literally told myself i wasn’t going to get attached to a school.
toured ucla.
guess what happened?

i’m so FUCKED because i have 3.7UW, but im hoping my 4.4W pulls me through.
i think i have good EC’s though they’re not traditional.

Team Captain: Girls Varsity Wrestling, Four Years

Athletic counsel

Elementary School Internship, worked with kids in a classroom setting

Society of Speech and Debate: Moved up to President, taught people how to debate

Journalism project with a few friends where we post articles about current events

My own political writing blog

Another after school wrestling team

Worked at a Run for Cancer event

Tutored students for their AP tests for free

Volunteered at an Elementary to help with their moving annually

Theater, both in and outside of the classroom. Was in a production of Mid Summer Nights Dream.

Keep in mind I will NOT be phrasing these this poorly on my app, and I understand it sounds like a load of BSSSS rn.

GPA Awards
Student of the Month
AP Scholar with Distinction
Scholar Athlete Award
Girls Varsity Award

Took 4 APS, passed with 4s and 5 in all of them. No STEM APs (except psych)

I’m an Arab-Muslim female from SoCal btw

I’m actually so nervous. This whole process makes me feel so alone.

Chance me? I also want to get into UCSB.. maybe USC

Gonna keep this vague.. I'm a lil paranoid and delusional BUT

Demographics: Second-gen, Male, Asian, Upper-Middle, TX

Intended Major: Finance/Econ BS (pre-law)

Academics:

UW: 4.0

W: 4.6

SAT: 1400🫩🫩, gna retake ACT (praying for 34)

RANK: 10/700 ish

Basically no APs bc my school's rlly dual-credit oriented; school did offer APs tho

Non-target large public school, demographic = low income, 1000s SAT score avg

Honors: some local ones, college board recognition, grant from Cornell, waiting for this state scholarship one, debate state qual (but quit after 9th grade, so idk), some tennis tournment ones

Activities:

• law clerk (paid)
• financial edu non-profit (co-founder)
• math research
• trafficking club prez
• ^^ not international lvl, but decent stats locally
• fills up 10 but the rest not super significant tbh

Essay: wrote recipe style, each ingredient corresponds w/ a memory (i think its pretty unique) and abt living in the past (basically perfectionism but framed diff)

Currently hired someone to help w/ essays, my supps are pretty strong, thinking abt hiring an ex-Ivy AO to look over it and edit but hella expensive--waste of money if I have absolutely no chance of getting in

Compared w/ friends that got into ivy and ppl online; my PS ranked higher than 80% of them (AI and hired college counselor - not accurate evaluation)

Recommendations:

Math teacher: didn't read but i think overall decent... had very high grades, thinks pretty highly of me

Chem teacher: didn't read but prob good as well, shown more personality in classes, high grades

Coach: 7/10 (did read, could be better but I'm rlly picky) - currently I'm varsity captain & freshman coach; loves me but didn't rlly express that in LOR

^^ these are more generic, brag sheet, boilerplate type

Employer: 8.5/10

^^ this one is a lot more specific bc I cold-called (shows initiative), and he talks about my growth and how i constructive criticism

Schools

• UT - Canfield
• Reach schools
  • Stanford - MSE
  • Yale
  • Harvard

Demographics
International applicant from the Middle East
High school senior applying for Fall 2027 entry
Intended major: Business Administration / Economics
ED1: NYU Stern
Stats
GPA / Average: 92%
SAT: 1570
My school has limited access to advanced coursework. I advocated for advanced classes to be introduced, but the school ultimately could not offer them.

Extracurriculars
1. Real Estate Business Development: Connected luxury property buyers with real estate developers, facilitating approximately four property deals. Gained experience in client relations, deal facilitation, and high-value real estate transactions.
2. Competitive Boxing: Amateur boxer with multiple regional and national championship titles. Participated in competitive tournaments and high-level training.
3. Community Initiative: Co-founded a volunteer initiative helping women who had recently gained the right to drive become more confident behind the wheel. Contributed over 500 hours across approximately three years.
4. Clothing Business: Co-founded a clothing brand and hold a 20% ownership stake. Involved in product concepts, brand positioning, and business operations.
5. E-commerce Business: Co-founded an online phone-accessories business and hold a 30% ownership stake. Involved in product development, inventory, logistics, and sales.
6. Football: Completed a competitive season at a professional football club’s academy.
7. Property Management: Helped manage a family-owned mixed-use property, including leasing, operations, and real estate oversight.
Honors & Awards
Three-time regional and national boxing champion.
National English-language competition: 1st place in presentation and performance, 2nd place overall.
Founded and organized a Model United Nations conference that grew to 170 delegates and generated approximately 32,000 SAR in registration revenue.

