Préparation de la candidature au Bachelor aux États-Unis : Common App

Sie beabsichtigen, sich zu bewerben in Bachelor in den USA ? Befolgen Sie unsere Tipps, um zu verstehen, welche Schritte Sie unternehmen müssen!

Early decision, early action oder regular decision ?

If you are in Universities in the USA, you have the option of submitting your application via a procedure known as early decision eu early action avant le 1st November. The advantage of applying in this way is that you will receive a definitive admission decision around December 15.

If you are applying in early decision and you are accepted, you will have to give up all your other choices and commit to enrolling at the university that has made you this offer. So only opt for this procedure if it really is your first choice!

Visit early action, You will also receive your admission decision around December 15, but will have the option of waiting until you have received your other admission decisions. regular decision will give you more time to put together your file, as the deadline for this procedure is usually January 1st. However, you will have to wait longer for your answer!

How to apply via the Common Application ?

Created in 1975, the Common Application (or Common App) aims to facilitate and standardize the application process for American universities. Through this platform, equivalent to our Parcoursup, you will be able to apply to the majority of American universities (with the notable exception of the Universities of California, for which you will need to use the UC Application platform, and Georgetown University).Below is our step-by-step guide to applying to the Common App. For more information, the Common App website offers a wealth of videos and resources for help you complete your application.

For further information

Visit Fulbright Commission website also offers documents and resources to help you get started.

1st step – Gather the necessary documents

Remember to collect all the information you’ll need for your application before you start registering on Common App. This will save you time and avoid having to stop and look for missing data or documents.

You will need :

  • a copy of all your school reports since third grade (third, second, first and final year), translated and converted (transcript evaluation) par un organisme officiel tel que International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF), Academic Evaluation Services (AES), World Education Service (WES) ou encore Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) ;
  • a list of your extracurricular activities, and any work experience (e.g. summer jobs) or associative/volunteer activities;
  • your score on a standardized test such as the SAT or ACT, and in some cases the SAT Subject Tests as well, as well as your results on an English exam such as the TOEFL or IELTS ;
  • As each university has its own score requirements, it’s important to know the expectations of the universities you’re applying to before you start on Common App. University websites usually indicate the average SAT or ACT score of admitted students, as well as the minimum score required on an English exam such as IELTS or TOEFL,
  • you must submit your SAT/ACT and IELTS/TOEFL scores before the application deadline (usually November 1st or January 1st). Plan to do this directly on the test sites at least two weeks before the deadline;
  • a letter from a high school principal and two letters of recommendation from your English teachers;
  • your essay of Common App and your essays et questions additional (supplemental essays depending on the university applied for).

2nd step – Create an account

It only takes a few minutes to create your personal space on Common App.

  • If you are applying for the first time, select “First-year student”.
  • Enter an e-mail address that you check regularly, as this is how universities will contact you.
  • Choose a password.
  • Complete all the information requested (surname, first name, date of birth, address, telephone number, etc.). Make sure your details match those on your passport or birth certificate.
  • For the type of visa requested (intended US visa), you must indicate F-1 student.

All that’s left is to accept Common App’s privacy policy and validate your registration by clicking on the Create account to finalize the creation of your personal space.

3rd step – Drawing up your wish list

Once you’ve created your account, you can get down to business! Select the universities you wish to apply to. You can enter the name of the college or university you want to apply to directly, or refine your search according to a number of criteria (geographical location, tuition fees, standardized test score, etc.). The Common App lets you select up to twenty universities, and lets you modify your list at any time.

4th step – Obtain one or more letters of recommendation

Some universities require applicants to submit several letters of recommendation (usually one from the principal or vice-principal of your high school, and two from teachers), in order to get a clearer picture of your profile. In some cases, these documents may also come from a person (sports coach, mentor or spiritual guide) who knows you well enough to give the jury more information about your qualities and skills.

You can invite your teachers to participate by sending them an invitation. viathe Common App platform. You’ll need to enter their name and e-mail address. You can also contact your teachers directly and obtain a letter of recommendation on paper. It’s generally advisable to get letters of recommendation from teachers of your main subjects (such as math, science, history-geography or languages) who are likely to write a very positive letter. The letter from your principal (or vice-principal) will give an overview of your school and your academic performance in relation to other students in the class.

It’s important to give referrers as much information as possible about the type of universities they’re looking for, the qualities they’re looking for, and how they can help. >your CV with examples of your school and extracurricular projects. You can also send them any examples of successful letters of recommendation.

5th step – Understanding the application process at different universities

Each university has its own admission criteria: the deadlines, fApplication deadlines, admission tests and documents to be supplied may vary.

