The Common App Fallacy Summary

The Article “The Common App Fallacy” by author Damon Beres discusses the trend of college applications and admissions throughout the US. The author uses two different viewpoints in the article and elaborates on both the sides of the student and the institution itself. With Colleges reporting higher and higher rates of applications coming in every year he discusses the ridiculousness of the common app and how it has helped flood universities with prospective students.

Damon Beres begins the article about the college application process being a ‘crapshoot’ in modern days. That no matter how high the GPA, or how many extra curriculum activities you're involved in, this still might not be enough to get you into the school you would like or very well deserve to attend. While students think it better to apply to multiple schools, even schools they really have no interest in going to, they do not realize how they are making it more difficult for everyone involved. With the overwhelming amount of applicants, colleges have a wider selection of students to choose from allowing universities to be more competitive.

Beres throughout the article slams the common app to be yet another tool for colleges to make profit off of students.

New York University was the example he chose and asked why they, a school so competitive they can keep up with top universities in the US like harvard and yale, need the common application to make more money off of students. “New York University is already a competitive institution, a school that's more than able to play in the big leagues, so it certainly doesn't need the extra applicants that the Common App brings in.” (Beres p. 7) Beres goes on to say that using the Common App system the college application has taken a drastic turn from an ‘individualizied search’ into a ‘cold, sterile

business’.
In my opinion Beres does his fair share of bashing the common app system but doesn't even mention the slight advantages in its use. For example, how it has become much easier to apply to multiple colleges at once without needing to fill out 6 or more different applications. While the common app can be generic over the years it has become a bit more customizable. Students can customize their application depending on the college they are applying to.
I have found while researching pros/cons of using the common app it seems like this would be more useful for smaller schools, not huge universities like NYU. When applying to a larger, well known school that colleges own application may better showcase your skills. Even though the common app has become a bit more customizable it is still pretty ‘one size fits all’. I do disagree with the pricing of the common app, with a steep fee at 50 dollars per application, and the average amount of colleges student applies to is 6, that can be very draining for a lower to middle class family. Checking different college application fees might also help save money considering fees vary at different universities.
The common app is honestly just another tool for colleges to make money. I believe the author should of attacked that fact that colleges are businesses, instead of a place for learning. Colleges are nothing but cold businesses that put people who have just began their lives into tremendous debt. We should award these kids or even adults going back to school for seeking a higher education, and not ruining their prime with overwhelming debt. This is the stance the author should have taken instead of just attacking one tool they use to further rip off students.