Why is Common App's Gratitude Prompt App the Least Popular with Applicants?
- Mar 5
- 6 min read
Over the next few weeks, high school seniors will receive admissions decisions. They want to be done and in, free of the burden of waitlists. It's March: a month to move on.If you're the parent of a sophomore or junior, however, you may not know how to take those next big steps. It could be that you're surrounded by all the noise about test prep and summer programming. You may be worried because your prospective applicant is unsure of their future major or has too ambitious a college list - or no college list at all. So let's take a look at issues shaping candidacies.
🌿🌿🌿🌿
Common App Essay Prompts: No Change for 2026-27
unCommon students know the importance of nailing the Common App Personal Essay - the earlier, the better. So I was pleased to see that Common App had no plans to revise the Personal Essay prompts this year. And why should they? The prompts work, and unCommon students are able to use them to create an engaging statement.
Nina's Prompt: Why is the Gratitude Prompt the least popular? (Only 3 percent selected it!) Email your response!
4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you? - Common App
🏫 🏫 🏫 🏫
At Public Research Universities, High Volumes Continue
As pointed out many times in these posts, public research universities have never been more popular. In December, for example, the University of Georgia announced record application volume - up nearly 13 percent this cycle - with out-of-state volume increasing some 18 percent.
In February, beautiful UVA reported that a mere 9 percent of Early Action out-of-state applicants were admitted: an all-time low. It was bound to happen; the classy university eliminated its supplemental essay and didn't go back to mandatory testing. Apps for out-of-state students were up by a whopping 43 percent! (At UVA, two-thirds of the students must be Virginia residents.)
Then there's the University of Michigan, which received apps from over 115,000 students. The volume has grown some 25 percent in the last five years.
🌿🌿🌿🌿
Getting to Know You, Stanford Style
As we learn in a WSJ article, Stanford undergrads seek more than just academics and sports. According to an undergrad, "A lot of people at Stanford place so much emphasis on success in other areas aside from social interaction, so it [dating] just naturally falls to the wayside.”
That's what led a Stanford grad student to create Date Drop, a "matchmaking platform . . . [through which] students answer 66 questions about their values, lifestyles and political views. These responses are fed into an algorithm to pair compatible students. Matches 'drop' every Tuesday night at 9 p.m." Date Drop has expanded to the Princeton, Columbia and MIT communities.
🏫 🏫 🏫 🏫
Switching Majors: What Does the Data Tell Us?
Recently, education-research company EAB released "How Late is Too Late: Myths and Facts About the Consequences of Switching College Majors." The report validated that some 75-85 percent of students change their major. EAB presented data from public and private institutions to show what effect changing majors has on graduation rate and time to earn a degree. Their findings:
Switching majors didn't affect the rate of graduation.
Students changing majors before the end of junior year still completed degrees on schedule because they were likely to pursue similar ("adjacent") majors.
Yet students who declared a major in the beginning of freshman year don't necessarily graduate as quickly as peers because they may have lost interest. ("Students, like everyone else, tend to default to the easiest options.")
🌿🌿🌿🌿
Oh Resume, Do I Need to Stuff You with Expensive Summer Programs and Research?
Often, parents ask me what their students need to do “for college,” noting that they're considering programs held at the campuses of highly selective institutions. I almost always steer them away from costly (summer) programs, making exceptions for the most niche opportunities - and only after we check out instructors and mentors.
Like you, I am bombarded with marketing emails about summer programs and research opportunities. Then came the WSJ headline: For College Applicants, Pressure to Make Summers Count Has Gotten Even Worse. It included, “If the activities you’re doing during your summer aren’t really tying together to this cohesive narrative, or you’re not really planning your summer strategically, it’s really almost the same as not doing much at all.”
The conversation continued on LinkedIn, as Prompt CEO Brad Schiller posted: "What do you think of the extracurricular arms race? Are you a fan of paid extracurriculars, such as research? What are you doing for your own kids?"
You know my response! Students who genuinely use their skills to bring awareness to a favorite interest or cause or educate others are in a far better position to differentiate themselves with highly selective colleges. I encourage students to pursue a few interests creatively and authentically. Those who take on a job, particularly where they learn responsibility, build problem-solving and communication skills and deal with difficult customers, have much to offer a campus community.
While WSJ author Jasmine Li stated that students have to "fret over crafting their 'summer story," she at least explained that "selective summer programs require college-like applications—and have college-like acceptance rates . . . so-called pay-to-play programs that don’t necessarily give students a leg up in admissions."
🏫 🏫 🏫 🏫
Applicants Tap Into AI, But at What Cost?
"I want to take a practice test."
That's all a student needs to tell Gemini in order to gain access to free test-prep resources from Princeton Review. The AI provides immediate scoring with detailed explanations for incorrect answers. According to Technobeez, "Gemini analyzes performance patterns to generate personalized study plans targeting weak areas like algebra or reading comprehension."
What do pros think? The article points out that "critics question potential AI bias in scoring, while educators express concerns about reduced critical thinking if explanations spoon-feed answers."
As we would expect, more students are using AI to research colleges. But as Ed Week points out, "AI tools often generate misleading or inaccurate information, can be biased based the data that is put into them, and don’t offer the kind of nuanced perspectives that a school counselor, teacher, or parent can offer about picking a college or university."
🌿🌿🌿🌿
Curriculum Refresh at Drexel
Colleges need to regularly refresh their approach and products, just like any successful business. So this counselor is liking what's going at Drexel. Under its new president Antonio Merlo, the Philly institution has been rethinking its strategies, course design and course delivery. As reported in Higher Ed Dive, Merlo is asking: “How can we revamp every degree program we offer, every single one? How do we rethink what we want our students to learn? How do we want to position ourselves to be recognized in the landscape of higher education that makes us unique, that makes us distinctive?”
Up until now, Drexel has been using a quarter system; now it's moving to a semester system. Regardless of major, students will see their curriculum "infused" with AI. And while we don't know how much is hype, under Merlo's leadership, the university will deliver "core competencies that AI is not going to displace," which means critical thinking and problem-solving.
🏫 🏫 🏫 🏫
NYU Goes Device Free
NYU students may want to put down their phones. The reason? NYU IRL (in real life), an initiative at the NYC, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai campuses. In an interview with the Chronicle of Higher Ed, university president Linda Mills explained that "the college years are absolutely fundamental, not only to shaping how students are going to be out in the world when they leave, but these moments, each one of them is so precious. And this is a reminder of the preciousness of who you will accidentally encounter because you are engaged in a different kind of way and not on your phone."
The university has device-free events planned and has guidelines for faculty. Check here to see how various universities are using or excluding various devices in their classrooms.
🌿🌿🌿🌿
Don't let these issues keep you from enjoying the transition to spring. Instead, set up a meeting to address your concerns.
Comments