The New Coalition Platform for applications to the USA

With a mantra of,  ‘Access, Affordability and Success’,  the new COALITION university application system to American institutions began in July 2016.  Founded by a small group of universities in America, the COALITION currently consists of 95 institutions.   The group’s aim is to encourage increased access to the application process for all students with a promise to make college affordable for all.  Students can access the system at any point between Grade 9 (Year 10) to Grade 12 (Year 13).  The system is set up to be accessible, informational and user-friendly whereby students can safely gather, collate and share information over a period of time, via one centralised portal, culminating in a seemingly, seamless application process.   And the good news, it is all FREE!

The Coalition has partnered with CollegeNET to provide the technology and data security systems.   Within the system is a REGISTRATION PROFILE area where students can input their personal data (which will be automatically transferred to applications when an application is activated); a LOCKER for students to collect and collate information such as essays/awards/certificates/VDOs/blogs/test scores or anything that might be useful when compiling an application later in the process; a COLLABORATION SPACE where students can privately share items with their advisor/counselor/mentor to receive comments and feedback; and a COLLEGE APPLICATION area for students to apply to individual universities.

Instructional VDOs:  There are plenty of short information VDOs on the site to instruct students, Counselors, Advisors, Teachers and Parents how to use the system (see below for links to the VDOs).

Students: http://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/how.html

Parents, Counselors, Mentors, Advisors, Teachers: http://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/resources-video.html

Essays: As with other American applications, essays may be required. Below are the 2016-2018 Coalition Essay Prompts (please read the instructions carefully as there may be additional essays required by individual institutions):

• Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
• Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.
• Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs?
• What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)?
• Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.

All-in-all, it’s a neat new system with neat tools and neat resources – so go ahead take a look at it now and get started on your journey to college!

http://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/

N.B.  The Commonapp, Texas, California and individual institution application systems still operate alongside this new system.  Please read each institution’s application instructions carefully before applying!