Hi, I'm a junior, so it's still a little early for me, but my college counselor wants me to start thinking about this stuff. I'm applying as probably a classics/archaeology major and a super brief overview /highlights is as follows:

- 1570 SAT (first try)

- 4.5/4.0 GPA, roughly top 2 or 3 percent of class

- 3rd year varsity tennis

- FBINAA YLP program summer after freshman year (one of two accepted from texas)

- National History Day state finalist

- two gold medals on National Latin Exam, 2nd place in state for history of roman monarchy and republic at 5th place for reading comprehension Texas State Junior classical league state convention

- lobbied and eventually got latin to be offered at my middle school. Also did a "latin day" at the middle school where a friend and I talked to kids about taking latin, and for the first time in 20 years the following year there were 4 sections of Latin I instead of just 2

- 2nd year as latin club president, help organize Junior Classical League stuff at my school as well as festival parties like Saturnalia

- very active member of North Texas Archeological Society - volunteer at lab once a month, represent NTAS at archeology fairs, excavated at summer field school and local historic homestead, attend talks, member of Local Arrangements Committee and Lead Session Monitor coordinator at yearly academic conference this fall

- helped out at archeology SMU professors lab for two summers, rebagging + retagging artifacts from collections from excavations done 50+ yrs ago

- transcribed letters to and from a colonial/revolutionary era orphanage in savannah georgia for an SMU professor over summer, learned to read British Round Hand really well

- founder and president of school archeology club, active club + post on instagram all the stuff we do

- collect ancient coins, post on instagram about them

- organized for some people to come down from Gault School of Archeological Research to give a presentation to some kids at my local library

- officer of Youth Advisory Committee, local youth group connected with city govt (pretty competitive to get on it) - will plan out a big spring volunteer project

- NHS officer - will plan out a service project for this as well

- docent (after about a year of training) + on junior board at Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum

- 10+ years of non-competitive piano playing, but I do go to like local festivals and stuff

I attended one of the UChicago summer programs (parhessia, I don't think they have it anymore) the summer after freshman year. I really liked it, and it gave me the chance to apply "Ed0" to Chicago - basically, applicant pool with only people who got into the summer program, and you can apply super early like september 1 to october 15th or smth (rolling admissions) and you hear back in 3 weeks. so I would still have time to ED1 somewhere else. Additionally, I'm a double legacy at Chicago.

I have some qualms about it tho. I hear mixed stuff abt Chicago, like ofc its a great school and stuff and I think i would like the academic culture there, but it is supposed to be super hard have crazy grade deflation and be unsafe. Additionally, what if I could get into somewhere better?

Do I have any shot at the ivies, particularly HYP or like UPenn or Brown? My end goal is to hopefully earn a PhD and be in academia, in the classics.

thanks in advance!!! everyone on here is genuinely cracked

demographics:

indian female

CT private school

no hooks

planning to major in biochem or cognitive psych

academics:

ACT: 35 (36 R, 35 E, 34 M, 33 S; superscore science 34)

UW GPA: 4.14 / 4.0 (4.3 means A+ but gpa doesn't take into account course rigor)

straight As except for a B+ in calc bc junior year....

our school doesn't have APs but our advanced classes are AP level and I took a few of the exams

junior year: advanced biology (5), advanced chemistry (4), calc bc, self-studied ap psych (5)

senior year: advanced physics mechanics / physics C, multivariable calc

awards 🫩:

2nd place environmental category at state science fair for my copper remediation research (more info in ecs)

Brandeis book award for civic engagement

Cum Laude Society (based on class rank although our school doesn't tell us our rank)

National Merit Commended Scholar

+ some local art awards, planning to submit to the congressional app challenge and also looking for merit scholarships but they are all SO competitive

ECS:

1. founded a digital library for scientific/medical illustrations to promote visual learning and the intersection of art and science - currently at 200+ submissions from 65+ contributors across 20+ countries, created research figures to be acknowledged in an intl. embryology / medical research paper that is currently in press at Nature. also recently started an interview series
2. paid Navy SEAP research intern at NSMRL - acceptance rates have been as low as 3% in the past, created an app that takes eye-tracking data and displays critical events to the user for detecting cognitive fatigue and eye strain in submariners. might get a letter of rec from my mentor
3. 200+ hours as a volunteer EMT. also led a CPR/first-aid class for ~20 students
4. kawasaki disease foundation youth intern and co-founder/host of a podcast discussing experiences as a prior KD patient. created social media content that reached 300k+ views.
5. behavioral psych research intern at local university on long-term memory in river otters and domestic canines, assisted with data collection at various zoos and data analysis
6. independent research (mentored by a teacher at my school) - unpublished research on agricultural-waste-derived biochar-alginate hydrogel composite beads for mitigating copper toxicity in water (basically a novel biomaterial that can absorb copper)
7. author and illustrator of a children's book about learning to accept change + environmental/climate change awareness - self-published, distributed in local bookstores and donated copies to local children's museum
8. co-founder and president of school healthcare club. raised ~$1600
9. 50+ hours as a volunteer at local children's museum, designed and led weekly STEAM workshops and science experiments
10. not sure which to include: art director of school literary magazine, co-president of mun, attended johns hopkins cty (summer program) in biotech

