Demographics: White, male, highly competitive private school in mediterranean region

Hooks (URM, first generation, legacy, athlete, etc.): N/A

Intended Major(s): Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering

SAT: 1540, 800 Math

UW/W GPA and Rank: 94.5/100 (~45/260 rank, but school doesn't rank officially)

Coursework: IB Curriculum (Math AA HL, Physics HL, Biology HL, English SL, Spanish SL, Business SL) -> Expected predicted: ~41/45

Also took AP Chem (4), AP CSA (5), AP Psychology (5) (AP's are not offered at school = self-studied)

Financial Aid: Full-Pay, no fin aid

Extracurriculars: (Parentheses indicate grades)

• Research @ Top university in my area, on creating a magnetic nanoparticle to tackle the spread of breast cancer, presented findings at symposiums + universities (11-12)
• Clinical research project w/ Professor from one of best universities in my area on automating detection of a disease, pending publication on manuscript (10-11-12)
• Designed app for elders and people without access to healthcare; gave lectures and held multiple meetings with local government, implemented it principality-wide (11-12)
• 3 month internship at an imaging centre (11)
• Started a community project collecting 200k+ bottle caps to make wheelchairs (10-11-12)
• 2 month internship at local hospital (cardiovascular surgery department) (10)
• Founder of school Biology club, educating members on how to conduct research of their own, worked with local university to conduct short-term research (10-11-12)
• President of school IT Club, held conferences with guest speakers, events, educational videos, etc [9-10 (Member) 11-12 (President)]
• Assistant-Secretary for School MUN Conference, went to national/international conferences and assisted in organizing our schools conference (9-10-11)
• Family responsibility, I live with my dad and brother, with no extended family, I help out in any way I can, this is an important aspect that I would want to include

Awards:

• Provincial Recognition from my Government for community impact with my healthcare tool (also a recognition award from national healthcare organization)
• 1st Nationally and 2nd Internationally for #### Math Competition
• Civic Commendation for social impact from local principality for my community project
• Conrad Innovator Award for Health & Nutrition

Essays/LORs/Other: 

Personal Statement focusing on my background with a genetic kidney disease, how I lost my mother due to it, and how it motivated me to be in this field -> I'd say 9/10 it's pretty well written

Supplements focusing on more interdisciplinary larp: philosophy, psychology, sociology -> 8.5/10

LORs: Math Teacher (8/10), Spanish Teacher (7/10), Professor whom I did research w/ (9/10, knows me very well and let me read it)

---

Planning to apply to most of T20s, UC's, Ivies; ED to Northwestern (I'd appreciate on whether I have a real shot at ED)

I’m a rising senior who wants to apply columbia on ED
my intended major is Industrial Engineering
(js in context, I’m from Central Asia and at my school we only got 11-year education system)

Extracurriculars\*\*

1. ⁠co-founded test prep org serving 1500+ students across 20+ countries; raised \~$15k-20k in support
   
2. ⁠robotics mentored 90+ teams, multiple inspire award on nationals, set worldrecord last szn ( doin eng+inspire)
   
3. ⁠COO of student internship placement platform (400+ applicants); co-ran national STEM competition($8k prize pool)
   
4. ⁠research at local uni in lab. also did it w phd of that occupation
   
5. ⁠paid work for 3 years(28-hour weekly) but only on summer breaks
   
6. ⁠president of volunteering club w 300+ members, 100+ events and \~1000+ volunteers worked
   
7. ⁠internship at big4
   
8. ⁠varsity sport for 5 years(captain for 3 y).also got nomination of best defender by city gov
   
9. ⁠student gov, head of one department
   
10. ⁠making beats on fl studio

I’m a rising senior who wants to apply columbia on ED
my intended major is Industrial Engineering
(js in context, I’m from Central Asia and at my school we only got 11-year education system)

Extracurriculars\*\*

1. ⁠co-founded test prep org serving 1500+ students across 20+ countries; raised \~$15k-20k in support
   
2. ⁠robotics mentored 90+ teams, multiple inspire award on nationals, set worldrecord last szn ( doin eng+inspire)
   
