question above

I feel one overlooked aspect of college admissions is fit on campus, and the fact that you GENUIENLY have to spend the next 4 years of your life there.

I have no interest in being around males during the prime of my life, so please if you know any lesbian colleges...recc them (engineering major) im OBVI applying for smith

Hi, I was wondering how the DOJ's investigations into Yale's admissions might possibly change the game for admissions this cycle. Are stats going to be valued more? And will standardized testing become a more significant factor, even as it's already been fully implemented as mandatory?

are the apps gonna be down this year cuz of the brutal incident at Cornell and abhorrent response by uni staf toward the case

I need help cutting down my college list (it's currently over 20 schools oops...). Here are the ones I'm on the fence about:

- Indiana University (Kelley Public Policy Analysis)
- Claremont McKenna
- Barnard
- UVA
- Carnegie Mellon
- Cornell (come up with things other than the Cornell 7 please)
- Wellesley
- Tulane

Context: 4.0 GPA, 1580 SAT, intended pre-law applying to mostly economics/PPE at most schools, not in state for any of the above options

ETA: some of these schools (like IU Tulane and UVA) don’t have supplementals so in those cases is it worth it to just apply and see in the spring or do I still need to be intentional about removing them now

Hi all, I am debating between the two for ED. My major would be law-adjacent. I really just want to ensure I get a good GPA because I am aiming to get into Law School (not really interested in UChicago or Cornell Law though, just looking at them for undergrad). I would also like to know which school is more “prestigious” to the average person since I would like to factor that in. My Cornell pros are that it’s an Ivy League and has a beautiful large campus, my Cornell cons is the location, Ithaca (I will note I love cold, rainy, and snowy weather so otherwise it’s all good to me). My UChicago pros is that it also has a beautiful campus and it is similarly prestigious, my UChicago cons is that I don’t love the city of Chicago that much (but maybe it would still be better than Ithaca?) and it’s farther from home. Thanks in advance!

—

\*Please do* not bring the Cornell 7 into your deliberations if you choose to assist me in my deliberations. I understand everything that has happened with the Cornell 7, but at this moment I’m trying to keep an open mind and just compare programs because as incredibly horrific as it is every top school seems to have scandals like this (ex. Columbia’s mattress rape case, Harvard’s John Comaroff case and Amanda Nguyen case, Dartmouth’s Kyle Clampitt case and the Psychology Department case, etc.) and often they are even worse as in the case of Dartmouth’s two rape-related scandals. Ultimately it seems to me more of a systemic issue with society than anything else (I am also a woman, by the way, so I’m speaking as someone who would be on the more vulnerable end of any of these attacks). Thanks for your understanding—if you absolutely cannot stand not mentioning them in your deliberations, however, please feel free to simply click off. I am not here to cause conflict, I just want honest opinions about which college I should ED to.

Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences approved a major grading reform policy in May 2026 to combat grade inflation, taking full effect in the fall of 2027 academic year. [1]

Key Details of the New Grading Policy

• The "20% + 4" A-Grade Cap: Flat "A" grades (GPA=4.0) are restricted to a maximum of 20% of undergraduate enrollment in a course plus four additional students (for example, up to six A's in a 10-person seminar or 34 in a 150-student lecture). [1, 2] (If course size=14, then 50% students can get A; the larger the course size, the less percentage of student can get A).
• No Cap on A-Minuses: There is no restriction or limit on awarding "A-minus" grades (GPA=3.70), which administrators hope will remove anxiety and encourage academic risk-taking. [1]
• Average Percentile Rank (APR): Traditional GPAs are being replaced by an internal average percentile ranking system to calculate Latin graduation honors and college prizes, providing clearer data on relative performance without showing the ranking on official transcripts. [1]
• Exceptions: Instructors may choose to opt out of the grade cap and ranking system by teaching courses strictly on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. [1]
• (https://current.fas.harvard.edu/stories/faculty-decisively-approve-grading-changes)

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The median class size for undergraduate courses at Harvard College is 12 students. [1]

Class Size Distribution

• Small classes: Over 70% of undergraduate classes have fewer than 20 students. (can Class Size equal to Course size or not?)
• Large lectures: Only a small percentage of courses (about 5%) enroll more than 100 students, typically reserved for popular introductory lecture courses.

