Why Us essay – Elite4usa.com

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

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