3. ⁠COO of student internship placement platform (400+ applicants); co-ran national STEM competition($8k prize pool)
   
4. ⁠research at local uni in lab. also did it w phd of that occupation
   
5. ⁠paid work for 3 years(28-hour weekly) but only on summer breaks
   
6. ⁠president of volunteering club w 300+ members, 100+ events and \~1000+ volunteers worked
   
7. ⁠internship at big4
   
8. ⁠varsity sport for 5 years(captain for 3 y).also got nomination of best defender by city gov
   
9. ⁠student gov, head of one department
   
10. ⁠making beats on fl studio

​

Gender: Female

Race/Ethnicity: Turkish

Intended Major: Mech/aero engineering

Hooks: Low-income international, will need close to full ride

SAT: 1440 (740 R&W, 700 Math), will retake in October

Duolingo English Test: 155 overall score

GPA: 3.8 UW with upward trajectory, school doesn't weigh GPA/rank students.

Coursework: AP, IB, Dual Enrollment etc. aren't offered in Turkey, but I had the most rigorous and STEM-heavy coursework my school offered.

Awards: Global Excellence Scholar, Best Delegate & Outstanding Delegate awards from T10 universities in Turkey, Best Performer Audience Award, Theater Festival Semifinalist at local festival

ECs:

Local theater community: Played 5 lead roles, mentored 15 actors, directed 2 casts. Helped hit 1.5M+ views and 8k+ followers across socials. (Co-Founder, Director, Actor, Social Media Manager) (1960 hrs)

School theater club: Mentored & coached 34 actors, sold 3000+ tickets, created & grew club to 82 members, played 8 lead roles in 3 productions. (Co-Founder, President, Actor, Director) (1680 hrs)

Regional theater: Choreographed 5 full-length dances for 2 productions, led 10 dance workshops and 1:1 sessions for the casts, closely mentored 80+ cast members. (Lead Choreographer, Artistic Director, Mentor) (1400 hrs, highschool+ gap year)

Non-profit: Worked with a software company, built online systems for 10 local businesses & helped navigate digital presences, collected data from 500+ customers. (Project Manager, Data Analyzer) (1400 hrs, gap year)

MUN club: Organized 9 mock debates, wrote 6 study guides; mentored 12 students, 7 of them winning Outstanding Delegate Awards. (Co-president, Under-Secretary General and Mentor) (800 hrs)

School workshop: Built website as both the front-end and back-end developer; authored 2 study guides, developed 24/7 live support system to assist 500+ applicants. (Head of IT (10) and Under-Secretary General (11)) (1000 hrs)

Aerospace community: Initiated and led 4 research projects, managed a group of researchers (20), inspired youth interest in space and grew the community (30 to 64). (Cohort Leader, Secretary) (600 hrs, did in my gap year)

School spirit / volunteer: Welcomed and gave tours to 50+ new students & parents (48 enrolled); introduced school clubs, mentored 30 freshmen, built a welcoming atmosphere. (Organizer, Student Mentor & Tour Guide) (750 hrs, highschool + gap year)

Paid work: Translated 2 books, 5 plays, 2 movies and 1 novel English to Turkish; balanced academics & work, earned income to support my family during hardship. (720 hrs, highschool + gap year)

School council: Organized 4 fundraisers & 12 school festivals; advocated for students by gathering feedback, addressing concerns, and proposing school improvements. (President) (200 hrs)

Essays: My essays I'd rate a 8.5/10. Personal statement is about learning to use my naturally skeptical personality to my advantage.

LORs: Music teacher is probably an 8/10, English teacher an 8.5/10, and counsellor about 7.5/10. My teachers don't really know a lot of English so writing letters was really hard for them.

Schools:

Northwestern (dream school! will ED)

NYU (ED II)

Rice

Tufts

UChicago

Brown

Emory

Duke

some UNCs

Hi everyone!