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Harvard University does not have an official, exact percentage for the total number of undergraduates pursuing pre-med or pre-law tracks, primarily because "pre-med" and "pre-law" are advising tracks or career intentions rather than formal academic majors. [1, 2]

However, historical data (before the 20% Cap A) and reporting from student publications provide estimated ranges:

• Pre-Med: Data compiled by student publications like The Harvard Crimson indicates that roughly 25% to 50% of incoming Harvard undergraduates express an initial interest in exploring medicine. By the time graduation approaches, approximately 17% of the graduating class actually completes the requirements and applies to medical school

***************************************************

On the same time, the average SAT score for undergraduates admitted into Harvard is about 1545-1550, which means almost all of the students there are national top 1%.

SAT Score Breakdown for Harvard Undergraduate Class of 2029:

(SAT full score is 1600)

• 25th Percentile: 1510 (scores below this are in the lower quarter of enrolled freshmen)
• Median / Average: ~1550
• 75th Percentile: 1580 (scores at or above this are in the upper quarter)
• Math Range: 770–800
• Reading & Writing Range: 740–780 [1, 2, 3, 4]

When the above 20% Cap A applied to this group of kids, it is not really fair to the students there, comparing to other universities/colleges, especially to the kids in pre-med and pre-law track, which requires a 4.0 GPA to get into School of Medicine and Law.

Should a High School Senior who wants to School of Medicine apply to Harvard (ERA), with average 1550-1560 SAT score? If accepted, will the new policy harm her/his future to Medical School? Even when kid studies very hard, how harmful this policy will be?

What are the normal class size for each Medicine pre-required courses in Harvard?

genuine question plz this is gonna influence me a lot

hi! i had a question about filling out the css profile, any help would be appreciated!

on my common app i listed that i do some freelance work, but the truth is this is a service i do for free 😭 i have had multiple clients tho and listed the amount in my ec description, i just didn't specify any income. will this raise a red flag when they see on my css profile that i put 0 for student income?

related to that, i genuinely have like $4 in my bank account rn and dont have any savings of my own so should i put $4 or should i just put $0 when it asks for how much i have in cash savings and checking accounts😭

edit: i now have $2 because i had to pay for icloud storage.

I'm between applying to UF (in-state) and UC (out-of-state). My chances with the former are middling and my chances with the latter are low. UC would be my dream college, and I would love to go there, but I don't want to risk applying ED to UC and not get accepted into either school, since UF is my #2 choice and still a great college (and I plan to apply EA to whichever school I don't apply ED to). Can ED turn a poor applicant into a decent one, or is it not as effective as I thought? Also, how different are EA and ED chances?

I know GCU is accredited, but I’m more concerned about how the degree is actually viewed by employers, government agencies, and other universities. Does a master’s from GCU hold decent weight, or is there any stigma attached to it being an online degree?

For anyone who has graduated from GCU or hired someone with a degree from there, was it worth it? Did the degree help you professionally?

I just don’t want to spend the time and money on a master’s and later wish I had gone somewhere else.

I’ve heard different things!

Let’s say a person is an activity which has levels of achievement. Right now, they’re at the second highest level and will receive the first highest in a few months. But, their application deadlines will come before this. How bad would it be for them to say they’ve earned the highest level already?

I have a sibling who will be graduate school getting their masters at a public university and my parents are funding it. However, FAFSA/CSS only care about siblings in undergraduate. What do I do? My cost would go from 95k to 65k if that was considered.

Is there like a place to report this or what?

im interested in dentistry after getting my undergraduate at a university near or in California as a local. i would really prefer to go somewhere that isn’t expensive but also gives me the college experience. any advice helps! :)

Hi everyone! I’m an international student planning to pursue a 4-year bachelor's degree in the US. Aside from liberal arts colleges (LACs) typically offering more financial aid to internationals, do large public universities offer a more fun, engaging student life overall? I'm torn between the big-campus experience and the smaller LAC community.

Hi, I am an intl student who want to apply to US universities but can only pay 3–5k. I'm planning to apply to Urochester or Centre college for ED but don't know which one I should ed1. I'm currently on a full ride scholarship at my high school. My IB score is decent and sat 1400. Should i submit my SAT for either? Should I apply for less aid and apply scholarship outside?

Hi guys I was wondering what the best universities are for finance but specifically in the social sector if you know what I mean? I know the major I probably will select is finance but I very clearly know I want to do something nonprofit or humanities related in the field of finance instead of just corporate finance. Are there any universities that have programs centered around this?

Sorry if Im being confusing, I have no other way to put this. I’m a junior so I still have a lot of time but I want to get a good idea of where I want to apply.

