By Debbie Schwartz, founder of Road2College
Many Common App mistakes are small and fixable, from essays hidden in college-specific questions to activity descriptions that waste precious characters. Here’s what our in-house counselor, Ellen Whalen, catches most often, section by section.
Inside This Article:
- Video: “Avoid these Common App Mistakes”
- How the Common App is organized (and why it causes mistakes)
- “My Colleges” section mistakes
- Profile and family section mistakes
- Education section mistakes
- Testing section mistakes
- Activities section mistakes
- Writing section mistakes
- Submission mistakes
- What a real Common App review found
- Common App pre-submission checklist
Quick summary:
The most frequent Common App mistakes happen in the details. Students miss supplemental essays tucked outside the Writing tab, report GPAs or AP scores that don’t help them, lead their honors with National Honor Society, and write activity descriptions that state the obvious. Many also misuse Additional Information or wait until deadline day to submit. Each college application is sent separately, so students can fix mistakes in the common section before the next submission. This guide walks through every section, with examples from Road2College counselor Ellen Whalen.
What Are the Most Frequent Common App Mistakes?
The most frequent Common App mistakes are missing supplemental essays hidden in college-specific questions, writing vague activity descriptions, reporting scores that hurt rather than help, burying the most important activities, and misusing the Additional Information section.
Here are the mistakes this guide covers:
- Missing supplemental essays that don’t appear under “Writing”
- Listing programs that didn’t earn college credit
- Reporting a GPA or class rank that isn’t on the transcript
- Leading the honors list with National Honor Society
- Choosing a generic Future Plans answer
- Reporting every AP score, in no particular order
- Wasting activity characters on obvious details
- Underreporting hours and weeks
- Using Additional Information for a resume or an extra essay
- Waiting until deadline day to submit
Ellen Whalen, Road2College’s in-house counselor and founder of Best Fit College Coaching
In the video below, Ellen Whalen, who has advised families on college admissions since 2017 and edited thousands of application essays, reviews a real student’s Common App with me.
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How the Common App Is Organized (and Why It Causes Mistakes)
The Common App has two parts. The common section, which covers profile, family, education, testing, activities, and writing, goes to every college. The My Colleges section holds each school’s own questions and supplements. Students can edit the common section before each submission.
Students can add up to 20 colleges. More than 1,000 schools accept the Common App. Georgetown joined this cycle. The University of California and California State University systems and MIT still use their own applications. For the basics, see our Common App guide, which includes a July 2026 video walkthrough of the 2026–27 application.
“Every Common App application is a separate, unique application that goes out one at a time,” Ellen says. Once a student submits to one college, that application is locked. But if they spot a mistake, they can fix the common section before submitting to the next school. They can also report different AP scores or reorder activities for different colleges.
The form itself goes faster than families expect. Ellen estimates about two hours to fill it in, not counting the personal essay. The time goes into essays, supplements, and getting the details right.
My Colleges Section Mistakes
The biggest My Colleges mistake is assuming every supplemental essay appears under the Writing tab. Some colleges place essay prompts under General or other question tabs, and some prompts appear only after a student answers a question, such as whether they’re applying to an honors college.
▶Watch Ellen find a hidden essay (6:00)
Missing Hidden Supplemental Essays
In the webinar, Ellen opened the University of Vermont’s questions. The Writing tab held only yes-or-no questions. The actual supplemental essay, a choice of prompts with a 500-word limit, sat under General.
The fix: have your student open every question in every college’s section, answer them all, and then check again for new prompts.
“Don’t wait to do this, like, two days before it’s due,” Ellen said.
Skipping Honors College and Scholarship Questions
Answering yes to an honors college question can unlock additional essays. At some schools, honors or scholarship consideration also comes with its own requirements or earlier deadlines. These questions often connect to merit aid, so read them carefully. Our article on whether an honors college is worth it can help you decide. R2C Insights shows which schools offer the most merit aid.
Mishandling the Test-Score Question
Some colleges ask in their own section whether the student wants that school to see the test scores entered in the common section. Read the question closely at each school. The answer may differ depending on how your student’s scores compare to that college’s range.