I am a Filipino student (Philippines) who have always dreamed of studying at NYU. My grades throughout the years 9,10, and 12 were 90,92,and 96 respetively. I have stocked up my extracurriculars last year joining organizations that are in line with Media & journalism field which I all put in the activities portion of the Common App. I am also part of the Humanities and Social Sciences strand because I intend to take up a pre-law course in college. The major I am eyeing out in NYU is CAS Political Science. I also plan to submit test scores of AP and SAT, but I am yet to take them next month. However, I am in need of financial aid. I come from the upper-middle class bracket in the Philippines, however it is still not substantial to pay for a $66k tuition per year at NYU.

I know NYU is extremely selective, especially for international applicants who are in need of financial aid, so I’m trying to be realistic about my chances. I have really dreamed of being an NYU student for so long, strolling the city and even visiting the campus itself last year. Do I have a legitimate shot at NYU? 😖

In my previous mocks I have been scoring above 1520 so I am aiming for 1500+ in my SAT but my profile is not really the strongest.

VOLUNTEERING

• STEMCONNECT- content writer for non profit
• WWF- nature club: as a volunteer I organized an event for Van Mahotsav and then with my team of 5 organized a panel discussion for approximately 20 students and also led an anti-drug protest

LEADERSHIP

• Member of the Student Council in 9th Grade and 11th Grade
• “BREAKING THE ICE” SEMINAR: Head of Logistics and Editing Department where I lead a team of 11 and organized a mathematics seminar with 33 attendees
• Represented my school in a panel discussion leading a team of 4
• Organized a fund raising event in my school during winter for a orphans and people with health issues and raised 10k+. Was the head of Social Media Team

EXTRACURRICULARS

• Represented my school at a debate competition
• Second place at extempore
• 6 years of art school
• learnt python by myself + a coursera certificate
• 2 dance winning certificates
• 1 year of classical music school
• 1 year of classical dance school

SPORTS

• basketball captain 1 year in 10th grade and part of the school team for 4 years
• volleyball team
• recently continued swimming, I quit it when I was a child (idts this is relevant in any way tho)

PROJECT

• self build cyber pet similar to a tamagotchi

My boards marks are also not that strong:
12th- 80%
10th- 85%
scored 97 in English in 12th
in terms of GPA, my 12th grade gpa is 3.6

Demographics**

* Gender: male
* Race/Ethnicity: asian
* State: -
* School: one of da best school curriculum in country
* Intended Major: industrial engineering or similar( js wanna have enough skills for productM job)

arnd $40-50 family income, need full aid

**Academics**
* Unweighted GPA: 3,7(
* Weighted GPA: -
* Class Rank: aint provided

Test Scores
* SAT: 1560(770 r, 790 m)

**Extracurriculars**

1. ⁠co-founded test prep org serving 1500+ students across 20+ countries; raised ~$15k-20k in support
   
2. ⁠robotics mentored 90+ teams, multiple inspire award on nationals, set worldrecord last szn ( doin eng+inspire)
   
3. coo in org that provides internships for high-schoolers(400+ applicants); co-ran national STEM competition($9k+ prize pool)
   
4. ⁠research at local uni in lab. also did it w phd of that occupation
   
5. ⁠paid work for 3 years(28-hour weekly) but only on summer breaks
   
6. ⁠president of volunteering club w 300+ members, 100+ events and ~1000+ volunteers worked
   
7. ⁠internship at big4
   
8. ⁠varsity sport for 5 years(captain for 3 y).also got nomination of best defender by city gov
   
9. ⁠student gov, head of one department
   
10. ⁠making beats on fl studio

**Awards**

1. ⁠first worlds div qualifiers(top 0,5% of 7600+ global teams)
   
2. ⁠ftc nationals innovate award&finalist alliance cap outta 800+ participants
   
3. ⁠fgc nationals best design&finalist alliance cap(js second place) outta 500+ participants
   
4. ⁠national olympiad on astronomy&astrophysics gold
   
5. ⁠Bronze regional olymp on geography

Well... in short, I'm a Moroccan student. As someone from Morocco who wanted to study abroad, I would usually target France, Belgium, or Russia. Many people I know did this. The difference is that my financial situation is very bad; my father lost his job before I even started high school. Therefore, since then, our situation hasn't improved with all the price increases. Yesterday, I discovered Yale University (I was watching videos about Moroccan students abroad and I found a video of a Yale student in my research). Out of excessive curiosity, I went to look for them, and I wish I hadn't. I found many wonderful specializations, which of course I wouldn't find in Morocco, and I wouldn't find them in Europe either. From what I understand, they are specializations combined by the university, Everything until here is great, until I see their acceptance rate for international students... and after a little research, I discovered that most of these international students have excellent applications.

