[UPDATE] Petition to Add FIRST to the Common Application

[J_Miles]

Good Evening everyone! Today the efforts to have FIRST and competitive robotics in general have been rewarded. The creator of the original petition received an email directly from the Senior Director for Policy of the Common Application in response to correspondence between this student and the president of the Common Application:

I am responding to the message you sent to Thyra Briggs, President of the Common Application Board of Directors.

Beginning in August 2014, students using The Common Application will be able to select "Robotics" as an activity category. We have made this addition in direct response to recommendations from students.

Thank you for your advocacy on behalf of your talented and passionate peers.

_____________________________________
Scott Anderson, Senior Director for Policy
The Common Application

This is definitely very cool for all the FIRSTers, VRCers, or other participants in similar programs nation- and world-wide who will soon find themselves applying to many schools that utilize the Common Application.

Original Thread

EDIT: Credit to student(s) from FRC33 The Killer Bees for starting this up, I'm just the messenger!

[Foster]

Yay! This is a great thing. But I'd like to note that the petition still needs ~100 signatures. So it wasn't the petition that got this to happen, it was the direct contact with the management of the Common Form. The Executive E-mail Carpet Bomb (EECB) works. Great job redengin33r!

[J_Miles]

Originally Posted by Foster

But I'd like to note that the petition still needs ~100 signatures.!

To be fair, it was the same KB student (redengin33r's twin sister) that created the petition and arbitrarily chose 1,000 signatures as the goal. She was the primary contact for the effort and she included the petition in the emails back and forth with the Common App board of directors. I would definitely not discount the petition in showing the community's support.

[CLandrum3081]

Glad this is a thing now. The exclusion of FIRST as an option is what prevented me from applying to ANY school requiring the common application. Hopefully future students will take advantage of this. Better late than never, I guess.

[ajd]

Originally Posted by CLandrum3081

Glad this is a thing now. The exclusion of FIRST as an option is what prevented me from applying to ANY school requiring the common application. Hopefully future students will take advantage of this. Better late than never, I guess.

Surely there were ways around that....?

[RoboMom]

Well done! Changing the culture.

[CLandrum3081]

Originally Posted by ajd

Surely there were ways around that....?

The closest thing I could find in the "activity" selection were related to computer tech, math, and science, which were too similar to other activities I participated in without category. 4-5 "math/science/technology" entries would have been highly confusing, and there was never enough space to elaborate on the activity and include leadership roles. I really think the Common App would be more credible if they let applicants write in the names of their activities (seems simple, right?). I'd probably take universities that swear by the Common App more seriously in that case.

[Pault]

Originally Posted by CLandrum3081

The closest thing I could find in the "activity" selection were related to computer tech, math, and science, which were too similar to other activities I participated in without category. 4-5 "math/science/technology" entries would have been highly confusing, and there was never enough space to elaborate on the activity and include leadership roles. I really think the Common App would be more credible if they let applicants write in the names of their activities (seems simple, right?). I'd probably take universities that swear by the Common App more seriously in that case.

Write your essay about, then. From what I've heard, a lot of colleges really don't care all that much if you just say you did FIRST; certainly not enough to make it any more than a tiebreaker. It's when you elaborate on what FIRST has meant to you and how you have grown as a person and what you have learned and showing them that you were actually commited to your team and not just a name on the roster that it starts to gain leverage.

[cadandcookies]

Originally Posted by Pault

Write your essay about, then. From what I've heard, a lot of colleges really don't care all that much if you just say you did FIRST; certainly not enough to make it any more than a tiebreaker. It's when you elaborate on what FIRST has meant to you and how you have grown as a person and what you have learned and showing them that you were actually commited to your team and not just a name on the roster that it starts to gain leverage.

It's a little late now...

Props to Jess and Ellen for getting this through. I'm sure future generations of FIRSTers will appreciate your efforts.