test-optional – 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

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

With Columbia as the last to reinstate testing, all eight Ivy League schools now require the SAT/ACT. Here's exactly which grade level it applies to, how to plan test dates backward from your deadlines, and why the test-optional mindset is now a risk. A 2026 standardized-testing guide for parents of rising 11th and 12th graders.

Standardized Testing | US College Admissions

All 8 Ivies Now Require the SAT — When Does It Apply to Your Child?

ByAndy Lee | Elite Prep Suwanee July 24, 2026July 24, 2026