Treating “Optional” Supplements as Optional
If a college offers an optional essay, your student should usually write it. Skipping it can signal less interest, and it wastes a chance to share something new.
Tip: Once colleges are added, the Application Requirements view shows deadlines, fees, and recommendation requirements side by side. Check it early.
Profile and Family Section Mistakes
Profile mistakes are small but avoidable: using a nickname instead of the legal name on the transcript, relying on a high school or parent email address, and leaving out languages spoken at home or studied in school.
- Name mismatches. The student’s legal name should match what the school counselor submits. Different names on different documents can slow processing.
- The wrong email. Use an address the student controls and checks often. Avoid a high school account the student may lose access to, and never use a parent’s email.
- Missing languages. Include languages spoken at home and languages studied in school. It’s an easy detail to overlook.
- Skipping optional family details. Parent education and occupation are often optional, but they give context. They help colleges understand a first-generation student’s path, or a student who carries responsibilities at home.
Education Section Mistakes
In the Education section, students most often list programs that didn’t earn college credit, report a GPA or class rank that isn’t on their transcript, lead their honors with National Honor Society, and choose a generic Future Plans answer.
▶Watch Ellen walk through the Education section (12:28)
Listing College Courses That Didn’t Earn Credit
List college coursework only if your student earned college credit. A pre-college summer program without credit belongs in activities. “Don’t make the mistake of putting it in if you aren’t getting credit, because then the colleges will be looking for a transcript,” Ellen said.
Dual enrollment courses usually appear on the high school transcript. Confirm how your school handles them with your student’s counselor.
Reporting a GPA or Rank That Isn’t on the Transcript
Report exactly what the transcript shows. If there’s a weighted GPA, use it. Don’t calculate your own figures. Colleges typically recalculate GPAs their own way anyway.
If the school doesn’t rank, choose “No rank.” Colleges read each application alongside the school’s profile, so they understand the context.
Leaving Out Senior-Year Courses
List every senior-year course, including electives. If the schedule isn’t final yet, check with your student’s counselor about how to handle it before submitting.
Leading Honors With National Honor Society
The Common App has room for five honors. Put the most distinctive first. National Honor Society is common, and it’s a national organization, not a national award, so something like AP Scholar should come before it.
Honors are meant to be academic and from high school, though a major music competition can fit for a student applying in music. Many students list few or no honors, and that’s fine.
▶Watch Ellen on ordering honors (14:50)
NHS: honor or activity? List it as an activity only if your student does something active in it, such as tutoring. If your student already has more than 10 activities, keep it as an honor. If they have more than five honors, it can come off entirely.
Choosing a Generic Future Plans Answer
Instead of picking “Engineer” or “Undecided” from the list, Ellen suggests scrolling to “Other” and writing something specific. One example from the webinar: study computer science “to perfect self-driving cars.”
Make sure the answer lines up with the major your student lists on each college’s supplement. A mismatch can raise questions.
Not Checking the Transcript
Have your student review their high school transcript before applying. Grades can be wrong. Some schools also print test scores on the transcript, which matters if your student planned not to share them.
Testing Section Mistakes
AP scores are self-reported and usually optional on the Common App. Report scores that strengthen the application, list 5s first, and include planned senior-year exams. For the SAT or ACT, report only the sittings the question asks you to share.
▶Watch Ellen explain which scores to report (18:59)
Reporting Every AP Score
Students don’t have to report AP scores unless a college requires them. “Colleges are not supposed to assume things they don’t see,” Ellen said.
At the most selective schools, strong scores still matter. “It behooves you at the most competitive colleges to share as many amazing test scores as you can because your competition is going to be doing that,” Ellen said during the webinar.
| AP Score | Less Selective School | More Selective School |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Report | Report |
| 4 | Report | Report, unless the exam is central to the intended major |
| 3 | Report if the school grants credit for it | Usually leave off |
| 1-2 | Leave off | Leave off |
To see whether a college grants credit, search the school’s name plus “AP credit.” Remember that your student can report different scores to different colleges.
