Making Application Management a Snap with Common App

Making Application Management a Snap with Common App

Xello and Common App have partnered to deliver an integrated application management experience for high-school students and staff.

There’s no tiptoeing around it. Applying to college is stressful. For your senior students it’s a time for big decisions, confusing forms, and next-level organization. For counselors and teachers, it means juggling requests, tracking progress, and keeping students on track — on top of other day-to-day responsibilities.  
Over the course of the 2019/20 school year, Xello has introduced a suite of new features and experiences to help make the college application experience a little less stressful. Updates include: 

  • College application management and tracking 
  • Requesting transcripts and letters of recommendation 
  • Local scholarship and financial aid information
  • Activities and lessons to help students choose a college  
  • Reports and management tools for counselors and teachers 

For the 2020/21 school year, we’re enhancing our support for college-bound students even further by integrating with Common App. 

What does a Common App integration mean for students and counselors?

With the ability to sync with Common App from directly within Xello, your 12th-grade students will be able to seamlessly navigate between college exploration, planning and the application phase. The experience of applying for college will be woven into the fabric of future-planning, instead of sitting outside as a separate activity. 
From within Xello, students will be prompted to connect their existing Common App account, or create a new one. Once the sync is complete, they’ll be able to see their list of saved Common App schools in Xello. 

Common App Integration with Xello
Example of how students can sync or create a Common App account in the College Applications Tool

When it comes to document requests, students will continue to request transcripts and letters of recommendation for Common App colleges from within their Application Checklists in Xello.
Requesting a transcript to submit to Common App colleges will only need to be done once – students will simply select their counselor and send the request with the click of a button.
For letters of recommendation, students will see the minimum and maximum number of recommendation letters they need to request, and can select any educator at their school as their “recommender”. Once a request is sent, the recommender is notified with an automated email notification.
Common App School Application Checklist
Example of how students can request college documents from a school’s Application Checklist

As students complete all other requirements for their applications, they’ll compile and submit through their Common App account. In the fall, they’ll be able to track progress on their application in Xello.
 
For counselors and teachers, Xello’s integration with Common App means end-to-end application management under one roof — saving you time, and the administrative headache of managing multiple systems. 
In your Educator Account, you’ll be able to manage all documentation for Common App schools from within the College Planning section. 
College Planning section in Educator Tools
Example of how educators can access Common App requests from the College Planning section

New educator capabilities to support Common App applications will include: 

  • Notification of student requests for letters of recommendation and/or transcripts
  • Common App profile management for teachers & counselors
  • Reviewing assigned requests 
  • Form management and submission
  • Tracking and reporting for submitted applications 

How do I get the Common App integration for my high schools?  

If you’re a district leader and are interested in getting Common App added to the educator and student accounts at your school for the 2021/2022 school year, connect with your Xello Success Manager today. If you’re not sure who to get in touch with, drop us an email at help@xello.world – we’ll be happy to redirect your inquiry to the right folks. 
If you’d like to know more about Xello and how to get the Common App integration for the 2021/2022 school year, just click on the link below to book a call with our education consultants. 👇

Book Your Xello Consultation Today

What’s next? 

Over the coming weeks and months you’ll receive more information about Xello’s integration with Common App, including training resources and more. 
If you choose to add this integration to your Xello account, you can rest assured that your staff and students will have all the resources they’ll need to be successful. 
We look forward to supporting you and your students through a more seamless college application season and encourage you to reach out should you have any questions about the new suite of tools available to your district.