Personal Essay
The first time I saw someone afraid behind the wheel, it didn’t look like panic. It looked like an older woman gripping the wheel with both hands, as if it might get away from her.
She was in her sixties; I sat beside her. She’d waited decades for this. Her foot hovered over the pedal, as if unsure it was allowed to press down.
“Take your time,” I told her.
Years earlier, my father had driven us past a famous skyscraper in our capital, and my mother had looked at him and said she wished she had that privilege. I remember it as if it were yesterday.
She died of cancer in 2017, when I was eight. A year later, my country lifted its ban on women driving. Her wish stayed with me, even before I knew why.
I had never thought of driving as a privilege. I learned young, on my grandfather’s land and the open roads outside the capital, like most men in my family. Her words were the first time I realized I had been given an opportunity that she never had.
At fourteen, that wish came back. My aunt and I co-founded a WhatsApp initiative to help women learn to drive.
I still remember my first student. When she sat behind the wheel, her eyes lit up with an excitement I have never found the words for, even now. That day taught me never to take even the simplest thing for granted.
For me, driving was ordinary, something I did without a thought. For her, it was a door that had stayed closed for decades for no real reason.
A law can give someone permission. It can’t teach them how to use it.
Many women who had just gotten their licenses were starting from scratch, even if they were fifty or sixty years old. They often had no one to guide them through the process.
Some were afraid of the road, or of failing in front of others. Others were held back by what family and neighbors might say. A law had opened the door, but walking through it still took courage.
So my aunt and I taught them. One woman told two friends, and it kept growing. Over three years, at about three hours a week, I spent more than 500 hours in passenger seats.
What surprised me was how little of the work was about the car. Some needed the same turn explained four or five times. Others needed someone who believed in them before they believed in themselves.
The woman who had been nervous finally made the turn by herself. Her shoulders dropped as the tension eased out of her body.
Sometimes she smiled before I did.
I thought I was teaching them to drive. I was watching them learn to trust themselves.
Now I ask, “What’s missing?” What stands between a person and something they’re already allowed to have? I want to carry that question beyond cars: into classrooms, real estate, and the businesses I build. I want to look past the obvious problem and find the piece that is keeping someone, or something, from moving forward.
I still think about her hands on the wheel, tense, her eyes locked on the road. I didn’t tell her everything would be fine. I just gave her the okay to go ahead.
My mother never got the chance to drive. I can’t change that. I keep asking what’s missing, then try to be the person who fills the gap.
Questions

What are my realistic chances at T20 and T30 universities?
Which schools would be reaches, targets, and safer options?
How competitive is my extracurricular profile for highly selective business programs?
How much does applying as an international student affect my chances?
For those familiar with NYU Stern admissions, how competitive is my profile for ED1?
A quick note: I haven’t included the names of my school, the companies I’ve worked with, or other specific institutions because I’d prefer to remain anonymous in case someone who knows me comes across this post. I’d really appreciate honest opinions, even if they’re critical.
My ED1 choice is NYU Stern. For anyone who has experience with Stern admissions, especially international applicants, what do you genuinely think my chances are? I’d appreciate insight from current students, admitted applicants, or people familiar with the admissions process. Please be honest about whether my profile is competitive and what my biggest weaknesses might be.

Demographics:

• Gender: Male
• Race: White
• Income: Domestic Out-of-State (Full-pay, parents can comfortably afford $90k/year, dad said he will pay cash).
• Type of School: Ultra-competitive prep school in New England (brutal grade deflation, the average GPA is literally a 2.8).

Hooks: Legacy at Dartmouth (My grandfather basically funded a wing of the library, but my counselor says my GPA makes it a massive reach).

Intended Major(s): Economics / Data Science

Stats:

• GPA (Unweighted): 1.9 / 4.0
• GPA (Weighted): 2.2 / 5.0
• Class Rank: Bottom 10% (School doesn't officially rank, but my counselor hinted at it).
• SAT: 1600 (1200 Math, 400 Reading — Superscored. I have severe ADHD and completely ran out of time on the reading section both times. I had to blind-guess the last three passages. But on math, I didn't miss a single question).
• AP/IB: AP Calc BC (5), AP Statistics (5), AP Macro (4), AP Micro (4). (I literally failed the actual classes with C's and D's because I never turned in homework, but I easily aced the actual AP exams).

Extracurriculars (EC) & Leadership:

1. Independent Quantitative Trading (20 hrs/week): Developed an algorithmic trading script using Python that tracks options volume. Personally managed a $15,000 portfolio funded by my summer job and grew it by 34% over the last fiscal year.
2. Founder & President, School Data Analytics Club: Created a club to analyze school sports statistics to help the varsity baseball team optimize their batting lineups. Team went to state semifinals.
3. Varsity Rowing (4 years): Dedicate 25 hours a week to crew. Won 3rd place at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta in the Men's Senior Four.
4. Data Science Internship: Interned at a mid-sized logistics firm over the summer. Built a predictive model that optimized delivery routes, saving the company roughly $8,000 in fuel costs.
5. Self-Taught Programmer: Proficient in R, Python, and SQL. Completed multiple advanced data science certifications via Coursera outside of school.

Awards & Honors:

1. National Merit Commended (Barely made the cutoff because my math score carried my index).
2. AP Scholar with Honor.
3. 3rd Place - Stotesbury Cup Regatta (Rowing).

Letters of Recommendation (LOR):

• AP Statistics Teacher (9/10): He knows I am mathematically gifted. He frequently used my code as an example for the rest of the class, even though he had to give me a C+ in the course for missing assignments.
• English Teacher (1/10): She thinks I am completely checked out. I fell asleep during The Great Gatsby discussions multiple times because I stayed up late coding.

Essays:

Wrote my personal statement explaining my extreme hyper-fixation on numbers and data, and how it directly caused my academic downfall in humanities subjects. It explains the massive discrepancy between my 1200 Math / 400 Reading scores and my low GPA. My counselor said it is a very raw, honest explanation of neurodivergence, but risky.

Schools:

• Safeties: MIT, Caltech, Stanford, Harvard
• Targets: NoVA community college

I know my GPA is terrible, but will colleges see that my 1200 Math score and AP scores prove I'm smart enough to handle college-level STEM? Does being full-pay save me here?

