Section 01
Profile
Personal and contact information
Personal information
Q1
Legal name
Enter your name exactly as it appears on your official school records and passport.
Q2
Preferred name or nicknameOptional
Contact information
Q10
Email address
Use an address you check regularly, because colleges will contact you here. Avoid your school-issued account, which is often deactivated after graduation.
Demographics
Q14
Languages spoken at home
Background
On first-generation status
This is context, not a disclaimer. Many colleges run dedicated support programmes, scholarships and review practices for first-generation students. Answer it accurately.
Section 02
Family
Parents, guardians, siblings and household
Household
Parent or guardian 1
Q8
Occupation and employer
Q9
Colleges attended
Leave blank if they did not attend college.
Parent or guardian 2
Q15
Occupation and employer
Q16
Colleges attended
Leave blank if they did not attend college.
Siblings
Q17
Total number of siblings
Q18
Siblings enrolled in or who have attended college
Leave blank if this does not apply to you.
Why this section matters
Some colleges read sibling attendance as affinity context, and household composition feeds financial aid modelling. Report it accurately. Nothing here counts against you.
Section 03
Education
Schools, grades, coursework and honours
Current or most recent secondary school
Q8
Other secondary schools attended
List every high school attended, including any summer programme that produced a transcript. Leave these blank if your current school is the only one.
Coursework and academic record
Q9
Current year courses
List every course you are taking now, one per line. R is regular, H is honours, DE is dual enrolment. For example: AP Calculus BC — AP — in progress.
Q11
Academic honours and awards
Up to five academic distinctions: honour roll, national recognition, a departmental award.
Drafting an honour
The Common Application allows 100 characters per honour, so draft long here and cut later. Always name the scope — school, regional, state or national — because a reader cannot infer selectivity from a title alone.
School counsellor
Q12
School counsellor contact
Section 04
Testing
SAT, ACT, AP, IB and English proficiency
SAT and ACT
Q1
SAT scores
List every sitting. Leave a row blank if it does not apply.
Q2
ACT scores
List every sitting. Leave a row blank if it does not apply.
Q3
Future test dates planned
Leave blank if you have no further sittings booked.
Reading the ranges
Submit scores that sit at or above a school's published mid-50% range. Below that range, test-optional is usually the stronger position. Test-optional is not a single policy — it varies by school, by programme and by scholarship eligibility, so check each college every cycle.
AP, IB and subject tests
Q5
AP exam scores
Include exams you plan to take in May of senior year. Leave a row blank if it does not apply.
Section 06
Writing
Personal statement and additional information
Personal essay
Choose one prompt from the seven below. Your response should sound like you, between 250 and 650 words.
01Some students have a background, identity, interest or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, share your story.
02The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn?
03Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking, and what was the outcome?
04Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
05Discuss an accomplishment, event or realisation that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
06Describe a topic, idea or concept you find so engaging it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you, and what or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
07Share an essay on any topic of your choice — one you have already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
Keep your own copy
Draft long essays in a document you control, then paste them in. This worksheet saves to your browser as you type, but a browser is not a backup.
Additional information
Optional, up to 650 words. Use this space for anything not captured elsewhere: a gap in your record, an unusual circumstance, context for a low grade, family responsibilities.
How to use this space
This is for context, not for a second essay. State the facts plainly, skip the excuses, and close with what you did about it. If nothing needs explaining, leave it blank — a thin entry here reads worse than none.
Section 07
Disciplinary History
School conduct and legal record
Answer honestly
Many colleges treat minor infractions with leniency. Omission and dishonesty are treated severely and can result in an admission being revoked.
School conduct
Q2
If yes, explain briefly
Legal record
Some states have enacted legislation that limits or prohibits these questions. Check each college's policy.
Q5
If yes to either question, explain
Before you draft
Talk to your Stepping Stones advisor before writing either explanation. These answers should be short, factual and forward-looking, and they should be read by someone who knows how admissions committees receive them.
Section 08
College List
Per-school questions and supplemental essays
One school at a time
These questions are answered separately for every college you apply to inside the Common Application. Draft one school here, then start a fresh copy for the next.
Application type
Academic interests
Q3
Intended college or division within the university
Financial aid and housing
Supplemental essays
Most colleges require one to three supplements alongside the personal statement.
Q9
Why this school?
Typically 250 to 650 words.
Q10
Why this major or area of study?
Q11
Community contribution
Q12
Additional short-answer prompts
School-specific, usually 25 to 150 words each.
The test for a Why-us essay
A strong answer names things that exist only at that school: a specific lab, a named sequence, a professor's work, a structure in the programme. If the essay still makes sense with another college's name dropped into it, it is not finished.
Section 09
Recommendations
Counsellor, teachers and additional recommenders
What this section is for
You do not write your own recommendations. Use this space to plan who you will ask, then enter their details in the Common Application to send the invitation.
Counsellor recommendation
Required by every school.
Q1
School counsellor contact
Teacher recommendations
Two are required by most schools. Choose teachers from junior or senior year who know you well academically, ideally one from a STEM subject and one from the humanities.
Additional recommenders
Up to two. Coaches, mentors, employers, community leaders. Check each school's policy before adding extra letters.
Additional recommender 1Optional
Additional recommender 2Optional
How to ask
Ask early and ask in person. Give every recommender four weeks, a copy of your activities list, and a short note on what you hope they will speak to. A specific letter beats an enthusiastic one.
Section 10
Signature
Certification and statement of authenticity
I certify that all information submitted in the admission process, including this application and any other supporting materials, is my own work, factually true and honestly presented. I understand that I may be subject to a range of possible disciplinary actions, including admission revocation, should the information I have certified be false.
Parent or guardian
My parent or guardian has also read this application and confirms the information is correct to the best of their knowledge.
Stepping StonesCollege Educational Advisors