early decision – 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

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

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

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

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

The October 3 SAT is the last SAT with scores back before November 1 early deadlines. Which colleges require scores again this year, how to use the middle-50% range to decide whether to submit at a test-optional school, the difference between Score Choice, superscoring, and all-scores policies, and what sending official scores costs and takes — a practical guide for senior families.

College Admissions | SAT

October SAT: Send the Score or Not? The Last Test Before Early Deadlines and How to Decide

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee September 15, 2026September 15, 2026