Breakaway Group Seeks 'Retro Common App'

November 3, 2014
  • Industry News

When a bandwagon becomes crowded, passengers get antsy. “The more the merrier” might sound good at first, but as popularity grows, the load has a way of weighing down the wheels. Sooner or later, a new bandwagon comes along.

Perhaps that’s a useful way of thinking about the latest news from the college-admissions realm. As The Chronicle first reported on Friday, a group of highly selective colleges is exploring the possibility of creating a shared application that students could use to apply to one or more of the participating institutions. Those behind the venture seek to build an alternative to the Common Application—only with a much smaller membership, bound by different requirements, according to a confidential May 12 draft of a request for proposals obtained by The Chronicle.

The new online system, tentatively scheduled to make its debut in 2016, could change how many students apply to college.

Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/breakaway-group-seeks-retro-common-app/39183