Listing Scores in Random Order
Group the 5s first, then the 4s, then any 3s. Readers skim, so put the best news at the top.
Forgetting Planned AP Exams
The testing section asks about future exams. List senior-year AP courses there. Otherwise, a college won’t see that your student is taking AP Biology this year.
Over-Reporting SAT or ACT Sittings
The Common App asks how many scores your student wants to report, not how many times they tested. “Look at the wording of things,” Ellen said. Some colleges do require all scores, so check each school’s policy.
Activities Section Mistakes
The Common App allows 10 activities, each with a 50-character position, a 100-character organization name, and a 150-character description. The most common mistakes are wasting those characters on obvious details, listing activities in the wrong order, and underreporting time commitment.
▶Watch Ellen rewrite real activity descriptions (28:25)
The limits: 10 activities; 50 characters for position, 100 for organization, 150 for description. Students don’t need to fill all 10 slots; depth matters more than a full list. The section also includes a required Responsibilities and Circumstances checklist covering household responsibilities and life circumstances. Students can select “None of these” if nothing applies.
Burying the Most Important Activities
Order matters. Put the most important activities first, and where possible, group the ones that support your student’s intended major at the top. Your student can reorder activities with the arrows and can change the order for different colleges.
Wasting Characters on the Obvious
“Played on high school basketball team” tells a reader nothing. Use the position line for titles and honors, and use the description for impact.
“We learn more here in this title than we do in the whole one that was filled out above,” Ellen said, comparing two versions of the same activity. Specifics make the difference. “Numbers can be your friend in this process with the activities,” she said.
Before and After: Rewriting Common App Activity Descriptions
| Activity | Field | Weak | Strong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball | Position | Basketball teammate, captain (28) | CAPTAIN; MVP; assist coach with rosters/warmups (47) |
| Organization | JV 9th, 10th; varsity team 11th, 12th (37) | Varsity 11-12, JV 9-10; team ranked #1 in region for 10 years (61) | |
| Description | Played on high school basketball team. Won HPE award. (53) | Broke school record: 700 baskets in 11th; went to states; lead by example; mentor 9th graders; teach neighborhood kids; arrive early, stay late (144) | |
| Student government | Position | Vice President (14) | Elected VICE PRESIDENT; sustainability focus (44) |
| Organization | Lincoln High School Student Government (38) | Student Government (80 members; meets 2x/week) (46) | |
| Description | Attended meetings. Helped plan homecoming and prom. Fundraised. (63) | Worked with principal to add refill stations for reusable bottles; cut plastic use by 5,000+ bottles; raised $2,000 through online campaign (139) | |
| Orchestra | Position | Oboe player (11) | FIRST CHAIR OBOE, 11-12; 3 solos in 11th (40) |
| Organization | High school orchestra (21) | Springfield Youth Orchestra (SYO, 50 members); school musical pit orchestra (75) | |
| Description | Play in orchestra. (18) | Auditioned for SYO; 4 concerts/yr; played in 4 musicals; take private lessons; playing since age 11; love classical music (121) |
Character counts in parentheses. Examples adapted from the webinar.
A student doesn’t need a title to show leadership. In the student government example, spearheading the refill stations would show initiative even without the vice president role.
▶Watch the student government rewrite (32:30)
Formatting Mistakes
- Separate items with semicolons instead of periods. You won’t need a final period, which saves a character.
- Don’t capitalize after a semicolon unless the word is a proper noun.
- Put titles in all caps so they stand out.
- Use present tense for activities that are still going on.
- Spell out acronyms the reader won’t know. Define one once, as with “SYO” above, before reusing it.
- Mark shared roles honestly: co-captain, co-president.
Underreporting Time
If your student practices year-round or takes private lessons, the hours and weeks should show it. The oboe player above practices 15 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, not two hours during the school year.
For jobs with changing schedules, average the hours and use the description to explain. Ellen’s ice cream shop example:
- Works 40 hours a week in summer and 8 during the school year, which averages to about 15 hours a week over 40 weeks.