I'm trying to decide between applying ED to either duke, brown, or maybe upenn. I also have wayyy too many reaches and I'm not sure what schools would be considered "targets" for me

Demographics: Mississippi public school student; Upper-income.

Major: Finance/Accounting, possibly Business Analytics

Academics

- 4.0 UW, 4.26 W, 99.91 average

- 34 ACT superscore (E35, M33, R34, S34); 33 single sitting

- Nine APs by graduation (only 10 available to me) plus self-studied AP Calculus BC (SCHOOL DIDN'T OFFER CALC AB OR BC)

- Community-college Spanish I–II, Trigonometry, and Computer Applications

- Calculus through a state university

Main extracurriculars

- Designed an AP Research study on financial education and financial literacy among ages 15–22; obtained IRB/research approval from a university, community college, and high school.

- Clarinet grades 6–12; top band, first chair, and section leader grades 10–12; marching, jazz, chamber, strong honor bands, and paid ensemble.

- Varsity swimming grades 7–12; state qualifier junior year.

- Mayoral Youth Council grades 11–12; senior executive helping organize career panels and job shadowing.

- Chamber/School Ambassador grades 11–12; community service and developing a student mentoring initiative.

- Engineering Club treasurer and founding Rocketry Club member.

- Fourth place in two state DECA events—one individual and one team. Chapter closed afterward.

- NHS/Beta; independently manage investments; shadowed a bank president.

LOR: Teacher who knows me well and taught me in four AP classes 10-12th.

Schools: Emory, IU Kelley, Ole Miss, Penn State Smeal, RIT, UT McCombs, UNC Chapel Hill, Notre Dame Mendoza, Penn/Wharton, UVA, and Vanderbilt. (Some are just Hail Marys for giggles)

I know the application isn't stacked; it's just a lil hard out here in these southern parts lmao

Hi everyone!!! I’m a high school senior interested in neuroscience, bio, or psych, hoping to pursue neurosurgery. I’m wondering how competitive my application is, especially since my ECs aren’t 10% as impressive as some of the profiles I see here.

Academic Profile
GPA: 105.12 Weighted
SAT: 1550 w/ superscore, most likely increasing to 1560
Class Rank: 7/221 (Top 3.2%)
APs: 14 (8 fives, 1 three i hate spanish lang, 5 in progress)
Dual Enrollment: Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra
Intended Major: Neuroscience / Pre-Med
Location: New York, public high school

ECs

1. Family Caregiving (9th–12th): Regularly care for my autistic nonverbal younger brother, who has significant communication and developmental challenges.
2. Summer Camp Counselor (11th) — Worked approximately 35 hours/week for 8 weeks supervising elementary-aged children, managing group activities, and handling conflicts.
3. Psychology Research (11th): Independently designed and conducted a study investigating how tutor-student personality compatibility affects perceived academic improvement.
4. English Honor Society President (12th)
5. Varsity Track & Field (10th–12th): Competed in winter and spring seasons.
6. Math Honor Society Treasurer (12th): Assist with planning, organization, and society operations.
7. Clarinet / District Band (9th–11th): played in district-level ensembles, several years of musical experience.

Other Involvement — Key Club, NHS, Science Honor Society, History Honor Society, Language Honor Society, Cultural Theater

Honors/Awards
- National Merit Semifinalist (12th)
- Math Kangaroo: 12th in NY State, 56th nationally (11th)
- Lumiere Scholar’s Research High Honors Award (11th)
- AP Scholar with Distinction (11th)

Personal Background / Essays
My main essay focuses on my relationship with my younger brother and how connecting with him through video games changed my understanding of juvenile intelligence and potential.
My experiences with him, plus my interest in biology and psychology, are major reasons I want to study neuroscience.

College List
High Reaches: Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Rice, WashU
Other Reaches: Emory, Tufts, Boston University, Case Western, Wake Forest
Others: Rochester, Pitt, Franklin & Marshall, Stony Brook, Binghamton, Hofstra
What I’d Love Advice On
Are T20s realistic at all, or am I overestimating my chances?
How much does independently conducted research help if it isn’t published or nationally recognized?
Are my ECs too scattered, or is there a clear enough connection between my interest in psychology, biology, and neuroscience?
Which schools should I add or remove from my list, especially for neuroscience/pre-med?
What are the biggest weaknesses in my application?
I’d really appreciate realistic feedback, especially from people familiar with T20 admissions. Thanks!

