I started building this after losing track of all my documents of essay drafts and found it hard to organize all the different parts of my application. Also, I procrastinated A LOT. XcelCollege solves all these problems by organizing your application into one straightforward page while also providing you with extra tips and tricks, also keeping a progress bar and deadline countdown to keep you on track!.
XcelCollege isn't run by the Common Application or affiliated with any college — it's a project I built as a student, for students. I don't sell your data to anyone. Details are in the Privacy Policy. I post updates and application tips on Instagram @the_jaydenturer.
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A few suggestions plus anything you add yourself. Nothing disappears until you check it off.
Pulled straight from the schools you've added in Supplements — including Early Decision and Early Action dates.
Where every XcelCollege student stands right now, grouped by overall completion. Anonymous — no names, no content, just counts.
XcelCollege — @the_jaydenturer
Team up with friends going through this at the same time. Check in daily and see everyone's overall progress side by side — nobody outside the group sees your actual essays, activities, or any content, just a completion percentage.
The personal essay can be written about practically anything. Even something small and specific works, as long as it reveals who you are.
A few short questions, one at a time. Answer honestly, don't overthink it — at the end you'll have a real topic to start from.
Pick the one your topic answers best — you'll write one 250-650 word essay that goes to every school on your list.
Draft three possible topics. Run each through the "So What" test above.
Drop the reader into one specific moment — mid-action, with sensory detail.
What shifted? What did you notice, try, or realize?
What did this reveal about how you think or what you value?
How does this show up in what you want to study or do next? Keep it brief.
Your draft saves automatically as you type — no button needed. Use "Save Version Snapshot" only when you want to bookmark this exact draft so you can come back to it later, even after writing over it.
See exactly what changed between two saved versions, or a version and your current draft.
Share a snapshot of your current draft with a teacher, friend, or parent — they can read it and leave comments without creating an account. Updating the draft above doesn't change what they see until you click "Update Shared Draft."
Checking…
Be honest — check off what's actually true of your current draft.
Up to 10 activities, ranked in the order they matter most to you. Position/Leadership: 50 characters. Organization Name: 100 characters. Description: 150 characters.
Already have your activities somewhere else — a resume, a Google Doc, a spreadsheet? Paste them below, one activity per line, and skip the retyping.
If you copy rows straight from a spreadsheet (Google Sheets/Excel), the columns import automatically. Typing by hand? Separate each field with a | in this order: Category | Position/Leadership | Organization | Description | Hrs/Wk | Wks/Yr. Missing fields are fine — just leave them blank and fill them in after.
Use the ▲ ▼ buttons to reorder — Common App reads activity #1 as the one that matters most to you.
A list of well-known U.S. colleges. Search for one, click through to its real site, and add it to your Supplements workspace if you're applying.
These are just links to each school's real website. Deadlines change, so double check the actual date on the school's own site before you rely on it.
One card per school. Add every supplement prompt that school requires and draft it right here, with a live counter against its limit. Picking Early Decision or Early Action auto-fills November 1st as a starting estimate (most EA/ED deadlines land there) — adjust it if your school's actual date is different.
Early Decision, Early Action, and Regular Decision dates you set per school in Supplements show up here automatically — add anything else important below.
Check items off as you go. Your current phase is highlighted based on today's date.
Most students need 2-3 letters. Add one card per teacher/counselor.
Not every school interviews, but if yours does, these are the questions that come up again and again.
Pull a random question and answer it out loud before you write anything down.
Write an answer under any question — it's saved automatically and stays here when you come back.
Some schools offer optional alumni interviews — track which ones and where you stand.
Financial aid is applied for separately from your actual college application — don't let it slip because you were focused on essays.
Sources: studentaid.gov (FAFSA, U.S. Dept. of Education) · cssprofile.collegeboard.org (College Board) · studentaid.gov (Net Price Calculator) · Common App Student Solutions Center (Fee Waivers)
Outside scholarships aren't tracked by Common App at all — keep them here so a deadline doesn't slip by.
Update each school once you hear back. Schools you've added in Supplements show up automatically — add any other school here too, even ones without a tracked supplement essay.
Track which sections of the actual Common App portal are done for each school. Add a section if one of your schools has something extra.
Add whatever columns matter to you — cost, rankings, whether you've visited, food, anything.
Application terms, explained plainly.
Every tool on this portal is free while you're testing it out. Pick the plan that fits when you're ready.
Something confusing, broken, or missing? This goes straight to me, not a support queue.