If your child is applying to universities in the United States, almost every application will run through one platform: the Common Application. It is used by more than a thousand colleges, including the Ivy League, and it is where your child’s grades, activities, essays and recommendations come together. Here is how it works, section by section, written for families applying from Kenya.
What the Common App is
The Common App is a single online application that students complete once and send to many universities. Instead of filling in twenty separate forms, your child builds one profile, then adds the extra questions and essays each university asks for. The application opens each year on 1 August for students starting university the following autumn.
The main sections
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Profile and family information: the basics, including citizenship and parents’ education.
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Education: your child’s school, courses and grades, whether IB, A-Level, IGCSE or the Kenyan curriculum.
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Testing: SAT scores, if your child is sending them.
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Activities: up to ten activities, each with a short description of the role and impact.
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Honours: up to five academic awards or distinctions.
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The personal essay: one essay of up to 650 words, chosen from a set of prompts.
The Common App is the same for every applicant. What makes an application stand out is how well each section tells one coherent story.
The personal essay matters more than families expect
The 650-word essay is the only place where an admissions officer hears your child’s own voice. It should not repeat the activities list. The strongest essays focus on one real moment and what it reveals about who the student is and how they think.
Supplements: the part most families underestimate
Most selective universities add their own questions on top of the main application, often two to four short essays such as “Why this university?”. For a list of eight to twelve schools, the supplements can add up to more writing than the main essay. Planning them early is one of the biggest differences between a calm application season and a rushed one.
Recommendations and the school report
Universities usually ask for a recommendation from the school counsellor, a school report with the transcript and predicted grades, and one or two teacher recommendations. For students in Kenya it is worth checking early that the school knows the US process, because counsellor letters and predicted grades are often requested on tight timelines.
Key deadlines
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1 August: the Common App opens for the next intake.
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1 or 15 November: typical Early Decision and Early Action deadlines.
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1 to 15 January: typical Regular Decision deadlines at selective universities.
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Financial aid forms such as the CSS Profile usually follow the same deadlines.
Getting the Common App right is a planning exercise as much as a writing one. If you would like a clear plan for your child’s application, from the school list to the final essay, book a consultation with AFEX Hub and we will map it out with you.
James Aloo
Admissions Consultant