Demographics: Female, Upper middle class, major city Intended Major: Polysci
Academics: 1550 SAT, 800 English 750 Math
11 APS: APHUG-5, APPrecalc-5, AP Bio-5, AP Lang-5, APUSH-5, AP Spanish-4. This year I’m taking AP Chem, AP Lit, AP Calc BC, AP Psych, AP Gov.
3.95 unweighted
ECS: Part time job archiving at a history museum in my city

Part time Job at Starbucks

Secretary of a junior fundraising guild that has raised 15k for the children’s hospital in my area

Member of varsity speech and debate team and placed at state in PF debate and placed at district at extemporaneous speech

President and Founder of Science Bowl Team and led my team to place second in the varsity division our first year operating

Co-Chair of Racial Equity Student Board and held town halls for students to discuss their issues through students and created curriculum for teacher PD

Interned at a dance studio specializing in disabled children

Wrote and published a research paper on the evolution of perception of Lyndon Johnson in fictional depictions with a local Prof

YIP institute fellow

Interned at a political consulting firm

Principal advisory board at my school
AWARDS
-Scholastic Writing award for scriptwriting
-Distinguished Young Women of my state semifinalist
-Women In Politics award for my school district
-LegalEagle Bee semifinalists

Current List
UVA
Georgetown
Washington
GW
Wake Forest
Vermont
Michigan
UCLA
UC Davis
UCSD
Columbia
Northwestern (ED)
BU
BC
UMass
Conn College
Haverford
Claremont McKenna
William and Mary

32 ACT, 3.7w, 3.19uw (both higher if you don’t count HS classes I took in middle school)

7 APs, otherwise honors and required courses, mostly mid ECs w/ no athletics, upward trajectory, competitive high school

Missed Oct 15 EA

I’m worried after missing the deadline tonight. I wanted to apply to Clemson and Auburn but now I’m not so sure. I’m into a few safeties but I’m not sure what targets and reaches I should go for at this point. I’m really unsure of my chances at Clemson, Auburn, UMass, Chapel Hill, etc. etc. etc. at this point and I was really already not expecting to get into many of the above. Any thoughts?

Georgia resident
Intended major: Mechanical Engineering
Public high school in Georgia

Stats:

• 4.0 UW GPA
• 1490 SAT (730 RW / 760 Math)
• Class rank: 32/~400 (top 8%)

AP Coursework:

• 11 APs total (7 completed, 4 in progress)
• AP Stats - 4
• AP World - 4
• AP Lang - 5
• APUSH - 5
• AP Psych - 5
• AP Chem - 4
• AP Precalc - 5
• AP Calc AB/BC - In Progress
• AP Physics 1 - In progress
• AP Physics 2 - In progress
• AP Literature - In progress

Honors:

• Academic Excellence Award (9th and 10th grade)
• Junior Honors
• Georgia Certificate of Merit
• AP Scholar with Distinction
• DECA state Top 10 in Accounting Applications
• DECA regional 1st and 3rd place finishes
• Qualified for DECA ICDC

Extracurriculars:

• DECA VP of Finance (10th–12th): Leadership in a chapter of ~65 members; chapter finances, competitor support, and ICDC qualification.
• Warhawk Workshop: Math tutor; helped train other tutors.
• Varsity Tennis: Varsity letter; alternate on the team that qualified for state.
• School Store: Student worker, managing finance, distribution, and a team of underclassmen workers.
• Engineering projects: Troubleshot and upgraded an Ender 3 V2 3D printer; worked on a custom drone involving 3D printing, electronics, and mechanical design.

Personal Statement:

• Common App essay about moving from California to Georgia in middle school (cliche a bit ik), gradually losing touch with childhood friends, and realizing that ordinary moments aren't guaranteed to last.
• Discusses how that experience pushed me to try things I had been putting off like rock climbing, DECA/public speaking, and tennis.

Additional Context:

• Moving from California to Georgia between 7th and 8th grade disrupted my math course placement.
• Took Algebra II online over the summer to catch up, then progressed to AP Precalculus and senior-year calculus.

Schools:

• Georgia Tech
• UGA
• NC State
• UW-Madison
• UIUC
• Purdue
• Cornell
• Clemson

How competitive am I?

im a sophomore and duke is my dream school, and im planning to ED there when the time comes. i've been trying to figure out how competitive i actually am, because ig im js not that good at school stuff? i swear i am always super locked in i js suck at math

edit: OKAY i know its been like 15 min but im ltr shaking bro ts whole thing was to find out if i was cooked after first term end gpa update came out PLEASE tell me SOMETHING ANYTHINGN... we are at 150 veiws GUYS PLS

stats:

• unweighted GPA: ~3.7–3.8 (working on getting it up) :((((((
• weighted GPA: projected around 4.58
• rank: around top 14%, hoping to improve to 11%?
• SAT: 1560 (second try this year)
• ACT: havnt taken but maybe i can get a 34? 35 pushing it?
• projected 24 APs by graduation
• huge competitive public high school in Texas
• not first gen but my parents went to college in another country, asian, upper middle class

extracurriculars/awards (i grinded so hard here):

