by Emily Toffelmire, former admissions officer at University of Southern California

The Common Application announced on Feb. 16 that it is retiring one essay prompt while introducing a new one. (For those who need a refresher, watch our video “What Is the Common Application?”). The change will take effect for the 2021-22 admissions cycle, and the overall number of essay questions remains the same: students will choose from one of seven options.

Early action, early decision, and priority admissions decisions have already started coming in, and many more will be released throughout December and into January and February. Many students applying under these plans will get a non-response in the form of a deferral, which is neither a denial nor an acceptance. Instead, it’s an invitation to wait a bit longer to find out if they are in or out. We’ll be sharing everything you need to know if you are one of those receiving a deferral decision.  We also have advice about what you need to do to maintain your scholarship and financial aid dollars each year of college. And finally, Office Hours covers supplemental essays for Elon and the University of Miami in Florida.

Working on your Notre Dame application and stumped by the supplemental essays? We’re here to help! We’ll also be answering listener questions on college finance and admissions.

Thinking about transferring colleges? If costs are a consideration, we have advice on how to start preparing financially for this transition. While many seniors have already submitted some or all of their college applications, many, many more are just getting started. We have tips on getting organized and planning ahead in order to maximize the time left before regular decision applications are due. In Office Hours this week? Supplements for Tufts and Harvard.

Wondering what to do now that you’ve submitted your financial aid applications? We’ve got you covered. Hear from a College Coach team member about her choice to attend a public honors college. And in Office Hours, we’re reviewing the supplemental essays for Purdue and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In this episode, we have more supplemental essay advice, this time for the University of Washington and Arizona State. We’re also answering your college admissions and finance questions.

by Sara Calvert-Kubrom, former admissions officer at Lewis & Clark College

This year we are seeing substantial changes to the landscape of admission as colleges respond to complex dynamics in our country and the sudden shift to test optional policies due to standardized testing cancellations. With the frequent absence of test scores, many colleges have added new supplemental essay requirements to their applications as a way to learn more about students, and to enhance their ability to be thoughtful community builders for their campuses.

by Ian Fisher, former admissions officer at Reed College

This is the fourth in College Coach’s series of posts covering university-specific supplemental essays. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve shared guidance on answering the Brandeis supplemental essay, the CU Boulder admissions essay and the University of Delaware’s test optional supplemental essays. Stay tuned for our last installment for Lehigh University.

Scripps College is really cool. It’s a women’s college nestled in Claremont, California, and a member of a five-college consortium, along with Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and Pomona. Scripps has maybe the most beautiful campus among the five, with striking Mediterranean architecture and Spanish tile. For women, or those who identify as women, there is really nowhere like Scripps anywhere on the West Coast. Serious applicants to Scripps would do well to research these and other unique qualities of Scripss before they begin to tackle the college’s required supplemental essays.

Ever wonder what goes into the additional information section on the Common App—or if you even have to fill it out? How about what to include in the honors section? We have advice on maximizing these and other areas of the application, including the activities lists and the new COVID question. We’re also sharing what you need to know about the CSS Profile as you prepare to complete this financial document for the colleges that require it. Finally, we’ll walk you through the supplemental essays for Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia.

by Jennifer Simons, former admissions officer at Tufts University

This is the third in College Coach’s series of posts covering university-specific supplemental essays. Last week, we shared guidance on answering the CU Boulder admissions essay and the University of Delaware’s test optional supplemental essays. Stay tuned throughout October as we highlight additional prompts for Scripps College and Lehigh University.

If you’re applying to Brandeis University, you’ll encounter this request in the application:

Please include a short response to one of the three prompts below (250 words or fewer).

• Why would you like to attend Brandeis?
• Justice Brandeis once said, “If we would guide by the light of reason, we must let our minds be bold.” Tell us about something bold that you’ve recently done.
• There are approximately 171, 476 words in the English dictionary. Pick your favorite word and tell us why you picked it.