For most Texas residents, the most common options for a college application platform are Common App or ApplyTexas. 

At the beginning of my college application journey, I used Common App quite frequently, but later switched my entire application to ApplyTexas once I realized I was only applying to in-state schools, and that applying through the latter would benefit me significantly more. 

Major differences

1) Texas Free Week 

One of the biggest differences between the two college application platforms is that ApplyTexas offers a free week for all Texas residents from Oct. 13-19. 

College application fees can rack up really, really, quickly, with most ranging from $50 to over $100 per school. 

When I applied through Texas Free Week, I didn’t have to pay the $435 application fee for the six schools I applied to. So definitely take advantage of this opportunity if you’re a Texas resident; it’s completely worth it. 

2) Submitting recommendations and resumes 

Another major difference (and probably the one most talked about) comes from how you submit letters of recommendation, resumes, and supplemental documents.  

Instead of simply attaching a document or inviting a recommender, as you would on Common App, you’ll have to wait for your student portal login and then either share that information with your recommender or follow each school’s specific process. 

A few colleges allow you to assign your letter of recommendation directly to your recommender through their student portal, so if your college offers that option, definitely use it. If not, be prepared to do a little extra work after submitting. 

3) Information availability 

This one really surprised me, but as I transferred my application from Common App to ApplyTexas, I noticed a huge gap in the amount of information available online. 

While researching, I found that Common App offers guides, YouTube videos, and blogs (basically everything you need), but ApplyTexas has a fraction of the available resources. 

While filling out my ApplyTexas application, I had to email college counselors, post questions on Reddit, and even go through old, random blogs just to get answers. There isn’t a lot of guidance, so be aware that you’ll likely need to conduct more self-guided research. 

Smaller (but important) differences

1) Activity descriptions 

In Common App, activity descriptions have a 150-character limit, while ApplyTexas only gives you 80 characters, a little over half the space. 

So, if you’re switching your application method to ApplyTexas, just know you’ll need to condense your activity descriptions quite a bit. 

However, you can still submit a resume after applying, which lets you expand on your experiences in more detail, so use it! 

2) Application length 

Common App is way longer than ApplyTexas. 

As I was filling out the Common App, I felt like some of the questions felt a little redundant, and you often have to re-enter information for individual colleges that you’ve already filled out elsewhere. ApplyTexas, on the other hand, does a really good job of keeping things straightforward and making it faster to fill out.

3) Logging activity hours 

This one can be a positive or a negative, depending on the person. 

On Common App, you have to log how many hours per week and weeks per year you spent on each activity which is incredibly time consuming because you have to think back to each activity and calculate everything.

However, logging activity hours can make your application stronger, especially if you are deeply involved in an incredibly time consuming activity. 

But since ApplyTexas doesn’t require that (they only you to list your activities, not hour logs), it’s much easier to do but again, might make it harder to highlight how much time and effort you put into something. 

4) Essay prompts 

ApplyTexas only offers three general essay prompts meanwhile, Common App has seven prompts to choose from (all prompts are different).

Both platforms, however, have the same supplemental essays for each individual college. So, before you start writing your general essay, decide which platform you’re using because one essay might fit one platform but not the other. 

However, if you’re using both platforms, try writing an essay that can work for each. 

If you’re applying to mostly Texas schools, ApplyTexas might make your life easier but if you want flexibility in college choices and more guidance, Common App is the way to go. I hope these tips will help you pick which platform is right for you!

Before I Lea-ve, 

Take your time, stay focused, and don’t stress yourself out! You’ll figure everything out just like I did!