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?

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

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......

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.

.
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.

I want to ed to upenn nursing. Is 1500 too low?

Hey everyone,

I’m an international applicant looking to apply for Fall (Mechatronics/Robotics engineering). I wanted to get some honest, unfiltered advice on my profile and whether my practical projects can balance out an unconventional academic trajectory.

To be transparent, my early high school record was quite weak (~65%) due to circumstances I couldn't control. Afterward, I ended up spending my first year in a university major I completely disliked (not a tech major)—treating it essentially as a rigorous gap year where I maintained a solid 3.3 university GPA while going completely down the self-taught technical and research rabbit hole.

Instead of traditional school paths, here are the main initiatives, projects, and activities I’ve built and done:

• Founded the First MEA Student Community for Embodied AI & Neuro-Robotics: Created the region's first dedicated student initiative bridging neuroscience and robotics, which earned international recognition and awards from UN-affiliated / global youth programs.
• 3D Generative Robotics Design Platform: An AI-driven tool that translates complex natural language mechanical descriptions into interactive 3D robotic components, allowing users to disassemble and re-assemble kinematic parts with real physics constraints. (Has active users/traction).
• Personalized AI Study Companion (EdTech SaaS): A platform designed to solve learner burnout and scattered resources by generating custom micro-task roadmaps, featuring gamification, retention check-ins, and active users currently on the platform.
• Academic Research & Computational Neuroscience: Co-authored and published remote research work with a professor intersecting machine learning and computational neuroscience, and I am currently working on writing and publishing another independent research paper.
• Remote US Marketing Work (Part-time): Gained professional international experience working remotely with a US-based company, handling marketing and strategic tasks.
• Robotics Simulation & Embodied AI: Independent simulation work focusing on bio-inspired motion control and kinematics using environments like ROS2.
• Creative Arts & Piano: Practiced and played piano for 3 years, balancing rigorous technical engineering with artistic and musical discipline.

I am planning to take the SAT and push for a strong score (aiming for 1450+) to back up my actual academic ability.

My question is: With a weak high school GPA, but backed by a 3.3 university GPA during a transitional year, leadership awards, active SaaS projects with users, published research, US remote work experience, and artistic background, do I stand a realistic chance at decent US universities or Liberal Arts colleges offering good international financial aid?

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

4.00 gpa/5.67weighted (guys socal doesnt grade inflate a 3.5 to 4.0 okayyy)
test optional
27 APs

Hooks:
-dad founded stanford
-low income 33rd gen (but its 1st gen cuz we dont count my asian immigrant heritage)

Founder of non profit to feed to homeless
Researcher at diddy lab
President of key club for 40 years
Interned at a very secret workplace (not found on Google 🤫🤫)

This is satire.

questbridge list (not full application list)
- mit
- stanford
- caltech
- princeton
- northwestern

living outside the states but holds a US passport

i’m trying to apply for chemical engineering but a lot of my extracurriculars are bio-based bc i changed major at the end of 11th grade so im very worried

bc i changed majors so i also lack extrarucciculars in physics and robotics stuff so it just appears like im applying to the wrong major

weighted 4.4 top 5%
sat 1490 (math 780/english 710)
waiting for oct and possible taking in nov
household income 50k for 4
dad has masters in arts and mom is unemployed
goes to an international school and the tuition is 60% household income
5s in lang, bio, chem, ab, world; 4s in seminar, ush
taking mechanics, psych, stat, chinese, lit, es, research in 12th

honors
- 10 outstanding teenagers of the country (president was in award ceremony
- gov funded foreign exchange scholarship 1/50 out of 6.2k
- gold in canada chemistry contest
- honorable mentions in high school medical science and tech comp and third prize in high school essay writing comp
- global medtech honorable mention and global design honorable mention in ivy plus hackathon

extracurriculars
- igem team lead, designed reactor and physics model for scale up, presented at seminar
- short intern at academia studying nano particles for drug delivery
- patent pending bioplastic with novel local material
- independent research on data center heat recovery
- ministry of education sponsored diplomat to UK, where i assisted 19 stem show for 700 kids, wrote report on foreign ed reported to ministry of education
- city cultural ambassador, led workshops and tours engaging 20k citizens to revitalize tea plantations and military village
- developed cell bio curriculum to 250 kids in 6 schools, self published study materials
- organizer of school peers tutoring program of 110 ppl
- helped develop chinese curriculum for monkey health explorer project from UNC

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.

