Posts by Dave Bergman:

2026-27 Georgia Tech Supplemental Essays – Prompts and Tips

Posted on: 14 Aug 2026

Short version, and the only thing most readers came here for: Georgia Tech no longer requires a supplemental essay. Beginning with the 2026-27 application cycle, for students entering in fall 2027, the Georgia Tech short-answer question has been eliminated entirely. There is no “Why this major at Georgia Tech?” response to write. Applicants still complete […]

Harvard Supplemental Essays 2026-27 – Prompts & Advice

Posted on: 14 Aug 2026

Harvard’s most recently confirmed acceptance rate, 4.2% for the Class of 2029, gives you a pretty informative introduction to the ultra-competitive admissions process in Cambridge. To dive deeper, Harvard rejects the majority of valedictorians who apply each year as well as a sizable chunk of those who bring 1600 SAT or 36 ACT scores to […]

Dartmouth Supplemental Essays 2026-27 — Prompts and Advice

Posted on: 13 Aug 2026

Of the eight Ivy League schools, Dartmouth receives the fewest number of applications. There were 28,863 hopefuls for the Class of 2030, roughly half the number at Columbia. Applications rose a little over 2% during the 2025-26 cycle, and the acceptance rate tightened to 5.8%, down from 6% the year before. That marked the sixth […]

Columbia Supplemental Essays 2026-27 — Prompts & Advice

Posted on: 13 Aug 2026

Of the 61,031 applications received by Columbia, just 4.2% were accepted, the lowest mark in the Ivy League this cycle. At a school where 96 of every 100 applicants are rejected, and the vast majority of those applying have near-perfect or perfect grades and test scores, you may be asking yourself, “How do I separate […]

Caltech Supplemental Essays 2026-27 – Prompts & Advice

Posted on: 13 Aug 2026

With an acceptance rate under 4% (yes, truly), Caltech is one of the most highly selective schools in the country. The most recent complete figure is 3.78% for the Class of 2029, when 427 students were admitted from 11,285 applicants, and Caltech extended 428 offers for the Class of 2030. Although ACT or SAT results […]

2026-27 American University Supplemental Essay Prompt and Tips

Posted on: 13 Aug 2026

Back in the ’90s, American University had an acceptance rate of nearly 80%. In recent years, the acceptance rate has swung widely, falling as low as 26% before rebounding north of 60% in the most recent cycles. Test-optional for over a decade, this Washington, DC, university utilizes a truly holistic method of assessing candidates, which […]

Boston University Supplemental Essay 2026-27 — Prompts and Advice

Posted on: 13 Aug 2026

With roughly 77,000 applications from those wishing to join the Class of 2029, Boston University has entered the realm of the most desirable private universities on the planet. It also continues to sit at new heights in terms of selectivity, with a 12.8% acceptance rate in that most recent completed cycle. In contrast, just twenty […]

Brown Supplemental Essays 2026-27 — Prompts & Advice

Posted on: 13 Aug 2026

Applicants to the Brown Class of 2030 were greeted with a 5.35% acceptance rate, drawn from a record 47,937 applications. Given that 19 of every 20 applicants are turned away, even many valedictorians with perfect test scores, aspiring Brown undergrads need to find a way to stand out from a pack of similarly credentialed teens. […]