July is here and that means it’s time for students to start gearing up for college applications. In addition to finalizing your college lists, working on your profile, speaking with your counselors and teachers for letters of recommendation, there’s one more thing you need to keep in mind- What application portals will I have to apply through? 

Juggling multiple portals can be tough, but don’t worry! We got you covered. 

ApplyTexas 

With ApplyTexas, you can apply to any Texas public university and many Texas community colleges and private universities through one application. It works in simple 4 steps, create an account, answer a few application questions and see which application works best for you, select a school and start your application! 

ApplyTexas sends both Core Questions and school-required questions as a part of your application to each school. After submitting your application, send transcripts, supporting documents, and test scores. 

Perks of Apply Texas:

• Essays are not a part of every school 
• You can also see your progress by opening your application and looking at the progress bar at the top of the page.

Cal State Apply 

With 23 universities across California like CSU Bakersfield, Long Beach Fullerton, Los Angeles and more, the CSU offers more access to diverse higher education pathways than any other public university system in the United States. It is a user-friendly platform designed to simplify the application process for students. 

Perks of Cal State:

• Cal State Apply allows students to apply to multiple CSU campuses through a single online application. 
• By using a centralized system, students can save time and effort by completing one application instead of separate applications for each campus.

Common Application (Common App)

The Common App is a widely used platform that allows students to apply to multiple colleges and universities with a single application. Applications via the Common App are accepted by more than 1,000 universities across the United States.   

The portal is simple to use with each university setting its own admission requirements, highlighting clear deadlines, and simplifying the process of uploading materials such as activities, essays, academic records and more. 

Perks of Common App: 

• The platform tracks the status of each application, allowing students to monitor the progress and submission status. 
• You can also request LORs directly from the recommender section
• Saves time and effort because you can apply to most universities through one platform

Coalition Application

The Coalition Application is another popular application platform, which allows students to apply to a diverse group of colleges and universities. A list of all Coalition Application member institutions is available here.   

Perks of using Coalition Application:

• The Coalition offers tools and resources to help students, especially lower-income and under- resourced students, learn about, prepare for, and apply to colleges. 

Georgetown Application 

Georgetown University’s application platform is called the Georgetown Application. The first step involves filling out a form that has to be filled out in one go. This form creates your official admissions file and allows the university to track and connect any documents or standardized testing sent in support of your application. 

Within 24 hours of submitting the Georgetown Application, you will receive an email with instructions on how to create your application account, so you can begin working on your additional required application forms. After submitting the form, you will be asked to fill out additional application forms. 

Perks of Georgetown Application:

• Their personalized application allows them to keep their applicant pool to a manageable size which guarantees that all applications will be read by a regional Admissions Officer.
• A unique part of their application is the alumni interview, which further personalizes the process by allowing the applicant to tell their story in their own words.
• The Georgetown Application allows high school counselors and teachers to submit personalized letters of recommendation for our applicants.

MIT Application 

MIT has its own application system, called MyMIT. Applicants need to create accounts and provide personal and academic information. The application includes short-answer questions, essays and a section to list extracurricular activities and achievements. Applicants also have the option to submit additional materials, such as portfolios or research papers.

Perks of MyMIT:

• Rather than asking you to write one long essay, the MIT application consists of several short response questions and essays (100-200 words) designed to help the university get to know the authentic, real you. 
• Applicants also have the option to submit additional materials, such as portfolios or research papers via Slideroom. 

MyIllini

First-year applicants can choose to apply to UIUC in one of two ways: myIllini or Common App.  The university doesn’t give preference based on your application type. Only one first-year application is permitted per applicant, and the first submitted application is considered official.

If you don’t have a myIllini account, the university will create one for you and you’ll receive an email a few days after submitting your application with instructions on how to access it.

Perks of MyIllini:

• It serves as the central hub for managing applications, accessing financial aid information, and navigating university services. 
• Through MyIllini, students can apply, check application status, and manage all steps related to enrollment.

University of California Application

The University of California system, which covers 9 campuses including UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC Merced, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz, has its own application platform.  It requires students to provide detailed information about their academic records and extracurricular activities, as well as personal insight responses. 

The UCs’ are also test-blind, which means that any student who has low SAT scores or does not want to submit their test scores can apply to them by showcasing their strengths through other avenues. 

Perks of UC application:  

• You can apply to any UC campus through one application.
• Instead of one long essay, the UC personal insights give students an opportunity to highlight all their meaningful experiences through 4 reflective essays.
• Students can list up to 20 activities (more than 10 on common app) and awards that can fall into six different categories like 1) Awards and Honors, 2) Educational Preparation Programs, 3) Extracurricular Activities, 4) Other Coursework, 5) Volunteering/Community Service, and 6) Work Experience.