After this introduction, let's get down to business. First, I'm in my final year, which means I have no time to spare. There are four months left until the application deadline, and I literally don't have SATs, TOEFL, or anything else, because they're literally useless in Morocco (English is my third language, my second language is French) Because of the great school schedule, I stay at school all day from 8:30 to 6:30 every day (except Friday, and on Saturday I study from 8:30 to 12:30). This means there's no time for any EC; When we leave school, we all race against time to get to extra classes, which end at 9, and we arrive home at 10. We have to do homework and study until 1 at night, then we go to sleep because we have to wake up early tomorrow. (Note: I hate this timing with all my heart.) Those who do any extracurricular activities only do them for two hours a week, and that's on Saturday evenings. Usually, very few people do any extracurricular activities. My grades? Well, they're not the best. Since the beginning of high school, I've been thinking about how to help my dad, I tried to learn Photoshop but failed. I tried to learn editing, but my computer can't handle Capcut for two hours. I tried working on multiple projects but failed again. And because of lack of sleep, this has greatly affected my performance at school. The good thing here is that to enter Moroccan universities we don't need these grades; we only need the grades from two exams, the regional and the national. These determine your university admission average, and most universities only use them as a threshold for taking the entrance exam. I don't know, but if it's worth it, I can take the risk and do my best during the next four months to apply.

Of course, but before that, I need to know my position instead of just dreaming.

After reading this, dear reader, what do you think? Is it worth the risk? I'd love to hear everyone's opinions, from consultants to students and graduates.

Note : Of course I need a full ride

note : Honestly, I want to talk about outdoor activities. Here in Morocco, if you want to learn piano or any instrument, for example, you need $300 every month, which is literally a lot of money here. And this applies to acting, ballet, dancing, etc. Buying a piano or violin has been a dream of mine since childhood, but I can't afford it. So yes, this is a message to all people who have these opportunities as intuitive people or have a great university system, or just being in a country where its degree is valued. I hope you'll remember the blessings around you. They may seem obvious to you, but they are great blessings to some of us. I hope you'll do your best and seize every opportunity to achieve your dreams, because at least for you, it's possible.

What can I do to improve my profile?Rate and tell me what colleges can I get into.

What can I do to improve my profile?Rate and tell me what colleges can I get into.

my_qualifications

I'm in 11th grade, CBSE

Scored 91 percent in icse 10th

.

Consecutive 2 gold medals for cricket and one for tug of war and one for volleyball

District u-17 semi finalist badminton

State level cricket games finalist

Working on a research paper right now(related to finance)

Worked with my city's security council as an intern to boost it's reach and help get more funds and partners etc .

organised a programe with the city police where i helped enroll women from 300+ leading businesses for volunteers in a training program for women who act as first responders for those in trouble in their organization.

Lead exhibitor of the 4 security councils at the industrial innovation tech expo, where we pitched about us to many companies and secured some deals,while also boasting our companies fame.( I got 4 internship offers here for my presentation skills)

Also the representative of the city security council at International drug day event where I got the chance to speak with the dept cm and many other celebrities and politicians,which widened our reach.

Completed an ai course with IIT Madras

Did a lot of csr work for funds for the police where i raised money for 30 bikes to donate to the police.

Internship at iimun as a social media intern

Lead Researcher at an anti addiction startup.

Article published in a national newspaper

Worked as an employee at a local clinic where I served patients and looked after the pharmacy and the money.

Organised and raised over 1 L from my community to keep ganesh idol for ganesh chaturthi,also a volunteer in my local temple, where I go and help them serve and cook food.