• Conrad Challenge (Pete Conrad Scholar) (im also doing exploravision this year and think i can win)
• HOSA ILC finalist twice, plus state-level recognition (another medal this year?)
• Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: three-time national recognition, including a Gold Medal and multiple Gold Keys (maybe i can get more medals.. upcoming youngarts MAYBE?)
• two-time national science ambassador award winner+ grant to attend conference at a VERY good uni
• co-president of an international women's health nonprofit; around $14k raised, international branches, health education initiatives, medical seminars, etc.
• given a TEDx talk about women's health/gender bias through my advocacy work (more to come soon...)
• club leadership + other leadership positions in science, writing, and honor societies (6 positions total, three med three writing, pres of 4, two honor societies if that means anything)
• founded a local chapter of a literary organization (kinda slacked off here)
• published writer/editorial experience, including a literary magazine internship
• neuroscience/microbiology podcast with 1,500+ listens
• ER experience + hospital volunteering, with another medical internship coming up THIS SUMMER!! pretty good one too
• science outreach/teaching intern at a sci museum
• student of the year in a national youth martial arts program; leadership and mentoring experience
• planning to pursue selective summer writing programs as well (ive alr done iowa summer writing)

intended major: neuroscience/cognitive science, probably with a writing/literature angle. interested in medicine, especially emergency medicine, neuroscience, and women's health.

schools: Duke (my #1, planning ED), other T20s (uc berkley, colombia, jhu, dartmouth) and honestly any schools where i'd have a shot

pls tell me:

1. am i actually competitive for Duke ED, or is my GPA/rank going to hurt me a lot?????
2. what other T20s should i look at?
3. what should i focus on during junior year? and for the rest of sophmore year??

please be honest, i can handle it ... maybe

TELL ME PLEASE

Hey guys so I’m a current senior and I am applying ed to wake forest could you please be honest and lmk what are my chances at getting into wake forest reference I am first gen.

3.6/4.067 unweighted/weighted (i know my gpa isn’t the best but i have had a huge upwards trend)

4 aps (school didn’t offer many aps)

15 dual enrollment classes (working to get my associates 4.0 college gpa)

Ecs: Internship with local district judges office, Internship with local family firm, student body secretary for 2 years, event manger for international club 2+ years, tutored kids for Arabic fluency for about a year, Hosa founder and president, manage my schools blood drives, have a tutoring business currently focusing on all areas but especially English due to the literacy crisis, raised $500+ for homeless care packages, Ala girls states sponsored delegate, do independent research on areas I’m interested in. Habitat for humanity volunteer for 2+ years.

Teacher of recs: had good teacher of recs with teachers formed a connection with.

Personal statement/ supplementals: my personal statement was really good and authentic so were my supplementals.

Hi everyone!! I truly have no idea what my acceptance chances are so any advice is appreciated. I am not a us citizen/green card holder so I think I'd be considered an international applicant.

GPA: 98 w, 94 uw (4.22 recalculated per uga standards)

Course Rigor: 14 APs + 1 DE

ACT: 34 Superscored

Honors/Awards:

- HOSA International Leadership Conference Silver Medalist (2nd Place in the World) in Veterinary Science. 1st place in state.

- Selected as Exemplary Student in my school. 10/1500 students selected for this each yr, and our pictures r hung up in front of the school.

- Top 3 finish for two events at the State German Convention. Also was awarded Best German Student in the school at Honors Night.

- National Merit Commended Scholar, AP Capstone Diploma

ECS (gonna keep these kinda vague):

- Dog Foster Carer: I fostered 5+ dogs on the euthanasia list at a kill shelter, working on rehabilitating behavioral issues and marketing them for adoption. Found permanent homes for 4 of them, I'm currently still fostering one. I dedicate like 10+ hrs per week to this.

- World Language Council: Part of teaching program for 6+ years. I first was a student then graduated from the program and became a Teaching Assistant. I also lead a volunteer team which designs flyers and newsletters to be used nationwide.

- Conducted and wrote two research papers, both regarding animal behavior.

- Vice President of a club which has raised funds and donations for under resourced shelters/schools.

- Very active member of HOSA, German Honor Society, SETA (Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), Environmental Club, etc.

- Volunteer: Apart from dog fostering, I also volunteer at animal shelters, nursing homes, city events, etc. I have around 80 hours.

- Veterinary Shadowing: I shadowed vets during surgery and general practice

- Former first chair in orchestra (violin), been playing violin for 8 yrs & self-taught artist of 6 years- art has been displayed in galleries

Hey guys so I’m a current senior and I am applying ed to wake forest could you please be honest and lmk what are my chances at getting into wake forest reference I am first gen.

3.6/4.067 unweighted/weighted (i know my gpa isn’t the best but i have had a huge upwards trend)

4 aps (school didn’t offer many aps)

15 dual enrollment classes (working to get my associates 4.0 college gpa)

Ecs: Internship with local district judges office, Internship with local family firm, student body secretary for 2 years, event manger for international club 2+ years, tutored kids for Arabic fluency for about a year, Hosa founder and president, manage my schools blood drives, have a tutoring business currently focusing on all areas but especially English due to the literacy crisis, raised $500+ for homeless care packages, Ala girls states sponsored delegate, do independent research on areas I’m interested in.

Teacher of recs: had good teacher of recs with teachers formed a connection with.

Personal statement/ supplementals: my personal statement was really good and authentic so were my supplementals.

Hi! I’m a junior interested in Information Science or International Relations, though I’m especially passionate about Latin and Greek studies. I could talk about the subject for hours, but I recognize that it may not be the most practical career path financially. Georgetown’s Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA) program is another option I’m seriously considering.

