Common App – Elite4usa.com

A final pre-submission checklist for the Common App. Once submitted, a student cannot edit it. Activities character limits, the Honors trap, FERPA and recommender assignment, how deadlines are timed — a practical guide for families ahead of the November 1 early deadlines.

Application Materials | College Admissions

Before You Hit Submit — A 10-Point Final Check for the Common App

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

A complete guide to teacher recommendation letters for U.S. college applications. How many you need, whom to ask, when and how to ask, what goes in a brag sheet, and why you should waive your FERPA rights — before the November 1 early deadlines.

Application Materials | College Admissions

Teacher Recommendation Letters: September Is Your Last Real Window — Whom to Ask and How

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee September 2, 2026September 6, 2026

Georgia Tech, UNC, UGA, Tulane and others cut supplemental essays for 2026-27, and Yale dropped "Why Yale." Fewer essays does not mean an easier application. Here's how to research and write the "Why Us" essays that remain, why brochure language fails, and what to cut inside 150 to 350 words.

Application Strategy | College Admissions

Supplemental Essays Are Disappearing — Which Makes the Remaining “Why Us” Heavier

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee August 12, 2026

The Common App renamed its Activities section to Activities and Experiences this year. Here's why ten slots is a ceiling and not a quota, how to order them so the first three carry the story, and how to write inside the 150/50/100-character limits.

Application Strategy | College Admissions

Ten Activity Slots: Don’t Fill Them All — The Top Three Are the Application

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee August 5, 2026

Three conditions that tell you whether your family can commit to Early Decision, what USC's new ED plan and the disappearing supplemental essays change this year, and a week-by-week roadmap from August 1 to the November 1 deadline.

College Admissions | Early Applications

Early Decision Is a Contract, Not a Strategy: Decide in August, Submit November 1

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee July 30, 2026

Every college is required to post a Net Price Calculator. Run it before you apply. Here's how to read the numbers, why the new Parent PLUS caps change your list, and how to build in a financial safety — a step-by-step August guide for families of rising seniors.

College Admissions | Paying for College

Ignore the Sticker Price: Build Your College List Around What You’ll Actually Pay

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee July 29, 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