You can obtain this information on the Common App site, by consulting the page Explore college, or by clicking on the My college. You can also refer to the Requirements Guide which lists all colleges which use Common App and indicate the admission requirements of each university. For more information, go directly to the university websites.

6 th step– Write one or more essays

This is probably the most difficult exercise you’ll face during your application process. via Common App. However, with creativity, organization and concentration, you can write a essay successful.

First, in the Writing, you’ll need to select a topic you’d like to cover, from the seven options on offer. Take the time to read each suggested topic carefully to make sure you’ve made the right choice. You’ll need to write between 250 and 600 words responding in a personal way to the selected topic.

1. Some 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, then please share your story.

2. The 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 from the experience?

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma – anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Please note that some universities may require additional essays (supplemental essays) or short questions (short answer questions) to get to know you better.

For example, for Stanford you will also have to answer all the following questions:

  • Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (150 words)
  • What is the most significant challenge that society faces today? (50 words)
  • How did you spend your last two summers? (50 words)
  • What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (50 words)
  • What five words best describe you? (10 words)
  • When the choice is yours, what do you read, listen to, or watch? (50 words)
  • Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford. (50 words)
  • Imagine you had an extra hour in the day – how would you spend that time? (50 words)
  • The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning. (250 words)
  • Virtually all of Stanford’s undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate – and us – know you better. (250 words)
  • Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why. (250 words)

7th step – Finalizing your application

You have now completed the various stages of the Common App registration process. All that’s left is to check that the information you’ve provided is correct and validate your application. This last step also involves payment of the registration fee. The amount due will vary according to the universities selected (between $70 and $100 on average per application (€65 and €93, with some exceptions). Please consult the Requirements Guide for deadlines, fees and admission policies for each of the universities listed.

As an international student, you must also complete the CFIS ( of finances for international students) and obtain a letter from your bank stating that you have sufficient funds to pay your tuition fees.

Important : it is possible to apply for a waiver of the application fee. If you think you meet the conditions for this waiver, you can apply to via Common App. In your personal area, select the Profile, thenCommon App Fee Waiver and follow the instructions.

Your registration is now complete. Now all you have to do is wait for the replies from the schools you have applied to.

Examples ofessays for the United States

As you will see from these examples, writing a essay for American universities is a very different process from a personal statement for UCAS or a classic cover letter. It’s about telling a personal story that demonstrates some of your core values!

Before tackling your essay for the United States, it’s important to reflect on the fundamental values that define you and the experiences that have been particularly significant in your career.

Exemple 1

Éteignant l’écran de mon ordinateur, je suis restée figée devant mon bureau. J’étais encore en train de digérer ce qui s’était passé ; une année de dur labeur venait de disparaître. Disparu. Voici une photo de moi à l’âge de 15 ans, probablement à l’un des moments les plus sombres de ma jeune vie. Si une vidéo d’animation de six minutes peut sembler anodine à première vue, ce que j’avais détruit par inadvertance en un clin d’œil équivalait à environ deux ans de tutoriels YouTube, de tournage et de montage minutieux, d’écriture et de réécriture de scénarios et d’un film presque achevé.

I first became interested in film at the age­ of 11, when I saw the movie Red Beard by Akira Kurosawa. It changed my view of cinema, as it was the first time I realized the importance of lighting in movie-making. It was fascinating to see how lights could change a film as a whole. Because I wanted to know more about filming techniques, I dug for more information, in books and online. My research eventually led me to work on personal projects that helped me fundamental knowledge in directing.

I then decided to practice filmmaking through animation, which I have now been studying for about four years.

However, having to deal with a full load of classes during my high school years meant that all of this, of course, was neatly tucked away into evenings and weekends and an occasional crazed morning when I felt particularly inspired.

What appeals to me about filmmaking is delivering stories alongside strong visuals people have never seen before. There is something empowering about being able to take an idea and broadcast it in full color to a captive audience. For me, it means about 3 to 4 years in my YouTube community with whom I share ideas and from whom I learn countless new skills. For instance, this very community provided me support, whether by giving advice, finding voice actors, helping in the making of visual effects or by simply giving moral support.

With animation, possibilities are limitless. Create a huge crowd cheering for the return of its king, did it. Show the protagonist climbing a giant cliff in order to find an ancestral plant which will grant him superpowers, possible. Making him jump off a cliff in order to escape an explosion or genuinely watching over a technologically advanced city, also doable. Save six minutes of animated footage from being deleted, clearly, I still have plenty of things to learn.

In the face of seeing 24 months of my life blown away like my short film’s protagonist should have been, I decided that giving up was in fact not an option. In many ways, we could call this my superhero moment. Putting superhuman activity to the side, my best option was to start over, which is exactly what I did, but this time with an external hard drive placed comfortingly next to my computer.

