on your involvement, even if you don’t have a formal leadership title. You can still specify something like “member” or “volunteer” to clarify your participation. 

What Admissions Officers Look For

Leadership, contribution and dedication are what admissions officers will be looking for as they review your activity list. The final product will look almost like a resume that admissions officers can quickly skim for long-term activities, high-level accomplishments and strong contributions. Make sure you use the preview button to check your work as you go!

Common App Courses and Grades: How to Enter Your Transcript

The Courses & Grades section is not required by all colleges so some students will get by without completing this section. Add all of your colleges to your My Colleges list early so you’ll know right away whether you need to complete Courses & Grades. That way, you won’t be caught off guard at the last minute. In this section, you will be entering all of your courses and grades as they appear on your high school transcript. 

The first step is getting a hold of your transcript and then figuring out how to accurately translate that information into the options provided on the Common App. If your school has an unusual grading system or schedule, that can be tricky. So, don’t leave this section until the end as you might need to ask your school counselor for some help and you can’t always get on their schedule at the last minute. 

It’s important to complete this section properly as the colleges requiring it will most likely treat this as your transcript during their review process and then potentially confirm the grades with your official transcript if you are admitted. If there are discrepancies, that could jeopardize your admission so check and double check your work here! When in doubt, ask your counselor for help.

How to Invite and Manage Recommenders on the Common App

This section can look different depending on how your school handles recommendations. Start by listing your high school in the Education section, since that tells the Common App which system your school uses. If your school uses a platform like Naviance, Scoir, MaiaLearning, or SchooLinks, you’ll likely manage your recommendations there, and a message in the Common App will let you know. If not, you’ll invite your recommenders directly through the Common App. To do that, go to the “Recommenders and FERPA” section within the questions for any college on your list that requires recommendations.  

Waiving Your FERPA Rights

First, you’ll be asked whether to waive your FERPA rights. Waiving them means you agree not to read your recommendations, so your recommenders can write openly and honestly about you. We strongly recommend waiving them, since colleges tend to give more weight to confidential letters. Once you invite your required and optional recommenders, their names will appear in a drop-down menu in the Recommenders and FERPA section for each of your other colleges, so you can assign them however you’d like. That’s also where you can see whether each recommendation has been submitted. I promise it will make more sense once you get started!

When to Invite Your Recommenders

One of the most common mistakes in this section is thinking you have to submit your application before inviting your recommenders. That’s not the case! Invite them as soon as you can, well ahead of your deadlines. Students also often ask whether recommenders will get a separate invitation or email for each college. They won’t. Recommenders have their own Common App account, much like yours, where they manage all the students they’re writing for. They submit each letter only once, no matter how many colleges receive it.

Common App Supplements and School-Specific Questions

Leave yourself plenty of time for the school-specific questions and supplements. Admissions officers care a lot about them, because they show your interest in the college and how well you’d fit there. One of the biggest mistakes students make is copying and pasting essays from one college’s supplement to another’s. Every admissions officer has read an essay that names the wrong college or location. That alone may not land your application in the “deny” pile, but it certainly doesn’t help your case. Instead, tailor each supplemental essay to what makes that college unique.

Since the Common App is an adaptive form, when you check certain boxes, more supplemental essays may appear. You might opt into consideration for an honors college and then see that there is an additional essay. You might list a second choice major and then be expected to explain why you are interested in that degree. To reveal all of your potential supplemental essays, you first need to check all the boxes. Sometimes that takes extra thought and research of its own, like deciding whether an honors program or a second major really interests you. The bottom line: don’t underestimate the school-specific sections, even if they look like they don’t involve much writing at first glance.

How Much Does the Common App Personal Essay Matter?

Let’s be real here. Your personal essay matters, but it works best as part of a strong, complete application. Admissions officers review every section together, so a thoughtful essay paired with a carefully completed application tells a consistent, compelling story. Students often spend an inordinate amount of time on their personal essay because it feels like such a critical task, and they assume it carries enormous weight. But the personal essay can’t change your admission decision if other parts of your application are lacking. If you’re on the bubble and your application gets extra committee review, your essay may get more scrutiny and play a bigger role. For many students, though, much of that time would be better spent on other parts of the application. So give your essay great care and tell a story you’re proud of, but don’t neglect the rest of your application or let your grades slip chasing the “perfect” essay, especially when admissions officers may only skim it.

How to Get Started on Your Common App

If you’re just getting started, don’t be overwhelmed! Jump in and start checking boxes and answering questions one by one. This will uncover all of your potential writing prompts. As you go, you’ll start collecting green checkmarks for each completed section, which feels great. Every step gets easier, and eventually you’ll have every checkmark and unlock the Submit button. Before you hit it, review your work one last time. Remember, you can’t finish until you start, so take that first step today. You’ll be moving in the right direction!

Common App FAQs

How many colleges can you apply to on the Common App? 

You can add up to 20 colleges to your Common App account. One platform makes things easier, but every college may have its own questions, supplements, and requirements, so a long list can quickly turn into a big project. Plan your time based on how many schools you’re applying to.

Do all colleges require the Courses and Grades section? 

No, only some colleges require it. Add every college to your My Colleges list early so you know whether you need to complete it. If even one of your schools requires it, give yourself plenty of time: you’ll need your transcript, and you may need your school counselor’s help translating your grades into the Common App format.

Do you have to submit your application before inviting recommenders? 

No, and waiting is one of the most common mistakes students make. Invite your recommenders as soon as you can, well before your deadlines, so they have time to write thoughtful letters. If your school uses a platform like Naviance, Scoir, MaiaLearning, or SchooLinks, you may manage recommendations there instead of in the Common App.

Will recommenders get an email for every college? 

No. Recommenders get one invitation and manage all their students through their own Common App account. They submit each student’s letter once, and it goes to every college the student assigns it to, so you don’t need to worry about flooding their inbox.

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