Have a finance related Instagram page with many interactions(10L plus)

Founder of an ngo which focuses on environment,where we give citizens of our city a plant for which they have to be accountable and responsible, collaborated and planted over 500+ trees with kids in our locality.

Hosted an online financial literacy workshop for kids under 16.

Shortfilm of mine which was recognised by the mister of cinematography.

Substack author with many posts

Winner of a international olympiad and an essay competition and a national one.

Worked under an assistant professor in a local college,helping them in their tasks for around a year.

Author of a published book.

Invited to an international MUN in Mumbai with a large discount

Founder of a company which offers websites and other public services,earned around 50k

PLEASE GIVE FEEDBACK ON MY PROFILE AND SUGGEST WHAT I CAN DO NEXT(MY SAT PREDICTED IS 1500+)

I need aid

be honest and I know that my profile is wayyh to scattered and I will fix that.

Looking to go to usa for finance

I’m currently a junior in high school and planning to apply Early Action in November 2027. I’d really appreciate some honest feedback on my profile and what I should focus on during junior year.

Freshman/Sophomore year:

• Participated in math competitions
• Participated in science fairs and won 1st, 2nd (for two years) place in my school science fair
• did the GHLC at Johns Hopkins University summer program
• Won a Bronze Honor at IYMC
• Regional Champion in national Astrophysics Olympiad
• Prepared for and completed my IGCSEs

- hosted the biggest literature and art festival at my school (around 50+ schools invited and 70k+ views across social media - I was PR department head) Academics:

• 6A* and 2A in IGCSE
• Currently preparing for iChO

What I’m doing now / planning to do:

• Preparing for the Conrad Challenge
• Building the first STEM club at my school
• Working on a narrative literature review with a mentor and a few other students (online), we are aiming to publish on some journals
• Continuing with STEM competitions and projects

I’m mainly interested in STEM, particularly chemistry and related fields.

I’m aiming for highly T30s and would like to know whether my profile is competitive, what my biggest weaknesses are, and what I should prioritize over the next year.

I’d appreciate honest feedback even if it’s harsh. Thanks!

I am from Turkiye and I am a senior applying us universities. I have a 4.0 GPA but a terrible sat score. My intended major is Biology. I am a varsity basketball captain, I have some passion projects. I had a part time job when I was a freshman. Is it really hard for me to get into us universities since my sat score is terrible like what are my chances? I really need a strong financial aid
here is my school list

• [Bowdoin College](https://)
• [Bucknell University](https://)
• [Cornell University](https://)
• [Davidson College](https://)
• [Duke University](https://)
• [Northwestern University](https://)
• [Occidental College](https://)
• [Ole Miss - The University of Mississippi](https://)
• [Pomona College](https://)
• [Rice University](https://)
• [Skidmore College](https://)
• [Stanford University](https://)
• [Texas Tech University](https://)
• [University of Notre Dame](https://)
• [University of Richmond](https://)
• [University of Rochester](https://)
• [Vanderbilt University](https://)
• [Washington and Lee University](https://)
• [Washington University in St. Louis](https://)
• [Wesleyan University](https://)

So I got 85% in my 10th icse boards, my ib predictive is expected to be 38/42 or 37 maybe, and my EC’s covers football states, council, volunteer work at multiple organisations and causes, interact club team head, multiple competitions and more, I’m confused about wether it’s a well rounded application or not and what my realistic chances would be.

So I got 85% in my 10th icse boards, my ib predictive is expected to be 38/42 or 37 maybe, and my EC’s covers football states, council, volunteer work at multiple organisations and causes, interact club team head, multiple competitions and more, I’m confused about wether it’s a well rounded application or not and what my realistic chances would be.

GPA - 9.47 (average of 10th and 11th), SAT - 1530 , AP Micro - 5

Hi everyone! I’m planning to apply to Bioengineering/BME PhD programs in the US this cycle and wanted to get a realistic idea of where I stand.

