This week, high school blogger Olivia Duell discusses how she uses the Common Application to save time and simplify the complicated process of applying to college.

Back in August, I made a list of all the colleges I definitely wanted to apply to. Staring at the names on paper, it hit me how fast all the deadlines were approaching and how in under a year, I’d hopefully be heading off to one of these universities. Then I became very nervous; thinking about all I had to complete made me worry about missing the deadlines and I got the urge to fill out all my applications RIGHT THAT INSTANT. I do realize that it was August, that I wasn’t applying to any college for early decision, and that I was crazy. But I still felt the need to get a head start, so I ventured onto the internet and began checking out all of the colleges’ websites.

First, I headed over to the admissions page at NYU. Let me just say there was a ton of information, and at the same time I couldn’t seem to find the answers to the specific questions I had. The same was true when I headed to Drexel, then to Temple, and finally, grew frustrated. I was applying to seven colleges, and I didn’t want to hunt through seven different admissions web pages. What I did notice was that most of the colleges recommended applying via the Common App, so I checked out the website just to see if this was an option that would work for me. Fortunately, the information that the Common App provided was a bit more organized. After signing up with a user account, the site basically told you all you needed to know.  It listed what colleges accept the Common App, allowing you to keep track of the ones you wanted to apply to on your user profile. Luckily for me, six out of my seven choices were affiliated with the Common App (Temple has their own system) and I realized this would greatly help my application process.

It’s pretty easy to get started and fill out your general information: address, parent info, activities (you can even upload a document if you’d like to add a brag sheet), etc. It’s all pretty self-explanatory to the extent that you’re alerted if you leave a section blank. It does get a bit confusing at times; the test section, for instance, allows you to record standardized test scores, but you still have to send in the official scores from the College Board and from ACT. Guidance counselors and teachers also need to be invited online in order to fill out recommendations; because not all teachers are familiar with the Common App, it’s probably best to make them aware the invitation is coming.

The biggest pain is the college-specific supplements. Each college tags on their own supplement that needs to be filled out along with the regular application.  Often, this requires more writing work explaining why so-and-so college is the right choice. Yet, if the college doesn’t require this kind of essay in its supplement, it’s likely you’ll be forced to create “alternate” applications (once you submit your first application to one school, you can tweak it before you send it to other schools). In this case, you make your Common App personal essay college specific, because you aren’t allowed this opportunity in the supplement. It gets really confusing, and you need to keep track of which personal essay to send to each college depending on their supplements. I was forced to make yet another hand-written list.

Over all, though, the Common App is pretty solid. It’s helped me get organized, it breaks the application down for me, and it even tells me my due dates. Plus, a ton of colleges accept the Common App and consider it equally to their own custom applications. It’s easy, efficient, and I recommend it to anyone going through the college application process.

For more stories from students themselves, check out the archives for previous columns in The Admissions Diary.

Mia-Sarah Abdullah, a commentator on Youth Radio, always planned to go to New York University, an expensive and prestigious private school. But after her mom was let go from bank giant Citigroup, Mia-Sarah realized that a private school education for her and her sisters, even with loans, was out of the question. Now she is considering more reasonably priced state schools. As America's troubled economy makes it harder to find a good job, many high school graduates find themselves in Mia-Sarah's shoes and are delaying entrance into the highly competitive job market or changing their college plans altogether.

One increasingly attractive option is enrolling in community colleges, such as those by the City University of New York (CUNY), which have seen a record number of applicants this year. Besides being safe havens for graduates who can't find jobs right after high school, community colleges also offer affordable tuition and vocational education for in-demand fields, such as nursing. If you've always dismissed community college as an option for you but are increasingly concerned about the difficult job market or the cost of four-year schools, consider its benefits:

Career-Specific Training

Community colleges offer two-year associates degrees, often in a career-specific field, such as criminal justice. These schools are excellent for students who want training in a particular area and don't want to waste time and money taking courses that aren't a part of their career path. Community college is also becoming increasingly popular with people who have lost their jobs and want to learn more marketable skills. For example, when Mia-Sarah's mother lost her banking job, she began attending community college to learn new skills.

Alternative Path to Four-Year Schools

Community colleges are less academically challenging than traditional schools, making them a potential alternative for people who were never strong students but seek some sort of higher education to give their resumes an edge. Additionally, community colleges are often a starting place for students who don't get into their choice universities right away or aren't completely ready for college right out of high school. Many basic credits earned at community colleges transfer to four-year colleges and universities, so you can start at a community college and then go to a four-year school once you have earned the grades or feel ready for a different setting. 

Affordable Tuition

Community colleges are also a much less expensive option than traditional four-year colleges. During the current "credit crunch," student loans are harder to obtain, and overall, money is tighter. A community college is a much more affordable alternative for students who are having trouble getting loans or who don't want to leave school with crippling debt.