Long-term, I’m interested in working in intelligence as an analyst or potentially pursuing law school. Dartmouth, Brown, and Yale are also schools I’m interested in, although I know they’re significant reaches. William & Mary has a joint IR program with St. Andrews that I find appealing.

A little about me: I’m a white female. The onset of a chronic illness led me to participate in the public school system’s hospital program for a couple of years in middle school, but I transitioned to private school in 9th grade for the smaller class sizes. I’d prefer not to discuss my illness in my college essays because it feels exploitative and I just hated that time, but I've been told it's something that's unique.

Both of my parents were first-generation college students who grew up in extreme hardship. They studied computer science in the early 2000s and eventually founded a multimillion-dollar software development company. I’m still figuring out how to frame my college application narrative, but I’m considering connecting my professional exposure to AI with my "interest" in technology and global affairs. Again, I'd love to just study Classical Languages. No SAT scores to report yet, but I recognize that basically decides my options.

Extracurriculars:

• STEM Track
• Paid internship as an AI Systems Analyst at my parents’ software development company (assisting with product development, as well as community outreach regarding AI education)
• Mock Trial (hope to make captain) and volunteer in my county’s Teen Juror Program
• Theater
• Tennis (although I haven’t achieved anything particularly notable)
• Leader in a historical preservation society
• Participant in Georgetown’s Debate Seminar for two years

Awards and academic recognition:

• Hack Club Congressional App Challenge Certification
• National Latin Exam Silver Maxima Cum Laude Award

I also plan to complete the AP Capstone program.

GPA:

• Unweighted: 3.92
• Weighted: 4.22

AP coursework:

I’ve completed four AP exams so far:

• AP Computer Science Principles: 3
• AP Computer Science A: 4
• AP World History: 5
• AP Seminar: 5

This year, I’m taking AP Environmental Science, AP Research, AP English Language and Composition, AP United States History, AP Precalculus, and Latin IV.

For senior year, I plan to take AP English Literature, AP Statistics, AP United States Government, and AP Biology, with AP Calculus AB as a possibility. If I follow this plan, I’ll have taken 13-14 AP courses by graduation. I really don't want to take calc, but I think it'll set me apart for InfoSci and IR. Guidance appreciated!

I play a sport at varsity level but I'm not good enough to be recruited. I am vice president of Chess Club and I founded my school's Cancer Awareness Club and I'm active in that (I'm interested in pre-med and STEM). So two leadership positions, and one varsity sport but I'm not that good. How many do you guys recommend? Should I add more ECs?

Hey everyone! I'm a California senior applying to college for Fall 2027, and I'm trying to decide whether to submit my ACT score to each school.

ACT breakdown:

• Composite: 29
• Math: 35
• Science: 33
• English: 25
• Reading: 26
• not retaking

Academic profile:

• UW GPA: 3.81
• Class rank: 58/633 (top 9.2%)
• Sophmore year: AP Physics 1, AP CSA, Calc 1
• Junior year: AP Physics 2, AP Calc BC, AP Stats, Differential Equations
• Senior year: AP Psych, AP Macro, AP Chem, AP Physics C em(UC Scout, my school doesn't offer physics past physics 2
• Community college coursework: Calculus I and Differential Equations.

Intended majors:
I'm primarily applying for Electrical Engineering (EE) or Materials Science and Engineering (MSE).

Extracurriculars:

• President of my school's H2GP team. I race RC cars powered by HYDROGEN
• Led a five-person team, earned multiple NorCal wins, placed first among 72 California teams for Innovation at the state level, secured around $5,000 in sponsorships, and helped qualify the team for the World Championship twice. Our team also placed fifth globally when I was a sophomore.
• Ex 3star recruit in tennis, ex top 1000 in nation, multiple sponsorships like Adidas, VKTRY Insoles, etc.
• Tennis coach, with experience helping improve another school's varsity team's win rate and help coached a girl ranked 300 in Nation.
• Engineering projects involving PEM fuel cells, electronics, telemetry, and power electronics modeling.
• Research paper involving differential Equations.
• Volunteering, around 120 hours total, 60 hours from FCSN, 60 hours from coaching tennis and other volunteering events.

My college list:

• UIUC
• Purdue
• Georgia Tech
• Texas A&M
• Virginia Tech
• University of Michigan
• CU Boulder
• UT Dallas
• Colorado School of Mines
• Illinois Tech
• Columbia
• Princeton
• SUNY Buffalo State
• Menlo College

I'm particularly concerned about my ACT English and Reading scores, even though my Math score is a 35 and my intended majors are engineering-related.

My questions:

1. At which of these schools would submitting a 29 likely help, hurt, or make little difference?
2. Does the 35 Math score meaningfully strengthen my application for engineering, or will admissions mainly focus on the 29 composite?
3. Would you submit the score to UIUC and Purdue, especially for engineering?
4. Should I make the decision separately for each college rather than submit everywhere?

I'd appreciate honest feedback, especially from people familiar with engineering admissions. Thanks!

yo heres my app lmk

i really only wanna attend a reach and prefereably on the west coast otherwise im lowkey not gonna go applying for ce btw

Stats

• GPA: 3.6 UW / 4.2 W / 3.98 UC uncapped
• SAT: 1500 (750/750)
• ACT: 30 not sending
• Demographics: High income, second-gen
• Intended major: Computer Engineering (CE)

APs (all 5s): APUSH, AP CSA, AP CSP, AP Calc BC, AP Precalc, AP Human Geo

Senior year: APES, AP Physics 1, Calc 3 and Differential Equations at a community college.

