Coalition vs Common App: Which platform is right for you?
Applications to higher education institutions in the US are usually made through two centralised online platforms: the Common Application (widely known as the Common App) and the Coalition Application.
They are both user-friendly platforms that allow you to make applications to multiple colleges through a single site. Both require you to submit personal essays, transcripts containing your academic records from school and letters of recommendation from your teachers and tutors.
What is the Common Application?
The Common Application is the most widely used college application platform in the US. More than 1000 US higher education institutions use it to receive students' applications, as well as a number of universities in other countries. Part of the application process involves submitting a short essay (maximum 650 words) that allows admissions staff at your chosen colleges to learn about your personality and enthusiasms.
Some universities will expect you to submit writing supplements that are additional to the Common App essay, usually taking the form of short essays, each with a personal focus. You can find more information about this on the Common App Dashboard or by visiting the websites of your chosen colleges.
What is the Coalition Application?
The Coalition for College is a non-profit organisation formed in 2015. It is dedicated to increasing the number of students from historically under-represented backgrounds applying to college and to assist in the adoption of equitable admissions practices in higher education. It has created the Coalition Application, an online platform that, at present, allows you to apply to any of 133 Coalition schools which are committed to graduating students with low or no debt. (This list of schools is subject to change so make sure that you check it regularly).
The Coalition has partnered with Scoir (pronounced 'score'), a platform which allows students to research and apply to colleges using a free online account. You can register with Scoir as early as the 9th grade and, in effect, use it to work on your application over the next few years. As well as being able to research courses at the various Coalition schools, you can upload relevant information (your personal details, your test scores from high school, details of your activities and achievements) which will ultimately be submitted as part of your application.
Students can invite their parents to connect with them on Scoir so that they can research schools and courses together. Your teachers can also register with Scoir, allowing them to submit all documents relevant to your application – transcripts, letters of recommendation and so on – from a single platform.
As noted, the Coalition for College exists to widen access to university education to historically under-served applicants therefore many of the universities which take applications through the Coalition App offer generous financial aid packages to their students.
Comparing Common App and Coalition App
Whereas the Common App is used to apply to most higher education institutions in the US, the Coalition App allows you to apply to a much smaller range of colleges, all of which have demonstrated their commitment to making higher education accessible and affordable. Its focus is on making the application process as easy as possible for first-generation applicants and those from low-income or historically under-represented backgrounds.
Coalition and Common App also have slight differences in layout and collaboration tools and resources within the platform. It’s important to get yourself familiar with their features, as collaboration is a crucial part of the application process.
Both platforms require you to submit similar documents, including a short essay based on a range of prompts that encourage you to think about your personality, your enthusiasms or the role you have played within a community – and each platform has a range of helpful advice to help you to complete this task to a high standard.
Which should you use?
There is no particular advantage in using either platform: the platform that you use will largely depend on those used by the universities to which you're applying. Given that significantly more colleges use the Common App, it may well be that this is your preferred platform. However, this need not be the case as many schools use both the Common and Coalition Apps.
Your choice will likely be determined by your personal background and preferences. If you're a first-generation applicant or have limited access to support from your high school, you may find the guidance offered by the Coalition App the preferable option.
It's also worth noting that there are some schools that take submissions from neither the Common nor the Coalition Apps and instead use their own systems. These include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgetown University, Wake Forest University and the various campuses that comprise the University of California.
There are other institutions which accept applications via these platforms as well as from their own systems. As soon as you've chosen your schools, make sure that you're familiar with the application process necessary for each one.
Conclusion
Ultimately, whether you use the Common or Coalition App depends on your own choice of colleges. It's worth dedicating some time to reading about each platform so you can grow familiar with the requirements of each one. If you need any advice about the process, A-List offers a free 15 minute discovery session that will help you begin to navigate the application system.
