Andy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee – Elite4usa.com

Columbia's "Why Columbia" answer is 150 words. Using Columbia's official admissions guidance and the 2025-26 Common Data Set: the Columbia-specific questions, the Core Curriculum, admit rates (4.9% overall, about 14% ED), a review that rates essays "Very Important" and test scores "Considered," the last test-optional year, the November 1 ED timeline, and how to fill 150 words.

College Admissions | College Essays

The “Why Columbia” Essay: Why 150 Words Without the Core Curriculum Fall Short — Before the November 1 ED Deadline

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee October 21, 2026

With one application, you can apply to Emory College in Atlanta, Oxford College, or both. Using Emory's official admissions pages and the 2025-26 Common Data Set: admit rates (10.3% overall, 22.2% ED), ED I and ED II (November 1 and January 1), test-optional policy, what Emory weighs, the Oxford-to-Atlanta path, and cost.

College Admissions | College Profiles

Emory University, Explained: Emory College vs. Oxford College — What to Decide Before the November 1 ED I Deadline

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee October 17, 2026

At Cornell you don't apply to 'Cornell' — you apply to one of nine undergraduate colleges and schools, and you write only that college's essays. Using Cornell's official admissions pages and the 2025-26 Common Data Set: admit rates (8.4% overall, 18.8% ED), the November 1 ED deadline, the SAT/ACT requirement, what Cornell weighs, cost, and internal transfer.

College Admissions | College Profiles

Cornell Admissions by College: Same Cornell, Different Admissions — What to Decide Before the November 1 ED Deadline

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee October 15, 2026

At Carnegie Mellon you apply to one college, not the university — and the School of Computer Science requires the SAT or ACT while the rest are test-flexible. Using CMU's official admissions pages and the 2025-26 Common Data Set: admit rates (11.1% overall, 20.6% ED), the November 2 ED deadline, what CMU weighs, cost, and why 'transfer into CS later' rarely works.

College Admissions | College Profiles

Carnegie Mellon (CMU) Admissions, Explained: You Apply to a College, Not the University — 3 Things Parents Miss

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee October 13, 2026October 15, 2026

College Admissions | Early Decision

Duke Early Decision: Why a 13.8% ED Admit Rate Can Mislead You — Who Should Apply Now, and Who Should Wait

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee October 10, 2026

Of 312 selective colleges, 56% factor in how interested an applicant seems. Yet Harvard, MIT, Stanford and UCLA ignore it entirely. Here is how to check any school's official Common Data Set (C7), why WashU just started counting it again, and what seniors should do now for the schools that care.

Application Strategy | College Admissions

Colleges May Know If You Opened Their Email — Demonstrated Interest, School by School

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee October 9, 2026October 9, 2026

At UCLA last fall, nursing admitted 0.5%, computer science 7.3%, and the general College 11%. The major you check works very differently at private universities and at large public universities that admit by school or major. Using official policies from UC, UW, Michigan, UIUC and Purdue, here is how to fill in the major box whether your student has decided or not.

Application Strategy | College Admissions

Undecided or Declared? How the Major Box on the Application Changes Your Odds

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee October 8, 2026October 8, 2026

USC opened Early Decision to nearly every undergraduate program, the University of Michigan is in its second year of ED, and the University of Florida and Florida State University are offering ED for the first time with an October 15 deadline. Here are the deadlines, decision dates, exceptions, how ED differs from EA, and what families should check before signing.

College Admissions | Early Applications

New Early Decision Options This Year — USC, Michigan, UF and FSU: Should Your Student Apply ED?

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee October 6, 2026October 6, 2026

One Cal State Apply application reaches all 22 CSU campuses. Submission opens October 1 and closes November 30, with a $70 fee per campus. With no essays and no recommendations, the self-reported a-g grades and the major you choose carry the application. Here is how the CSU GPA is calculated, what 'impacted' means, the bar for out-of-state students, and what California's Direct Admission letters do and do not cover.

Applications | College Admissions

The Cal State (CSU) Application — No Essays, So Your Self-Reported Grades and Your Major Choice Decide It

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee October 6, 2026October 6, 2026

The Common App has Additional Information (300 words) and Challenges and Circumstances (250 words). The UC application has two Additional Comments boxes (550 characters and 550 words). Four boxes, four different purposes and limits. Here is what belongs in each, and why leaving them blank is often the right call.

Applications | College Admissions

The ‘Additional Information’ Boxes on the Common App and the UC Application — What to Write, and When to Leave Them Blank

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee October 1, 2026