• White / indian
• Median income

1540 SAT

• 750 RW / 790 Math

3.7 UW
Reason for this

• During time of grade drop, was experiencing stepmom abuse at home, whilst juggling a full IB course schedule as well as collegiate research at the nearest med school
• Also halfway through my jr yr i switched schools, and there was some sort of transcript error so on my full HS transcript from my last school, they usually report semesters, but for some reason there was a trimester on mine which showed hella low and incomplete grades because I wasnt in school because I was experiencing personal matters which literally prevented me from going to school as well as in the process of moving
• Talked about this in describe challenges as well as additional info section in the writing section 
• Got all As at my new school for the second sem of junior yr and I currently have all As right now and my counselor is submitting a letter vouching that I show promise and that im now thriving when in a healthy environment 

Extracurriculars:

• NYU INTERNSHIP: Analyzed atherosclerotic plaque burden via microscopy & immunostaining; performed aortic root cryosectioning, macrophage staining & quantitative image analysis.
• OHSU INTERNSHIP: Analyzed hepcidin platelet inhibition via microscopy & immunostaining; led cell culture, organic synthesis & antibody/small molecule purification.
• OHSU INTERNSHIP: Analyzed ICU DVT/PE patient data; performed D-dimer assays & TEG tests; worked to develop a novel radiological detection model using Tc-99m MAA tracer.
• SHADOWING: Shadowed CT surgery: observed full-length CABGs & aortic valve replacements, clinical diagnoses, patient care & emergency intraoperative management.
• HOSA CLUB: As an Event Captain: coached peers on speeches, rhetorical structure & led prep check-ins. Top-7 state finish 2x in Prepared Speaking (1x podium). 
• SCIENCE FAIR: Prototyped a CNN machine learning model to analyze fluorescence-stained platelets & investigate automated surface area quantification via microscopy.
• FOUNDED MY OWN CLUB: Founded STEM Olympiad club & made school sole district host for USABO/USACO exams. Taught study lessons, led focus groups & facilitated testing.
• VOLUNTEERING: Prepared & distributed free meals to unhoused downtown Portland residents; organized church logistics & resources to support community aid operations.
• CHURCH SERVING: Guided worship flow as altar acolyte; coordinated liturgical processionals, assisted clergy with altar preparations & maintained sacred vessels.
• JV Cross Country: Dedicated 20 hrs/wk to learning a new sport; built strong team community and developed mental perseverance through rigorous daily practice. 

Honors:

• Finalist, Bennington College Young Writers Award (Nonfiction)
  • 25k/yr scholarship to bennington 
• State Finalist (4th Place), Prepared Speaking – HOSA State Leadership Conference
• State Finalist (6th Place), Prepared Speaking – HOSA State Leadership Conference

Demographics: White Female, New Jersey, High Income (600k+), Shitty private catholic school

Intended Major(s): Political science

ACT/SAT/SAT II: 1470 (750rw/720m) superscore. Schools average is 1056

UW/W GPA and Rank: gpa 92/100, school doesn’t rank

Got a C+ in algebra 1 freshman year, but had straight A’s sophomore year and beyond

Coursework: APUSH, Ap Lang, Ap French (didn’t take test) Senior year: AP lit, Ap Calc AB, AP Gov, AP Physics 1 (will take tests)

Awards: 

• international language honor society
• national honor society
• college board recognition program 
• Schoolwide English award
• Schoolwide Ap French award 

Extracurriculars: 

• Varsity swim team 3 years 2 years as captain
• varsity flag football 3 years
• model un/model congress club (Schoolwide, didn’t compete) 3 years
• Volunteering club treasurer junior year / executive secretary senior year
• Camp counselor (60hr community service)
• volunteering at a farm that does horse therapy for people with special needs
• Work 8hr/week including during the school year as swim instructor
• Babysit often for many families
• Lifeguard at a lake and a pool over the summer 30hr/week

Essays/LORs/Other: Essay about father-daughter camping trips, was professionally edited. Michigan supplementals edited as well.

Schools: EA everywhere except ED to Michigan

1. University of Michigan
2. UW Madison
3. Ohio State
4. Penn State
5. UVA
6. Indiana University
7. University of Tennessee Knoxville

Would apply RD to Visual and Interactive Computing/Information Sciences

Academics

- 1530 SAT (780 Math 750 English)

- 3.8 unweighted / 4.1 weighted GPA

- Graduated summer of Junior year

- AP Psych (5), APES (4 🥀), AP Precalculus (5), and English Composition/Lit DE, rest are honors classes

ECs / Activities

- Participating in a fully funded Department of State exchange to Germany for a year

- Knitted hats for the homeless -> Volunteering at a clothing donation center in Germany

- Participated in a 3-day, 7 hr/day engineering and informatics program at a University of Applied Sciences

- Self-studied Brazilian Portuguese and got 3 out of 3 language creds from it (school language exam)

- Ran a social media account where I marketed beauty products and worked with Olive Young (Korean Sephora), creating over $200,000 in sales

- Student Council, Key Club, NHS, NAHS

- Treasurer of Bullet Journaling Club

For context I'm Asian, 17, and went to school in Northern VA.. am I cooked or should I take a chance and apply? 🥹