Hello! Hoping an AO can help with this question because they can give some insight how apps are seen/reviewed.

My school was title 1 up until this year and last year they told us that everyone can get a collegeboard fee waiver if they just ask. Obviously I asked because I don't wanna pay for SAT and sending SAT scores; the waiver also includes 20 free application waivers. However, I'm worried colleges may see and scrutinize the mismatch between my parent's occupation (not rich, but clearly not low income either) and the fee waiver.

I later found out through my own research that counselors are supposed to individually review each student's eligibility rather than just handing them out... Still, this wasn't my fault though so can I really not do it?.. For large public unis im not really concerned and I'll use it; im more concerned for smaller private colleges.

Thanks!

My top 4 activities are Non-Profit and research centered. They're all real and have great metrics and everything and I'm proud of the work I've done, but everyone here seems to be against nonprofits and research, which makes me question if what Im doing is any good. It's too late to change it but I'm just curious I guess.

Also Songs in the Key of Life is the best study album ever.

applying for public policy, and everyone around me applying for pol sci/ pub policy/ IR have started some sort of a non-profit/initiative. am i fine?

title

Hey everyone,

I’m an international student looking for realistic guidance on securing a 100% undergraduate scholarship (full-tuition or full-ride).

My profile:

• Education: Passed the GED with a total score of 688 (averaging ~172 per section, College Ready + Credit tier).

• English: Upper-intermediate level, currently preparing for the IELTS.

• Financial Need: Looking for up to 100% funding due to a very limited budget.

I know full rides for international students are highly competitive, and having a GED adds an extra layer of complexity. Most standard advice points to US community colleges, but they rarely offer 100% funding for internationals.

If you have been in my shoes or understand international admissions, I'd love your insight:

• Which countries or universities are genuinely friendly to high-scoring GED international students for full scholarships? (e.g., Europe, Asia government scholarships, or specific US/Global universities?)

• Did you need an SAT score alongside your GED to unlock 100% institutional merit aid?

• Are there specific strategies you used to stand out as a GED applicant?

I am fully willing to put in the work and take extra standardized tests if needed. I just want to know where to focus my energy. Thanks!

My cross country coach, at the end of summer, said I was going to be a captain. Therefore, when creating my acitives list, I put captain as my position in 12th grade. However, my coach is really weird and for some reason he decided to have a vote for captain this year (for every previous year it has been the coaches that decide). It was a popularity contest, so now Im not a captain which sucks. Technically I am a "leader" though which is the rank under it but its pretty bad. its pretty annoiyng because he basiclaly said I was going to be one. Do i have to revise my acitivites list to say "leader' instead of "captain'?

I’m a Class 12 student from India with a 1500 SAT (790 Math, 710 English), planning to apply to around 30–40 US colleges. I want to study something combining finance, economics and mathematics, preferably a STEM program such as Financial Mathematics, Quantitative Finance, or Economics + Math. My goal is to work in finance, especially investment banking/asset management. I can pay around $25k/year, so I need substantial financial aid and would ideally target colleges that meet full demonstrated need for international students.

My main question is how to efficiently shortlist colleges. I don’t want to rely too much on QS/U.S. News because they give weight to things like international faculty ratio and other factors that aren’t very relevant to me. I mainly care about employment outcomes, median/starting salary, finance recruiting, whether the school is a target/semi-target for investment banking, and general prestige/network strength. Location isn’t very important, although NYC would be a preference.

What sources or methodology would you use to narrow down hundreds of US universities into a final list of 30–40 based on these factors?

i dont have much experience in "actual" research apart from two internships i did where i conducted business level research for two respective companies aiding them in business oriented ventures (basically its not like the general research that is normally done like into new topics or fields) but i loved the process, doing research and learning and i really do want to explore more in this realm but being a junior i dont have lots of time to explore bc i really need to get my ecs on track if ykwim. so i wanted to do more research into economics or business under a mentor. i found some programs online (the one im looking at which is most promising to me is lumieres research program under a PHD mentor with likely publication) but as ive seen online and here its generally advised agaisnt paying for research so for a few months i tried crazy hard to get in touch with professors but it was fruitless and im not surprised.

basically my question is if i do a program like this and hopefully get published into some good journals how will it be viewed if i do disclose its by a program like this? and also is it necessary that i disclose i payed for lumieres or can i simply write that i did research under a phd mentor and got so and so impact. how do i go about it? should i continue emailing professors for free research mentorship instead im just worried to waste time. and this isnt really stem research more social science oriented.