It (the Common App). Is. ALIVE!

We Admit It! We’re loving summer here in Williamsburg, with all of the sunshine and warm weather that comes with it. While we still have over a month until the official first day of fall, August 1 (today!) technically marks the beginning of the 2017-2018 admission cycle. Why, you ask? Because on August 1, the 2017-2018 Common Application goes live. In other words, anytime between today, August 1, and our application deadlines (detailed below), you are welcome to apply for admission to William & Mary. We hope that all of you reading this decide to apply, so that we can learn more about you.

Because William & Mary remains an exclusive user of the Common Application, the Common App is the only application that you can use in order to apply for admission to W&M. Once you create an account on the Common Application, you will complete the necessary sections of the application, and will then be able to submit this application to all colleges and universities who currently accept this application for admission (W&M included). William & Mary also has a W&M specific supplement to the Common Application, which you will need to complete in order to submit your application. You will gain access to this supplement once you add William & Mary to your list of schools on the Common App to which you are applying.

In honor of the Common Application going live, we figured we’d provide you with a few pertinent tips/reminders:

  • The Common App is only “common” in the sense that it allows you to complete a single application for multiple different colleges and universities, which hopefully makes things a bit easier on your end. Despite the name “Common App,” we still absolutely view each and every one of our applicants as uncommon, or unique. As part of our holistic review process, we aim to get to know you as the tremendous individual you are.
  • William & Mary operates with a few important application deadlines. Again, you are welcome to apply at any point between today and the below deadlines, depending on what admission process you elect to pursue:

For Freshman

Early Decision (binding admission) – November 1, 2017

Regular Decision – January 1, 2018

For Transfers

Spring 2018 Transfer Admission – November 1, 2017

Fall 2018 Transfer Admission – March 1, 2018

Notes

  • The date on which you officially submit your application has no bearing on whether or not you will be admitted, as long as you submit your application in advance of the above listed application deadlines. This is to say that whether you apply to W&M on August 1 or December 30 for Regular Decision admission, you will be given the same consideration for admission.
  • We encourage you to complete your application sooner rather than later! Senior year can always be a bit hectic, so it is in your best interest to get as much of your college application(s) done before the school year gets increasingly busy.
  • You can submit your application for any application deadline at any point. For example, just because you are a freshman applicant who applies by October 15, this does not mean that you are locking yourself in to being considered as part of the Early Decision (binding) process. There is a specific form that you need to complete along with your Common Application in order to be reviewed during our Early Decision process. So if you want to apply as part of the Regular Decision process, but also want to submit your application early, you may do so at any point between now and January 1. If you are a transfer applicant and have questions about when to apply, we encourage you to reach out to Dean Whitney Pitschke directly.
  • We begin processing submitted applications in the fall. In other words, if you apply to W&M sometime in August, you will likely not be hearing from us regarding the receipt of your application until the fall. Once we begin processing applications from the Common App, you will receive an email from us letting you know that we have downloaded your application. You will receive a second email once we have successfully “matched” your application with all required components – transcript, tests scores, etc. Should any required component of your application be missing, you will hear from us via email. As long as you have submitted your application using the Common App by one of our application deadlines, we will work with you to make sure it is successfully completed.
  • Regarding the W&M supplement to the Common App, we strongly encourage you to complete the final “Optional Essay.” Whether you apply to W&M or other great colleges and universities, these writing components of the application provide admission committees with a better opportunity to get to know you. So, in short, when completing your college applications, we would encourage you to complete all writing components of those applications.
  • Should you ever have any questions about applying to W&M, you are welcome to contact our office anytime. Similarly, should you experience technical difficulties while completing your application, you are welcome to contact the Common Application directly.

One last additional (related) update – most of our fall visit programs also “went live” today! Specifically, you are now able to register for Fall Focus Days, Tribe Shadow Days, STEM Panels, and fall information sessions and tours. Tribe Transfer Days, Class Visits, and fall Senior Interviews will go live on September 1.

We are ready for another exciting and rewarding admission season, and are very much looking forward to working with our prospective students and their families over the coming year. Go Tribe.

Brad Harlan
Assistant Dean of Admission

Categories: Admission, Faculty & Staff Blogs Tags: , , ,
4 Comments
  1. Jess
    • Admit It!
  2. Martha
    • Admit It!

Comments are closed on posts older than one year, but we still want to hear from you. If you have a comment or question for us, please email admission@wm.edu.