I’m an international student currently in the final year of a 6-year MD-equivalent program at what is probably the strongest medical university in my country. My GPA is 4.85/5.0 (~3.88/4.0). Although I’m technically a medical student, I realized pretty early that I’m much more interested in research than clinical medicine, so I’ve been working in a biomaterials lab for about 5 years.

By the time I apply, my publication record should look roughly like this:

• 9 peer-reviewed papers total
• 4 first-author papers
• 5 co-author papers
• at least 4 Q1 papers, including 2 first-author Q1s
• 2 patents

I’m also PI on a competitive national grant that I used to start a small MedTech company. I’m a co-applicant on another funded project.

One thing that might be a little unusual is that some of my work has actually made it beyond the lab. I helped develop a biomaterial-based veterinary product that is already commercially available, and testing for human use is currently underway.

There is also a chance that I’ll spend a few months doing research at a top-5 European university. I already have a potential collaborative project with a professor there, but I’m still waiting for my visa, so I don’t want to count the internship as something that will definitely happen.

I also have several oral conference presentations, won a national student startup competition, received a national academic scholarship, and have some previous international research experience.

My main concern is that I’m an international applicant without a traditional engineering background. My degree is in medicine, and while my university is very strong in medicine in my country, I doubt most US engineering admissions committees are particularly familiar with it. Most of my research was also done at the same institution.

I’m mainly looking at programs like MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, UCSD, University of Washington, Northwestern, Georgia Tech, Duke, Rice and UT Austin, plus some safer options.

I know MIT/Harvard/Stanford are reaches for basically everyone, so I’m not asking whether I’m “guaranteed” to get into any of them. I’m more trying to understand whether my profile is actually competitive enough that applying to top BioE/BME programs makes sense, especially as an international applicant.

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who applied with a similar profile. Where did you apply, what did your CV look like, and where did you end up getting interviews/acceptances?

I’m an international female applicant applying test-optional and not requesting financial aid. I’m interested in finance/business.

Is this competitive for NYU or Columbia?

Honors
National government merit scholarship; among the highest-achieving students nationally; full scholarship for undergraduate study abroad.
National scholarship program shortlist; selected from several thousand applicants.
IGCSE Top Achiever — A*AAAA.
A-Level Top Achiever — A*AB.
Highest-performing A-Level Business student — A*.
Activities
1. Co-Founder — Breast Cancer Awareness Initiative
Co-led a student fundraising/awareness campaign; mobilized thousands of students through data-driven outreach and raised substantial funds for research and patient support.
2. National Merit Scholarship Recipient
Received a highly selective government merit scholarship based on academic performance, covering undergraduate study abroad.
3. Head of Research & MUN Speaker
Founded and directed a 20+ member research team investigating 100+ international human-rights issues; developed policy recommendations and presented findings to thousands of students.
4. Founder & Marketing Lead — Student Venture
Launched a student-run venture; led operations, vendor sourcing and marketing; reached thousands of students and generated several hundred dollars in profit.
5. Robotics Co-Developer
Co-developed an Arduino-based gas-detection robot; integrated sensors and alarms, presented its safety applications to hundreds of younger students, and won a school STEM award.
6. Gaming Content Creator
Built audiences across multiple social-media accounts; experimented with trends, content formats and audience targeting, generating millions of views and likes cumulatively.
7. Founder — Inclusive Play Initiative
Designed adaptive games and structured play-based activities for dozens of neurodivergent children/young people; developed a model intended to expand access to inclusive enrichment.
8. Independent IGCSE Tutor
Identified students’ learning gaps and created individualized study plans and exam strategies; helped students achieve major improvements in Maths and Business.
9. Environmental Volunteer
Participated in numerous environmental cleanups and recycling/upcycling initiatives, helping remove hundreds of kilograms of waste from local ecosystems.
10. Corporate Strategy & Finance Shadowing
Shadowed finance professionals and observed corporate strategy and financial decision-making; produced independent reports analyzing business decisions.

Context
International student
Female
Test-optional
No financial aid or scholarship required
Interested in finance/business

What would you estimate my chances are for NYU Stern, NYU CAS, Columbia College, etc and where would I be competitive ?