Grade trend: I did pretty badly sophomore year (around a 3.2 UW) because of the cartdemic and shit Junior year I locked in and got straight As, around a 4.7 weighted GPA. but like that still made my gpa horrendous so its not even close to comp for these schools

Extracurriculars

Keeping some details vague because a few ecs of these are pretty niche/recognizable and I don't want to get identified on Reddit.

1. B2B algorithm/business: Built a proprietary algorithm and system for a CE-related B2B market. As far as I know, it's the only system like it and outperforms competitors. Started about a month ago, currently doing ~$10k/week in revenue with very high margins. At the current pace, projected to do around half a million dollars in revenue annually.
2. Bug bounty: Received a selective bug bounty award from a major company. Not naming it because the award is rare enough that I could probably be identified but it's a large entity and they recognized me officially..
3. Second business: Started a community-focused business that's basically IT/e-waste removal for companies. Currently doing around $80k in annual revenue at a steady pace.
4. Medical software: Developed production software currently being used in real medical practices, automating roughly 15 hours of work per week using a finetuned AI model.
5. Niche software project: Created one of only two existing low level pieces of software in the world for a commonly used item. have to keep it vague bc its obvious
6. Teaching/leadership: Spent summers in grades 9–11 teaching coding to low-income students and helping run the camp.

I have a few other activities, but these are the main ones.

College list

schools i DONT want to go to

• UIUC (in-state)
• Purdue
• UW–Madison
• MSOE
• UVA
• Rutgers

schools i would go to but lowkey not gettingin

• Georgia Tech
• UW Seattle
• CU Boulder

i really wanna go to one of these but like preferably more comp ones ovviousykl

• All UCs (especially the top ones)
• USC (ED)
• Carnegie Mellon
• Stanford
• Cal Poly SLO
• SJSU
• Santa Clara

I'm mostly interested in West Coast schools, especially a good UC or USC.

I know ED USC is lowkey horrendous but its all or nothing. Lmk if I have a shot otherwise ill just chud at home......

I want to apply ED to marshall but if my stats don't seem qualified enough I was going to apply to Dornsife Behavioral Economics and Psychology

Demographics: Male, Korean-American, first-gen, low-income, California, large public high school

Intended Major(s): Business Administration / Economics (Behavioral Econ at some schools)

ED/EA: USC ED (Marshall Business Admin or Dornsife Behavioral Econ & Psych, still deciding which is first choice)

Academics:

• GPA: 3.9 UW / ~4.67 W (school scale) UC GPA: 4.3
• Rank: top 15% but with circumstances my freshmen year i will put in the additional information section (freshman year dragged it down; 10th–11th was 23 A’s and 1 B)
• Coursework: 7 APs through junior year. Senior year: AP Gov, AP Macro, AP Lit, APES, AP Stats, AP Business, IB Korean, plus 3 dual-enrollment classes (Calc 2, Honors Physical Geography, Western Art History)
• Also took Intro to Business at community college (A)
• USC Pre-College Exploring Entrepreneurship (3 USC credits)

Standardized Testing:

• Test-optional (no SAT/ACT)
• AP: CSP 5, Chem 4, Psych 4, Lang 4, Calc AB 4, HuG 3, APUSH 3 (AP Scholar with Distinction)

Awards:

1. Congressional Award Gold Medal (pending final approval)
2. AP Scholar with Distinction
3. Full scholarship to a selective teen leadership camp in Korea (~20% acceptance)
4. U.S. House, CA State Senate and Mayoral recognition for nonprofit junior board work
5. 2nd Place, Writing Division, regional Korean-American art & writing contest

Extracurriculars:

1. Co-Founder, Korean folk art streetwear brand (10–12) | 14 hr/wk, 52 wk/yr Hand-sewed 125+ denim and apparel pieces; made $11K from 90+ sales through 10+ pop-ups; led design, branding, and product management
2. VP (9), Junior Board Member (10–12), OC nonprofit & community service org | 10 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr Directed 150+ volunteers and oversaw 7+ chapters; co-led fundraisers raising $12K; helped 150+ formerly incarcerated people get IDs
3. Administrative Specialist, family window blinds business (9–12) | 14 hr/wk, 52 wk/yr Ran business operations: client comms, websites, estimates, and sales; grew monthly revenue $1.5K; earned 4.8-star rating
4. Business & Finance Intern, consulting firm helping Korean brands enter the US market (11) | 20 hr/wk, 10 wk/yr Analyzed sales and competitor data for 250+ products; led UX redesign that lifted engagement 25%; built financial models for 70+ items
5. Founder & Curator, vintage/analog resale business (9–12) | 7 hr/wk, 46 wk/yr Sold 150+ items ($7K+ revenue, 5-star rating); sourced from 35+ vendors; built loyalty program that grew sales 40%
6. Founder, free tutoring for kids with disabilities (10–12) | 3 hr/wk, 44 wk/yr Designed 95+ adaptive lessons; tutored 30+ kids with disabilities in phonics and numeracy through outings and home sessions; recruited and trained 3 tutors
7. Social Impact & Digital Marketing Intern, LA apparel brand (10) | 10 hr/wk, 10 wk/yr Led skill-building workshops for 25+ survivors; screen-printed 160+ clothing items for unhoused people in LA; grew IG from 1K to 4.3K followers
8. VP (11), Co-President (12), Business & Finance Club | 5 hr/wk, 35 wk/yr Grew membership from 25 to 60; organized 8 speaker events; hosted case and pitch competitions; mentored a student startup that earned $15K
9. Scorekeeper (10), League Game Operator (11–12), youth basketball league | 4 hr/wk, 44 wk/yr Operated 100+ games for 200+ players per season; built stats database and QR live-score system across 4 gyms; trained 7 staff
10. Frontline Associate, franchise dessert shop (9–10) | 15 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr Ran point of sale and prepped orders; trained 3 new hires

Also: independent econ research mentored by a university math lecturer, econ paper submitted to a student journal, LSE econ essay competition entry, amateur radio license, AI comedy TikTok.

