Coalition vs. Common Applications: A Collegiate Battle

By Max Miller-

After a flurry of standardized tests, expensive tutors, resume building, blue forms, Naviance, and a million and a half other things, it’s finally time to apply to college. Congratulations! But as deadlines in November and January creep up on you, how do you actually apply? Do you use the Common Application? The Coalition? Here I’ll review the pros and cons of each.

The Common Application (often referred to as the Common App) is the most popular tool for applying to many colleges at once- nearly 900 colleges and universities in over 15 countries accept the Common App. After filling out your information, you’ll add the schools you want to apply to. Add your recommenders, write your essays, and that’s essentially it. Your guidance counselor (and other people you invite) are able to assist you from behind the scenes, meaning you have an extra set of eyes on your applications. 

The Coalition is less used, but its function is the same as the Common App. And although it has fewer schools on it (approximately 150), it does include many more top-tier schools than the Common App.

I applied using only the Coalition, so I may be biased, but I would venture to say that the Coalition is more powerful than the Common App because it allows the student to oversee every single part of the application process. This comes at a cost, however, as the student needs to make sure transcripts, recommendations, and other information is not only completed, but attached to every individual application. Because of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (aka the FERPA), the applicants are not allowed to see their recommendations. This means that you’ll know that the recommendations are there, but you can’t actually see them. (It’s important to note that if you don’t waive your FERPA rights, many colleges will not accept your recommendations. This applies to both the Common App and the Coalition.)

After registering your guidance counselor and recommenders, you need to open every application individually and make sure that the things you want to send are attached for the Coalition App. Yet the Coalition also provides easy communication between the applicant and their guidance counselor, recommenders, and others invited to the account.

ICJA Guidance Counselor Rabbi Fliegelman prefers the Common App, saying that “the Common Application gathers all information submitted on behalf of the applicant and delivers it to the chosen university. The Coalition, however, puts that responsibility into the hands of a stressed out applicant and expects him or her to navigate the flow of information; this creates unnecessary tension for the applicant and counselor.”

Overall, the Coalition and the Common App are really doing the same thing, but differ slightly in their execution. Good luck!