The Foreign Service Journal, December 2013

56 DECEMBER 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT However, many colleges require their own supplements to the Common App anyway, and quite often those are centered on extracurricular activities or academics. ■ Youmay no longer upload a resumé unless a specific college requests it. And most do not. The question under Test- ing that reads, “Is promotion within your educational systembased upon standard leaving examinations given at the end of lower and/or senior secondary school by a state or national leaving examinations board?” may apply to you if you are at an overseas school. ■ Check with your school guidance counselor. As mentioned above, the paper application has been discontinued. While it’s understandable to want to digitize all materials, there is reason to believe that the Common App might have discontin- ued the paper application prematurely because of all the… …Glitches Word on the street is not good: the newly revised Common App launch has been a bit of a disaster. A few of the more frustrating irritations included login and format problems, and some member institutions’ supplemental applications not “going live” on time. When the first early-decision deadlines approached, a high volume of students finishing up applications often crashed the system, causing some colleges to extend their early deadlines. As Colleen Desmond, Resource Counselor at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Md., puts it: “The ‘new and improved’ Common App was obviously put forward before all of the glitches were worked out. The five new essay prompts give you a lot of leeway in your topics. They also demand more thought and depth in your response.