Essays/LORs:

• Personal statement about a family ritual (or one about working with an autistic student, still deciding)
• LORs from AP Calc and AP Chem teachers, plus counselor

Schools:

• ED: USC
• Reaches: UC Berkeley (Econ), NYU Stern, Columbia (Econ), Northwestern (Econ)
• Targets: UCLA (Econ), UCI (Business), UCSD (Business Econ), Duke (Econ), Vanderbilt (Econ), CMU Tepper, BC Carroll, BU Questrom, Northeastern
• Safeties: UCR, UCSB, UC Davis

Hello! I'm a high school senior genuinely wondering what my chances of admission would be at Brown. I'm applying as a creative writing major. For context, here are my stats:

3.81 unweighted GPA

1580 SAT

4 APs (including senior year), one IB, and 4 ACs, all of which I received A's/expect to receive A's and 5s on the AP exams

6 Dual Enrollment courses by the end of my senior year, taken at a community college (also expecting to get A's)

A really good essay (or so I've been told by a creative writing professor at Brown's Grad School)

One fairly competitive summer internship at my library

Lots of work in photography, including a part in a selective display at a local college

Volunteer work at my town's local film festival

Volunteer work at my library

I have struggled with my mental health (so much so that I was hospitalized multiple times), especially my freshman year of high school, which is why my grades aren't the best (and I plan on explaining this), but ever since that one year, I have been receiving A's in all of my classes.

I know they take the context of your school and situation into consideration, but I’m still iffy if I have a chance at t20s as a Rural applicant who isn’t the best test taker.

Demographics:

Female, White, Upper-Middle, Tennessee

Small town (<400 students total in my public school)

Not competitive; average ACT is 17, and I take almost all of my APs through the state because we only have 2 in person

C1 in German

Intended Major(s): Economics (BS), Public Policy

ACT/SAT/SAT II: (Test optional if possible) SS 32 ACT

UW/W GPA and Rank:

UW: 4.0

W: 4.75

2/59

Coursework:

APs: AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, AP United States History, AP United States Government and Politics, AP Psychology, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Physics 1, AP Precalculus (all 4s and 3s). Taking this year: AP Calculus BC, AP Art History, AP Statistics, AP English Language and Composition DE: DE World History, DE Intro to Chemistry, DE Spanish I, DE Spanish II

Awards:

1. Us senate youth program state finalist

2. VFW voice of Democracy audio-Essay contest 2nd in state

3. College Board rural and small town recognition

4. Distinguished Young Woman County best in Talent, Academics, Interview

5. Big Future Gold Leaf Ambassador

Extracurriculars: (heavily summarized version)

1. Founder & President of Deca chapter and student store 9-12th grade. First Deca chapter in the county, helped expand to every public he in the district. Teach 20+ kids business finance and sales skills. (For reference, it was pretty hard for the county to allow us to compete until last year and I have always been the acting advisor)

2. Student Advisor, County Board of Education

3 Marketing Job (Paid Employment) — Worked at a marketing firm handling administrative tasks, client email accounts, and research on business records. (10,11) for \~8 months before the company closed down and laid everyone off

1. BETA Club (9-12) President Progressed from treasurer to vice president to president; led club initiatives and activities.

2. Student Council Treasurer (10-12)— Served as treasurer for three years, managing student council finances, helping organize student council projects and fundraisers.

3. National Girls Inc Advocacy Council Member (12th) — Selected as 1 of 12 students nationwide to represent girls' voices, shape advocacy priorities, and advance youth-focused policy efforts.

4. Community Fundraising (10,11) — Helped organize fundraising efforts for youth-focused organizations, including a campaign that raised approximately $14,000.

5. Girls State— Selected as a delegate and served in an economic development leadership role.

6. Interact Club / Community Service -(9-12) 125+ volunteer hours, sing for local Rotary events and interact conference.

7. Summer before 12th YYGS

8. Pet Sitting and Babysitting 9-12th. Mostly focus on Parrots, make around 2-3k per year.

Essays/LORs:

Personal Statement: I revised my essay over 10 times and have asked my friends who are at Ivy's and so many other people to review it, so I pray it's as good as they say it is.

AP Lit teacher: 10/10. She is amazing and my favorite teacher. She wrote my LOR for most of the programs and scholarships I applied to.

AP Psych teacher: 9/10. She is also incredible, and I've known her since freshman year, but I don't know what her writing looks like and don't know what to expect.

Algebra II teacher: 7/10. She is the Student Council advisor also. Talking abt how I took Precalc at the same time as Alg II because of circumstances.

Councilor: 9/10. She knows me very well, but not well enough to know what I have overcome as my teachers do. It's probably focused on my impact in the community and school.

Additional LOR: 10/10. The very nice old lady whom I have pet-sat for since 8th grade.

