Yes, you can start your applications when the Common Application officially opens in August. 

The Common Application officially opens for college admissions season on August 1 each year. This means that you can start your applications right away by taking the following steps:

1. Fill out the biographical information section. It takes a while, so pull up a Netflix show and get through all the pages of it. You may need a parent on hand to answer questions about your family background, your parents’ education, and demographic information. Make sure everything is accurate, especially your contact information. It would be a shame to get into your dream college, only to have your acceptance letter arrive at the wrong address!

2. Add your colleges. Once you add in the schools from your college list, you will be able to see the additional requirements each school has. These can include answering questions about your major, writing additional essays (usually called “supplemental” essays), or checking boxes for demographic purposes. I often advise students to create their own separate document to track supplemental requirements so they can take their time writing their best work. Don’t just write into the application itself.
   CTK Pro Tip: These are the part of the application that will take the most time, and they tend to be very important to schools, so complete the administrative items first, and then return to these. 

3. The Activities list is a crucial place for you to shine. Although the space allotted is short, this is an aspect of the Common Application in which you can show off not only your activities but also how you have grown and led through them. Don’t just fill in “baseball player.” Note your MVP status freshman year, that you played Varsity beginning sophomore year, and rose to team captain senior year. Emphasize leadership and concrete achievements.
   CTK Pro Tip: I’ve created a Google Doc which mimics the activities template in the Common App. You can copy this file and use it to jot down your activities as you remember the details.