Hello, so I’ll be applying Early Action everywhere. I’m a male international applicant, following are my credentials:

1460 SAT (790 M, 670 RW)
A-levels predicted 3A* 1A in maths, physics, CS, and Economics.

Honours:
Best across 5 subjects (grade 9,10)
Valedictorian 9th grade (cohort had only 50-60 students though)
Salutatorian 10th grade
100% Scholarship for research programs (2x SIP UCSC)
100% Scholarship throughout A-levels(high school)

EC’S:
Founder of a non-profit that provides robotics equipment to underprivileged children.
Research in CS and Engineering at SIP, UC Santa Cruz (Below 8% acceptance rate)
Research in Machine Learning
Software Engineering Intern at a company
Tutored maths to a few students
A few Independent robotics projects
High altitude Mountaineering
Equestrian Athlete

Do i have a good shot at these universities? Are there any other universities that I should consider applying to? Purdue is my number one choice 😞

Some of ts shit I'm applying to are obvious holy airballs, but these based on general admissions trends and school history I am genuinely unsure about

GPA: 3.62UW 3.95W - upward trend but not great overall, lot of rigor in STEM but not the best grades in STEM lol.

I got a D in a random ahh participation based course due to health issues that I remedied but my school doesn't grade replace and I got a C in freshman precalc for the same reason :sob: Also a lot of Bs obviously

SAT: 1530 (770RW/760M) superscore

Rigorous coursework (overall moderate rigor in context lol - a lot of online and dual enrollment courses due to extenuating factors):

Calc AB (A/A), Honors Physics (no AP 1/2 and need to take honors before AP at my school; A/B [dying flower emoji]), CC Calc 2 (A), AP Lang (A/A), AP Stats (B/A), APCSA (A), AP Bio (A/A), AP Chem (took a semester over summer, other one in progress, B), CC Macro (B), CC Illustration (A, needed to squeeze out the dual credit for art for graduation cuz my old school fukked up my requirements), CC Music (A), both AP Phys C (in progress), uni extension program Linear Alg (in progress), extension program Multivar (in progress)

UC GPA: 3.77UW/4.08CW/4.38W [dying flower emoji]

Competitive CA HS. I'm a Chinese female.

I've transferred multiple times for reasons I won't divulge. My other schools were super shit and grade inflated and my grades from there weren't even that good tspmo. I have other extenuating circumstances I will also not divulge in detail because it's really personal plus I fear I may get doxxed.

AP Exams: Calc AB (5) Chinese (4 #bruh) Stats (5) Bio (5) Lang (5)

ECs (bad, kept vague sorry)

1. Larp research thing related to biophysics and comp neuro, did some lit reviews and math stuff and wrote code for some simulations, collaboration with a UC, presented at some random ahh events and working on an actual manuscript atm + got LOR from PI (11, 12)
2. Tutor on Schoolhouse in SAT, calc, stats, physics, bio w/ p good impact; private tutor to a couple 10th graders in advanced calc and stats topics (11, 12)
3. Social media stuff, ok reach, related to both STEM and art stuff, also made content on speech and debate lol (9, 10, 11, 12)
4. Another larp research thing related to computational physics and ANN architectures, presented at [insert random summer program symposium], worked on manuscript mentored by Vandy PhD student (lit review and computational experiments), am about to submit to ArXiV and try to get peer reviewed in a random hs journal (11, 12)
5. Community service 400+ hours, led a cool event thingy for cancer fundraising (9, 10, 11, 12)
6. Imagine the most larp high schooler web project oat, that but related to some of the fields of interest shown in my other ECs (11, 12)
7. Survey and empirics based research on academic performance metrics and STEM education nationally for a web blog. Also working on some other STEM based content for the page as part of this youth program (12)
8. Wrote a bunch of articles related to physics, AI, biochem, neuro, math/stats, etc for student newsletters and blogs. Also wrote creative long form content. Mid reach lol (10, 11, 12)
9. Freelance art selling, ~$50 a month on and off, also make free stuff for the community (9, 10, 11, 12)

Honors (really bad)

1. National Merit Commended (1460 PSAT 750M 710RW)
2. Essay competition runner up for physics topic
3. Chinese cultural art award with $150 prize, first place statewide
4. Top 20% learners impacted and tutoring hours on Schoolhouse
5. Public forum debate tournament speaker placement lol

Wrote my essay on a random math related fixation I have lmfao. I don't know if it's STEM kid ahh larpslop tho. LORs from research PI from activity #1, honors physics teacher, AP lang teacher. They're probably all kind of slop because I haven't had any recent teacher for longer than like 1.5sem due to transferring a lot. I think my lang teacher has more good stuff to say about me and the research one might be kind of AI slop, and the physics one will be generic.

