New common app for co-advisors hits roadbumps

By Jieya Wen     2/24/15 2:06pm

First Year Programs is implementing a new online platform for the Orientation Week 2015 co-advising application. According to Chris Landry, Associate Director of FYP, the application consists of a series of common questions followed by supplements for each individual college. Applicants may apply for up to four colleges.

However, some students have reported issues with the application. McMurtry College junior Will Eldridge said he unwittingly submitted his incomplete application when he unsuccessfully tried to go back through the application to review his answers. After attempting to resubmit his application with changes, his old application was not replaced.

“It obviously doesn’t work as planned,” Eldridge said. “I don’t even know why they do it if the normal advisor applications worked. Obviously they want to streamline it, but they should keep it the way it’s been working for several years.”

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The application has since been updated to include a confirmation before submission.

Landry said the common application streamlines the application process and saves time for both applicants and O-Week coordinators.

“In previous years, applicants would have to complete a full paper application for each college to which they wanted to apply; many times these included similar or identical questions,” Landry said. “They would then have to return it in person to the colleges. ”

Sneha Kohirkar, Student Director of O-Week 2015, said the four-college limit makes the application process more effective.

“The coordinators were able to select what [their college’s supplement] would look like,” Kohirkar, a McMurtry College senior, said. “This allows for individual colleges to still have the chance to use their theme and ask for specific information.”

Kohirkar said the common application gives students more time to apply to co-advise should they be rejected from advising at their own colleges.

“We know there is always a quick turnover from advising decisions to co-advisor application deadline,” Kohirkar said.

Because the Common Application for college admission has increased applicants for many universities, FYP is interested to see whether this change will increase the number of applicants for co-advising.

“As with any new program, there have been a few minor glitches in the survey, but we are responding to issues as quickly as they are reported with our partners in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Qualtrics (the survey company),” Landry said.

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