Schools:

Duke ED

USC EA (legacy)

Georgia Tech EA

WashU (potential EDII?)

UTK EA

UGA EA

University of Alabama EA

Indiana EA

UF EA

UIUC EA

RD:

Vanderbuilt

University of Washington

Wake Forest

Northwestern

UCLA (I know they don't consider it, but I would be a 3x legacy. It is one of my top schools)

UC-Berkley

UCSD

UVA

Yale

Dartmouth

NYU

I’m also really interested in pursuing a sustainability minor/certificate so that has influenced my list quite a bit. I also love places with a rich history and genuine people. Part of the reason I loved Duke when I visited!

I am also have a hard time figuring out what to put for the additional info so if anyone has any tips pls share.

SAT: 1560
A-level predicteds: AAAB
GCSEs: Average 8.15/9

Willing to go anywhere in the world for the best education and career opportunities (as long as some form of loan / financial aid is available as I’m rather broke). Looking to return to the UK after to work in finance.

Top choices currently Bocconi and
SSE. Anywhere else on the entire planet you recommend applying to? My SAT is strong but my grades could probably be much better.

English speaker. UK/EU citizen.

Info: not first gen, middle/high income, female, African American, in the midwestern region. Small school w <500 students (45 in my class)

ACADEMICS: 3.99 UW (one b+ in alg 2 semester 1 of freshman year) and 4.20 W. 9 AP classes (AP Chem, AP calc BC, APUSH, AP GOV, AP LANG, AP LIT, AP SPANISH, AP BIO, AP COMP GOV) scoring 4s and 5s. Other advanced coursework: abstract algebra, organic chemistry (I and II), and differential equations.

SAT: 1500 (740/760)

Awards are pretty weak. I have Bausch + Lomb Honorary Science Award, was published in a teen literary journal, and AP scholar w/distinction.

ECS: Im gonna summarize because I dont feel like typing out

- I have an 8 week research opportunity where I studied adenocarcinoma. I had my own human cell line that i split/cultured 3x a week. I also worked with mice and injected them w/ various drugs/viruses. Also presented my findings at a symposium and to a lab group. This was a paid internship where I earned $2500 for my work.

-There is another research opportunity im doing rn (sep-may) about breast cancer. I have my own individual capstone project that im working on but we havent fully started. Not paid.

-student council vice president

-founded/re-activated my schools HOSA chapter where I am the president (1 girl went to states)

-in this club I cant name but its an african american union where I raised $2000 for a fundraiser competition to help support a grieving family (been in it since I was 2)

-Sports wise I was a regional champion last year for the 4x100, where we also got 4th at states and broke the school record twice.

-I created this prototype called ORA (cancer-related), but I havent published it yet because of my college apps so i doubt AO w care that much. Essentially, its meant to be a community center for families batteling pediatric cancer and they can post boards where they can chat w/ other parents.

-Then i j have STEM tutoring (3yrs), other organizations im in w/several community service activites + initiatives where ive held leadership roles, I also founded and re-activated the HOSA chapter at my school and we have had people go to states. I presented at vanderbilt for a AI project also was a keynote speaker for something at my school.

Programs wise: I did YYGS but idk if that matters

Essay (PS): My essay was basically about training for my moms disappearance and how she always used to assign me these tasks its kinda hard to explain. Its not the typical independence story it has more depth.

SUPPS: Id say my supplementals are good

Great relationship w my teachers writing my LOR + my mentor is writing me one.

SCHOOLS: Brown (ED), UMICH, USC, UCHICAGO, HOWARD, PURDUE, PITT, OSU, NORTHEASTERN

ok wahts up guys

so heres my app lmk if im going 2 college or not

high income second gen applying for CE in indiana

gpa 3.6uw/4.2w

act 30

sat 1500 750/750

aps: apush apcsa apcsp ap calc bc ap precalc bc aphug and i htink thats all that i took so far anywyas i got all 5 and im taking this year apes ap phys 1 and i guess Calculus 3 and Differential equations if that counts at CC

so i did pretty ass sophmore year and had like a 3.2uw or somehting because i was lazy as all hell and high and then my juniro year i locked in and got like a 4.7w or somehting all As

anywyas so although my stats are hella mid for t20s and like top schools and shit i have crazy ecs so itsa weird ass situation am not trying to get foudn out on reddit and some of them are recognizable so i gotta keep some niche

ec1: very profitable algo (only in the world like it and beats all competitors) and system for b2b with huge margins started a month ago and expected to hit half a million in revenue at current pace this yr selling stuff related to ce 10k/week rev

ec2: bug bounty for hacking a large company that I wont name here because its very hard to get this award and theyre very selective with their picks so i wont get found out

ec3: another buinsess i made for the community kind of like junk removal for IT companies 80k revenue steady pace

ec4: wrote a production medical software that automates 15hrs/week being used in real practices

ec5: created one of the only two pcs of software for a specific product that ever existed in the world

ec6: leadership 9 10 11 summer teaching low income studnets to code and ran the camp

other ones are OK but its too much work to write

applying for ce @ uiuc purdue uw madison msoe uva rutgers but i dont gaf about any of these also aopplying to ga teech uw seattle cu boulder which are all pretty good i guess but i really want to attend anything WC and like some other bs colleges

applying all ucs and santa clara eding USC carnegie mellon stanford cal poly sjsu i really want to go to a good uc or usc but we will see i feel like im going purdue sigh