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Common App Glitches Frustrates Students

Jessica Gross and Amina Abdul-Kareem • March 16, 2014

Think your Common App is in good shape?

Guess again.

According to Guidance, a number of students have discovered that pieces of their app are not visible to colleges though the students’ own Common App sites show they are. The problems have existed all year and continue to exist, Guidance Counselor P.J. Washenko said.

Some colleges let their applicants know when they are missing information, Washenko said, so that several students have been able to catch the errors and set them right.

“The best thing seniors can do is check if the college offers a school portal where they can check if their application is complete. Since colleges are expecting students to be able to handle things themselves, it’s always better for them to try and solve an application problem themselves.”

However, for those whose schools do not offer such a system, there is still hope, Washenko said.

“Students have to understand this a very busy time for administration offices, but a quick email or phone call can’t hurt if the college does not offer a way for students to check that everything is in. There are always issues, but this year has been especially bad.”

The college application process is stressful in and of itself, with the pressure and anxiety of balancing school work and extracurriculars with writing college essays, gathering recommendations, filling out applications, and meeting deadlines.

Add to that the still-growing list of glitches with the Common App, the widely used online college application program, and it is a wonder most of the Staples class of ‘14 isn’t going gray.

The site has been known to have issues with confusing set ups, slow connections and loss of data, but this year a huge number of students have dealt with important components of their application not being successfully sent to their colleges.

It has been an especially challenging year because to both students and their guidance counselors, applications looks 100% completed.

“I don’t want to completely blame the Common App, but if everything looks good to us guidance counselors and everything looks good to the students but somehow the colleges aren’t seeing what we are, obviously there’s a glitch somewhere in the system,” Washenko said.

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About the Contributors

Jessica Gross, A&E Editor

Most kids might shy away from new experiences and dread trying something they’ve never done before, but not Jessica Gross ’15. “I’m totally open to new things,” said Gross, “Actually, I love trying new things.” And it makes perfect sense. The A&E Page Editor has lived in Hong Kong, been to Paris to see a rock concert, and even attended a Berklee College summer program for the performing arts. While she indulges her passion for performing arts through her involvement in Staples Players and her love for journalism in Inklings, Gross’ guilty pleasure is baking. Whether it’s for friends, family, teammates or co-workers, she is always able to put her own spin on any traditional treat. And it’s not just her friends who take note of her knack for baking; even her boss at the restaurant she works at has remarked on her talent, adding a dessert special to his menu featuring Gross’ homemade cookies and brownies. She has even ventured as far as making mini key lime pies, a favorite on the menu. When someone has so many different passions, it’s hard to pick their proudest moment. However, Gross’ came to mind easily: “My band and I opened up for Paul Simon at a concert,” she said, “it was incredible.” Gross is actually the lead singer for that band, created at the School of Rock in Fairfield. Few musicians were invited to join the band at School of Rock, only those with rare talent made the cut. Whether it is finding an interesting topic to cover for Inklings, practicing with her band to get the best sound, or even baking a delicious snack, Gross does it all with flair. So as she embarks on her senior year, take note of her name, because who knows, Jessica Gross might be headlining a tour, opening up a bakery, or even writing for The New York Times in the near future.

Amina Abdul-Kareem, Staff Writer

The brutal capture and murder of James Foley shook America, but it has not dissuaded journalists or budding activists from the concept of traveling to unstable countries, especially not Amina Abdul-Kareem. “Danger excites me,” she puts simply, “I think the best reporting can be done when you’re actually at the scene yourself.” Even at the age of ten, Amina ignored danger to find out if a rumor of cannibalism around her estate in Kenya was really true. “My uncle told us we weren’t allowed to play outside, but me being me, I snuck out and found out what was really happening for myself.” Amina, a daring and curious senior at Staples High School, was born in Dubai and moved to America when she was a year old. Even though she had family from many different parts of the world in addition to Kenya, Amina did not always feel very connected to her ethnicity “Growing up, I kinda felt lost, I didn’t have any connection to my Somali roots.” On the pursuit of finding herself, Amina has taken the Staples African Studies class and dedicated herself to fully appreciating her culture. In an effort to do exactly that, next summer, Amina and her cousin will be traveling around the Horn of Africa to Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya to fully immerse themselves in their African backgrounds. “We’re both in the middle of an identity crisis,” she says of her and her cousin, “that’s what we call it.” Amina may be in the middle of a cultural “crisis”, but she is very confident in her future career path. “I want to pursue a job in the medical field so I can go back to Somalia and help the people who are suffering from famine and poverty.” A very laudable ambition; Amina is set on getting her medical degree in nursing after graduating from Staples in 2015. Somalia is one of the most dangerous places in the world, but Amina’s passion for helping others is stronger than the fear of risking her life. The real threat of being kidnapped in unstable third world countries does not cause Amina to falter, even considering the circumstances of Tom Foley’s demise. As Veronica Roth might say, fear doesn’t shut Amina down; it wakes her up.

Nate Rosen, Graphics Coordinator

When flipping through the pages of a freshly printed Inklings on a Friday morning at Staples, text, novelty-fonted headlines and especially graphics and pictures jump out to the Staples students and faculty. And a big applause is long overdue to senior Nate Rosen ’14, who is Graphics Editor in Chief this year and is the man behind a number of graphics in both the paper and web versions of Inklings.

“It’s a creative outlet for me,” said Rosen ’14 who can be called an artist for his graphics and photos but claims he cannot draw for his life.

Doing graphics for Inklings since freshman year he has created numerous different visuals. One of his favorites is the banner for an article about The Great Gatsby. With gold and metal like textures the banner closely resembles the logo for the 2013 movie.

“That graphic I actually did on my own time, it was more for me,” said Rosen ’14.

Rosen claims that graphics is really a hobby for him; he could be on the Adobe software creating new graphics all day long. However it is easier to have an assignment for a graphic instead of creating the idea on his own.

But no matter how he gets the creative spark or how he creates his artwork, Rosen’s graphics will be printed and posted proudly in Inklings throughout the year.

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