Will USC be next to join the Common Application?

One by one, the nation's elite independent universities have joined the Common Application. A student now can apply to the top 20 national universities on the U.S. News rankings with a single application -- well, two, if you count MIT.

The one-click application is a fundamental change in college admissions, one that took hold over the past decade as selective independent universities came to view their "signature" applications as roadblocks.

There are still a few exceptions. One is Georgetown University, whose 38-year admissions dean hews to a signature application as a way to frustrate the noncommittal applicant. Another is MIT, a school that presumably will draw the top math-science applicants even if it makes them submit their papers in person.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 5, 2010 3:04 AM
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