Chance me for:

Boston U (ts has like a 25-30%+ acceptance rate from my hs lol, not very ED heavy either I swear they game their rate) - Physics

Case Western, EA - Physics, Cogsci 2nd choice

Emory + Emory Oxford - Physics, Biophysics 2nd choice

NYU - Mathematics, ranked a bunch of other stuff for my secondary choices (My dad will only let me go if I get in for math [skull] not that I don't want to study math, just inb4 someone says "NYU ug math isn't better than its other STEM" --- I knowwww)

U of Rochester - Physics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences 2nd choice

UW Seattle - Physics, Mathematics 2nd choice

UW Madison, EA - Physics, Bio Systems Eng 2nd choice

UMD, EA - Physics

UIUC, EA - Physics, NPRE 2nd choice

NEU, EA (ts also has like a 30%+ acceptance rate from my hs, also higher than BU) - Physics

Purdue, EA (this has like a >50% acceptance rate from my hs where hella mfs apply CS or CoE lmao) - Physics, Biomolecular Design 2nd choice

Fuck you UC test optional, but maybe they'll care less about my shit freshman math grade? These are all like 15-25% acceptance at my high school bruh

UCSB - Physics CCS... yeah absolute airball, L&S version alt

UCI - Mathematics, Physics 2nd choice

UC Davis - Applied Math, Mathematical and Scientific Computation 2nd choice

I do have likelier targets and safeties on my list, but uh... is it 167% wraps?

Chance a delusional international kid at Princeton REA and other T30🙏

Demographics: Female, international (Sub-Saharan African), first gen, needs full financial aid.

Intended Major: Biology / Global Health / Pre-med

Academics:

GPA: 4.0 uw my school doesn't do weighted

SAT: 1470 (thinking of going test optional at Princeton tho🥲) but my school average is a 1300.

RANK: 9/490

No APs basically because my school offers none.

Honors

Best in Biology category, National STEM Research Competition

Best in National Biotechnology Research Competition

1st of 10,000+ in the 2023 National Sciences Contest (Biology)

Rank 63 out of about 1 million candidates nationally in the national secondary school examinations.

National Math Olympiad 2024

Activities

International Health NGO, Community Research Volunteer: surveyed 30 households in our rural areas on zoonotic, respiratory and waterborne disease; interviewed elders and mothers; presented findings to NGO officers to guide community health volunteer outreach.

Rural Community Health Clinic, Clinical Intern: triaged 20+ patients/day, assisted with wound care, immunizations and maternal checks at a clinic serving 15k+ rural residents; translated local language for clinicians.

National STEM Research Competition, Student Researcher: prototypes on spina bifida and hydrocephalus prevention; won nationally; ran folate and maternal nutrition outreach for 200+ students and parents.

Health Economics Intern at a financial based consultancy (I guess it's well known): drafted an affordable health insurance proposal ($100/month, risk-pooling) for my region; presented to the finance team.

School Medical President: led a 12-member committee; managed health records for 1000+ students; coordinated referrals to nearby regional referral hospital.

First Aid & Emergency Response Organization, Corporal Cadet: led first-aid drills for 30+ cadets; Best Cadet Regionally 2023 in first aid.

Choir Leader & Bass Soloist: directed a 40-voice choir; performed at a presidential gala and national festivals; Best Bass Soloist, Nationally 2024.

These are my top activities 🥲will probably include others..

Essay: I wrote about my obsession with Cats 😭...it's a good essay overall...90 rated on maxadmit.

Recommendations:

Biology teacher: 8/10...my best recommendation letter.

Counsellor: 7/10 good overall.

Will send maths teacher rec too but haven't seen it..the teacher knew me well though.

Schools

Princeton REA, NYUAD, Stanford, Yale, Cornell, Duke, Bowdoin, Amherst, Johns Hopkins, Emory, Swarthmore, Vanderbilt and UMiami.

I know I'm probably cooked as an international with high financial aid required🥀...but will appreciate your honest opinions on which of these schools I have a better shot at (more than 1% chance idk)..

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

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

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

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?

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!

From a country that not a lot of people apply to Notre Dame(i dont wanna disclose for personal reasons)

Top 2% at my country in national exam

4.0 GPA

President of the monitor society (smth like student council)

Secretary of Judo Club

Auditor of the yearbook

1550 SAT and 36 ACT

State rep for Judo and Taekwondo

Finished 2nd in both nationals for both

Ranked 1st for Taekwondo and 2nd for Judo (State)

Judo abt 8 hours a week for 5 years

Taekwondo abt 6 hours a week for 3 years

Built and sold software (invoice maker, P&L tool, websites) to small businesses.

1. Worked in my father's business since age 14.

2. Caregiver since age 8 for my blind, disabled uncle (stroke): hospital check-ups, wheelchair, daily care

Pls just be realistic with me and pls advise me on how I can make my ECs better

Thanks for your time <3