Years ago, the college application process was slow and paper-based. Students had to complete separate applications for each school, send in transcripts and test scores by mail, and wait for physical acceptance letters. Because of the time involved, most students applied to only a few colleges.
Today, that process looks very different. With the internationally used platform “Common Application,” students can apply to up to 20 colleges using one profile. Essays, activities, letters of recommendations, and personal information are entered once and sent to school after school with the click of a button. Many students and educators argue that while this convenience has lowered hurdles to applying, it has also driven a dramatic increase in applications—making admissions more competitive than ever.
Senior Eric Lovering, applying to college this year, said the ease of the Common App played a role in how many schools he applied to.
“I applied to 20 schools- I researched colleges within cities that had good finance programs, looked at major finance firms across the country and where they like to hire from, and applied to those colleges, and then on top applied to more safeties schools inside cities as well,” Lovering said.
Lovering believes the structure of the Common App encourages students to apply broadly.
“Common App makes applying to college very easy. The simplicity, the straightforwardness and the fact of every aspect of your life written down in one place, and then that can be applied to anywhere you want makes it easy,” Lovering said.
Senior Daniel Kovaci agreed, “It definitely makes the application process a lot easier, especially for schools without
supplemental essays.”
Although the Common App allows students to apply to a large number of schools easily, Lovering said his decision to apply to 20 schools was also driven by personal expectations and academic pressure.
“I applied to as many schools as I did because of how I carried myself throughout high school. I felt that I owed it to myself to apply to a lot of schools due to my academic performance,” Lovering said.
This mindset has become increasingly common among high-achieving students. As more students apply to more colleges, acceptance rates continue to drop, even at schools that aren’t as academically rigorous as most top colleges. Lovering explained how this affects students like him. “More kids are applying more than ever before, and that lowers the chances of students like me getting in, so it forces me to be more unique and creative, to stand out from the rest of applicants.”
Guidance counselor Christy Bryant described the Common App’s impact as mixed. “[The Common App has made things] different: it made it easier for the application but harder to get in – harder emotionally.”
Ms. Bryant also explained how application behavior has shifted:
When talking about the application process Ms. Bryant stated, “Now, with applications all online, fee waivers, free apps, and direct admit, kids are applying to so many more schools.”
Guidance counselor Elisabeth Maiese added that students are now applying to schools farther away and in greater numbers because of increased access to information and support.
“Kids go further away, applying to far more colleges because it’s more easier to apply, teachers help a lot more, and information is more accessible,” Ms. Maiese said.
Colleges across the country are reporting record-high application numbers. Statistics from The University of Connecticut admissions show that UConn received over 62,000 applications to the Class of 2029 for the Storrs
Main campus, in comparison to 10 years ago when they received 34,000 applicants. Similarly, Northeastern University has been significantly impacted by this trend. According to the facts and figures on Northeastern’s website, they received 98,425 applications for the fall of 2024 causing their acceptance rate to drop to only 5.2 percent vs the 29 percent acceptance rate 10 years ago. The surge in applications has caused acceptance rates to dramatically decrease, increasing stress and uncertainty for future students.
The Princeton Review’s 2025 College Hopes & Worries Survey, as reported by Forbes, “reveals a dramatic escalation in application anxiety, with 73 percent of respondents reporting ‘High’ or ‘Very High’ stress levels–a significant jump from 56 percent in 2003.”
According to Christina Berardi, Vice Principal for Enrollment Management at Salve Regina University, “Students who have been working hard and will be a good fit for an institution: just because there are more applications, does not necessarily mean we are comparing [you] to all the other student. It’s really about their individual readiness.”
Regarding the Common App, Ms. Berardi stated that “having Common App available, [so that] students are able to streamline their application has made it easier on the students, which ultimately makes it easier for them to gain admission because they’re able to not have to worry about lots of different applications.”
According to Ms. Berardi, “Ultimately, Common App is a good thing, because what it’s doing is helping provide access, and helping the process be more simple.”