- Description: “Scoop 200+ cones per shift; take orders; train new employees; close store; make a mean milkshake; earned $6,000+ to help with family finances” (141 characters).
▶Watch Ellen explain summer vs. school-year hours (36:45)
A touch of personality helps. “These admissions officers are bored speed readers,” Ellen said. “If you can, just make them smile a little bit.”
Leaving Out Jobs, Family Responsibilities, and Independent Pursuits
Paid work, caring for siblings, a passion project, and teaching yourself guitar all count. Family responsibilities also give context for grades and for limited time for school clubs.
Summer Programs
List a summer program if it’s relevant, especially one that earned credit. Expensive pay-to-play programs are debated. Some counselors, including a former Ivy League admissions reader Ellen knows, advise leaving them off. Many of Ellen’s students have listed them without trouble. Use judgment, and don’t list a program that contradicts the major your student is presenting.
▶Watch our discussion of summer programs (40:45)
Writing Section Mistakes
The Common App’s writing section includes the 650-word personal essay, an optional 250-word Challenges and Circumstances question, and an optional 300-word Additional Information section. Common mistakes include one-note essays, disclosing challenges without a reason, and pasting a resume or extra essay into Additional Information.
▶Watch Ellen on the writing section (43:15)
The Personal Essay: Looking Backward or Staying on One Note
Two patterns stand out:
- Spending most of the essay on childhood. A brief early moment can set up the story, but colleges want to see who the student is now.
- The one-note essay. It tells one story without showing growth. Ellen worked with a student who wrote only about freezing on a steep trail. The fix was to connect that moment to other times she pushed through, including helping a friend do the same.
A student can write about a single passion, like swimming, if the essay shows what it taught them and how it shows up elsewhere in their life. For more, see how to write a college essay that works.
Misusing Challenges and Circumstances
This optional 250-word question replaced the old community disruption question. It covers hardships such as family disruptions, caregiving, housing instability, and health. Keep answers direct and factual.
Should a student disclose a learning difference? Ellen’s rule of thumb: only if there’s something in the record to explain, such as a drop in grades or lighter course rigor. “I have known students who have had ADHD and you don’t see it in their grades — why bring it up?” she said.
▶Watch Ellen on when to share a challenge (46:05)
Misusing Additional Information
Additional Information was cut from 650 to 300 words, so be brief. Bullet points work well here.
Good uses:
- A class conflict that explains a missing course
- A change of high schools
- An IB Extended Essay or AP Research project
- An unfamiliar acronym or activity
- Research that needs more explanation
Not good uses:
- A pasted resume
- A favorite supplemental essay with nowhere else to go
“This is not the space for that,” Ellen said.
▶Watch Ellen on Additional Information (47:40)
Resumes, Links, and Extra Materials: When They Help and When They Hurt
Upload a resume only if a college invites one and it adds information the activities list doesn’t. Readers may not open links, so include enough detail for them to search. Performance videos generally matter only for arts applicants following a school’s portfolio requirements.
▶Watch Ellen on resumes and links (1:04:45)
- Resumes: If a college invites one and it adds something new, submit it. “Let the admissions officer choose not to look at it,” Ellen said. If it only repeats the activities list, skip it.
- Links: Admissions officers may not click links. Name the organization or publication so a reader can look it up.
- Videos: Arts applicants submit portfolios through each school’s specific requirements, often via SlideRoom. For a student who acts or plays an instrument but isn’t majoring in it, a video usually isn’t reviewed.
Courses and Grades and Self-Reported Transcripts
Some colleges require students to enter every course and grade, either in the Common App’s Courses and Grades section or in a separate self-reported academic record. Check each college’s requirements early, work directly from the transcript, and budget extra time.
Many large public universities use their own self-reported systems outside the Common App. Entering every course takes longer than families expect.
Submission Mistakes
Submit at least a week before the deadline. Technical problems are common near major deadlines, and colleges rarely grant extensions. After submitting, confirm that each college received the application, since each one is submitted separately.
