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A lower acceptance rate sounds like bad news — but when the drop is driven by a school removing an essay, not by admitting fewer students, the story is more complicated than it looks. It's also not a pure win for applicants: more competition and one less chance to show who you are beyond your transcript. Here's what's really behind this year's wave of essay cuts, school by school.
Every summer, Common App goes dark for a few days to reset for the new application cycle. It's routine — but the days right before and after the reset matter more than most families realize. Here's our full walkthrough, from what to do while it's closed to the exact order of steps once it reopens.