Growing up in a half Japanese household, commitment has always been upheld in our family, as a matter of fact, my grandfather dedicated a huge part of his life in order to succeed and thrive as a full time painter, as for my father, he worked his way up in a quite considerable international company. Now it is my chance to shine and to show that I, too, understand what follow through and consistency are all about. I became keenly aware that this very knowledge was not something I had learned at school, like History, English, Art or philosophy. Although I have always been educated in French schools whether in France, Japan, Germany or Singapore, some of my most innate values are, nonetheless, Japanese .

Our analysis of this essay:Here, the student draws on a personal experience: the fact of having lost his very long-term work to make a film. With this example, he illustrates both values such as hard work and perseverance and his passion for cinema, his influences and inspirations. In the second part of his essay, he also shows his determination: he doesn’t give up on his project and starts again from scratch, taking into account the mistakes he may have made the first time around, which illustrates his ability to question himself and learn from his mistakes. Finally, he addresses a final dimension of his identity: his dual French-Japanese nationality, and the strong value of commitment this has instilled in him.

Exemple 2

Thump Thump. I sit down on the leather bench. Three turns forward. Too high. Two turns backward. Too low. One turn forward. Perfect. As I take a long and deep breath, I wipe the sweat from my ice cold hands on my jeans. My right foot reaches the sustain pedal. Silence. I can feel the judges’ eyes piercing me. I place my hands on the keyboard, waiting for the worst to happen. Total blank. I can not find my first note. Again.

À few months earlier, at my Christmas piano recital, I had forgotten my notes for the first time ever. To a 14-year-old me, messing up at a performance of Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne in D-flat major for my piano teacher, my parents, and a dozen students, might as well have been my failed debut at Carnegie Hall for thousands of concert goers! I had not only embarrassed myself in front of people that believed in me but more importantly, I had failed to reach my own expectations. That night, what was supposed to be a festive and joyful moment of music and sharing became a traumatic experience. I remember crying my heart out on the way back home. From then on, I started losing interest in performing and practicing piano. Every time I sat on the bench, I was faced with what seemed like a chore. I would barely touch the pieces that were given to me, and the fear I felt before piano exams and recitals caused me to repeatedly forget my notes or do less than my best. It became a vicious circle. I had convinced myself that I had always had a problem with memorizing and that nothing could be done. I might as well find a new hobby, I thought.

As we were moving into a new apartment, I, unexpectedly, came across a scrapbook that my mom had made, labeled ‘Piano’. Faded pictures revealed fond memories : two-year-old me gleefully banging on a keyboard, my first ever piano performance at the Paris City Hall and the prestigious Salle Pleyel, me playing at retirement homes, my first awards, and musical scores of my self-composed songs. Where had my passion and confidence gone? Even though I was never really scared of the stage as a kid, I still felt stressed before every performance. However, I had always managed to turn that anxiety into a motivating, positive energy. I realized that I had set barriers to my own success, and I wanted to knock them down.

I won’t deny that it was hard to practice again and that progress was not instantaneous. I tried to stick to a two-hour routine, even if it meant waking up at 5 or going to bed at 1. Gradually, I regained the skills that had become rusty, and my fingers felt stronger as I improved. I became less reluctant at the idea of playing by heart. I repeated my teacher’s words, “Be 200% prepared so that if you ever mess up, you still have 100% left”. It had been easy to make excuses for my failures, but it took daringness for me to face them and admit that mistakes don’t define me. Ultimately, it may have felt like a punch in the gut, but the type of punch that woke me up, cleared my mind and helped me realize that I had had what it takes all along. Thump thump. À year later, as I walked into the exact same room to take the end-of-cycle examination, I could still feel my heart pounding like a full symphony. This time, after taking a seat, I closed my eyes and remembered the carefree pleasure of playing as a child. I could sense my teacher patting my back; I could see Chopin smiling at me; I could hear a thousand people applauding me. This time, the piano keys were dancing .

Our analysis of this essay : In this essay, the student also starts from a traumatic personal story: losing her temper and forgetting her notes during a piano recital, and the consequences this may have had on her self-confidence. Although her initial reaction seemed to be to give up and give up on her interest in the piano, she eventually realized all the positive memories associated with the piano and decided to stop being discouraged and persevere! This example illustrates her ability to learn from her mistakes, face her fears, overcome them and persevere until she achieves her goals. Exactly what you need to do in a essay To sum up, for the U.S., don’t be afraid to reveal yourself in your own way. essay and talk about memorable, personal experiences that reflect your deepest values!

Would you like to study in the United States after high school? Don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss your project!