class of 2027 – Page 2 – Elite4usa.com

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

The Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship (up to $55,000 a year) is added in the Common App just like a college. Emory needs one checkbox; WashU and Vanderbilt ask for essays in a separate portal after you apply; and the Financial aid section can match your student to outside awards. Here are the scholarship deadlines that are not your application deadlines: Nov 11, Nov 15, Dec 1, Dec 16.

College Admissions | Scholarships

Scholarships You Can Apply for Through the Common App — The Process Is Simple. Missing It Is the Problem.

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee September 29, 2026September 29, 2026

Once the early applications are in, alumni interview requests start landing in late October. Here is what your interviewer does not know about your student, how four groups of colleges handle interviews differently, the 24-hour reply rule, and the questions that quietly cost points.

College Admissions | Interviews

The Alumni Interview Email Just Arrived — How to Prepare, and What Not to Ask

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee September 25, 2026September 25, 2026

The day after the application goes in, senior grades become a second application. Here is how first-quarter grades enter early review, why fall semester grades decide a deferral, what the counselor sends in January, the three reasons an offer gets rescinded, and how to report a schedule change.

College Admissions | Senior Year

Filing the Application Is Not the Finish Line — Senior Fall Grades, the Mid-Year Report, and Rescinded Offers

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee September 23, 2026September 23, 2026

UC reads no recommendation letters and considers no test scores. What reaches the reader is what your student types: courses and grades, twenty activities, and four Personal Insight Questions. Here is the filing window, the GPA math, the fees, and how to plan November.

College Admissions | UC Applications

The UC Application Plays by Different Rules — October 1 to November 30

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee September 19, 2026September 19, 2026

Georgia Tech, UNC, UGA, UT Austin, Clemson, South Carolina, Florida and Florida State close their early rounds on October 15, two weeks before everyone else. Here is the full list, the new binding Early Decision plans at both Florida publics, the separate document deadlines, and a four-week plan to make it.

College Admissions | Early Applications

The Deadline Isn’t November 1 — Eight Universities That Close on October 15

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee September 17, 2026September 17, 2026

"I don't know what to write about" is rarely a shortage of experiences. Here are 14 questions that surface ordinary material, the sequence that gets you the story before the lesson, and three tests for choosing which story to write.

Application Essays | College Admissions

How to Brainstorm a College Essay: 14 Questions and Three Tests

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee August 29, 2026August 29, 2026

"Let the colleges get to know you" is the most common essay advice — and the least useful. Here are the 5 questions that actually surface a topic, why impressive isn't the goal, the rule against proving what your application already proves, and how to show instead of declare.

Application Essays | College Admissions

What Should You Write Your College Essay About? It Doesn’t Have to Be Impressive

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee August 26, 2026August 26, 2026

The 2026-27 FAFSA opened earlier than ever, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rewrote federal aid — a first-ever Parent PLUS cap ($20K/year, $65K lifetime), Grad PLUS eliminated, a new lifetime borrowing limit, and SAI asset changes. A 2027 planning guide for families of rising seniors.

College Admissions | Financial Aid

The 2027 Financial Aid Shake-Up — Parent PLUS Loans Now Have a Cap

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee July 26, 2026July 26, 2026

The Common App opens August 1, but the race is decided before that. Your personal statement draft, activities list, recommendation requests, testing plan, and college list — a practical summer checklist for parents of rising seniors.

Application Prep | US College Admissions

The Rising Senior Summer Checklist — 5 Things to Finish Before August 1

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee July 20, 2026July 20, 2026