Help with the Common App

Each year, over 800,000 students in the United States start the Common App to apply to colleges and wind up never completing their applications. The process can be quite confusing to students, especially those who don’t have a college counselor or admissions consultant to walk them through the steps.

The AXS Companion is a free, open online resource designed by professional consultants to be used side-by-side with the Common App as you work through your application. Each section includes explanatory videos, helpful tips, a glossary of application terms, and links to resources mentioned in the videos. It’s pitched to all students, but it is especially valuable for students at under-resourced schools and those who cannot afford to work with an independent consultant. It covers everything from FERPA waivers to financial aid, and everything in between.

As you complete your Common App application, a good approach is to have the AXS Companion open on another device and move through each step of your application in a linear, step-by-step manner. You will find that for each section of Common App, there is a corresponding section with explanatory videos in the AXS Companion. If you cannot complete a section of your Common App application in one sitting, it can be saved and completed at a later time. You can choose to navigate the AXS Companion in any order that is most helpful to you. If you have a question about a specific section, it is possible to skip ahead within Common App and the AXS Companion. You can search for key words by clicking on the “Search in book” link at the top right of the AXS Companion.

Many thanks to the folks at IECA and Oregon State University for putting together this helpful resource.

Check it out here!