▶Watch our advice on deadlines (1:18:20)
Colleges hold firm on deadlines. They generally make exceptions only for major events, like a weather emergency affecting a whole community. A student who tries to submit at 12:15 a.m. for a midnight deadline is usually out of luck.
For more, see our tips on dealing with Common App glitches and how much applying early increases admission chances.
What a Real Common App Review Found
A student volunteered her Common App for our webinar, and Ellen reviewed it as she would for a family. The application was strong: the activity descriptions were detailed and well-written. Ellen still found several fixable issues:
▶Watch the full review (53:05)
- Senior-year gaps with no explanation. The student listed no history or foreign language course. The most competitive colleges often want four years of English, math, science, history, and foreign language. A short note in Additional Information could explain why.
- Honors in the wrong order. National Honor Society came first. AP Scholar and the Seal of Biliteracy should lead.
- A vague Future Plans answer. “Physician” with no specialty or reason given.
- Missing planned AP exams. She was taking AP Calculus, English, and Biology but didn’t list them as future tests.
- Activities out of order. Her first activity was a book drive, 30 hours a year. Her year-round hospital role, lifeguarding, and hospital club came lower. Ellen moved the three medical activities to the top, followed by the writing and book activities, then tennis.
- A one-note essay. The essay described her love of books and summarized several plots. It could have connected reading to her book drives, her writing, and her interest in medicine.
This is why a second reader helps. Sometimes just get another set of eyes on the Common App, because at least you have the chance to address it before you submit.
Common App Pre-Submission Checklist
My Colleges
- [ ] Opened and answered every question for every college
- [ ] Checked for new prompts after answering honors or scholarship questions
- [ ] Answered each college’s test-score question on purpose
Profile and Family
- [ ] Legal name matches the transcript
- [ ] Email is the student’s own and checked regularly
- [ ] Languages from home and school are listed
Education
- [ ] College courses listed only if they earned credit
- [ ] GPA and rank match the transcript exactly
- [ ] All senior-year courses listed, including electives
- [ ] Strongest honor listed first
- [ ] Future Plans is specific and matches the intended major
Testing
- [ ] AP scores reported selectively, 5s first
- [ ] Senior-year AP exams listed as future tests
- [ ] SAT/ACT sittings reported as each college requires
Activities
- [ ] Most important and major-related activities at the top
- [ ] Titles in caps; semicolons, not periods
- [ ] Hours and weeks reflect year-round commitment
- [ ] Jobs and family responsibilities included
- [ ] Responsibilities and Circumstances checklist completed
Writing
- [ ] Essay focuses on the high school years and shows growth
- [ ] Challenges and Circumstances used only if needed
- [ ] Additional Information explains gaps without repeating anything
Submission
- [ ] Printed the PDF preview and read it start to finish
- [ ] Transcript reviewed for errors
- [ ] Submitting at least a week early
- [ ] Confirmation received from each college
Common App Mistakes FAQ
How long does it take to fill out the Common App?
About two hours to enter the information, not counting the personal essay, according to Ellen. Essays, supplements, and self-reported transcripts take much longer, so start weeks ahead.
Can I change my Common App after submitting to one college?
You can’t change an application once it’s submitted. But you can edit the common section before submitting to other colleges, and each new submission will reflect the changes.
Does it matter if I apply through the Common App or a college’s own application?
No. Colleges that accept the Common App agree not to favor their own application over it. The exception is timing: a school with rolling admissions may open its own application earlier.
Should National Honor Society go under honors or activities?
Under honors, unless your student does something active in it, such as tutoring. If space is tight, it’s fine to leave it off.
Do I have to report every SAT or ACT I’ve taken?
Usually not. The Common App asks how many scores you want to report. Some colleges require all scores, so check each school’s policy.
Can I use complete sentences in activity descriptions?
Yes, but phrases separated by semicolons fit more information into 150 characters.
Should I submit a resume?
Only if a college invites one and it adds something the activities list doesn’t.
Want a second set of eyes? Our Common App Review looks at your student’s application the way an admissions reader will, before they hit submit.
Looking for expert help on the road to college? See our 1-to-1 coaching services.