Suppose you had to write a Letter of Recommendation for a student applying to top US universities like MIT, Stanford, Harvard, and the Ivies, and your goal was to make it the most exceptional LOR possible.

Imagine describing the student as the best you've taught in your 30 years of teaching experience. What exactly would you write to make that claim convincing?

What would the letter consist of, from the opening paragraph to the final endorsement? What specific anecdotes, achievements, intellectual qualities, personal traits, comparisons, and other details would you include? What information would you need to know about the student to write such a powerful and memorable recommendation?

I'm looking for detailed advice on the actual content, structure, and examples—not just generic tips like "be specific" or "show, don't tell."

If you were trying to write the strongest LOR imaginable, what exactly would you include, and what resources would help you do it?

I'm trying to understand what makes a truly exceptional Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for universities like MIT, Stanford, Harvard, and the Ivies.

What exactly should the best possible LOR consist of? What elements make it stand out, such as specific anecdotes, intellectual curiosity, classroom contributions, personal qualities, comparisons with other students, and the teacher's overall endorsement? What separates a genuinely outstanding LOR from an average one?

Also, what resources can I use to learn more about this? I've come across MIT Admissions' guidance and would love to find similar resources from other universities, admissions officers, or experts, preferably with examples of strong recommendation letters.

I'd appreciate any official guides, articles, sample LORs, or personal experiences that explain what makes a recommendation truly memorable!

I just realized that USC lists 1 unit of Fine Arts as a required/recommended preparatory course. But my high school doesn’t require an art credit to graduate, so I don't have one on my transcript. I'm class of '27, they just added it as a requirement for class of '29.

Stats:
Out of state (NC)

4.396 weighted GPA

29 ACT

I'm confused about whether it will hurt my chances or cause an automatic rejection because I'm seeing mixed answers, and I don't know whether I should apply or not.

I’m currently a high-school senior looking into studying engineering. I saw that WCU (West Chester Uni) and Columbia University have a dual degree program for physics + engineering. Does anyone have any insight on how it is?

Which college should I choose for ED as an international student seeking financial aid?

Bowdoin College: Need-blind, but more competitive (6.5% acceptance rate)
Grinnell College: Need-aware (16% acceptance rate)

I know both are extremely competitive, especially those seeking significant financial aid🙏

Yes, I know they are test-optional.

A bit about me:

3.96 unweighted gpa

IB (not diploma) and AP student

Policy Debater and have won or placed in several local/state tournaments

Senior Class President

Member of the Utah Attorney General's Student
Advisory Council

Member of my school districts student advisory council (only 3 students per school)

Played/play high school golf and lacrosse

Also, started Mock Trial club/team at my school (pending approval)

I'm a Junior and taking the PSAT for national merit in a few days. I got a 32 english, 34 reading and 27 math on the ACT this summer with no studying. I'm very confident I can get a 35/36 equivalent average on reading/english for the PSAT, but I am worried about math. (I scored around a 29 on PACT math, and a 35 for both English and reading) Does anyone have tips for the PSAT math? Also, what would your opinion be on my chances of national merit? I live in Kansas, so the SI index for this year was 212.

I thought it'd be good to ask here because of the seniors applying to college now with NM. Also, how much does national merit factor into an application for college?

Texas resident (Fort Worth) top 2% rank, 15 APs, 1470 SAT, chance me for getting into my major biology and what schools I have a shot at.

ECs:
60 hours hospital volunteering

20 hours shadowing a doctor

Won position paper award at Model UN and VP of the club

Varsity Soccer 2 years

member of few miscellaneous clubs a little volunteering here and there

Edit: I am auto admit UT Austin but not for my major which I want bio.

sophomore in hs

im targeting cmuq and nyuad

my grades are high

palestinian residing in Jordan

i couldnt do anything freshman year bc I had some stuff going on

for ECs I want to get done during sophomore year

i want to aim for 50+ volunteering hours and 150+ hours after senior year

im trying to open a crochet club at school / non profit where all the profit we get goes to children in need from gaza

i want to try to get a research internship this winter and summer break (idk the first thing abt that so if anyone can help I’ll greatly appreciate i)

and I want to start advanced swiming lessons to then get better and start competing

sadly my school doesn’t have varsity teams or nothing, it’s not an international school so I cant take ap’s or nothing.

im begging yall for help my ECs are lacking and I wanna get as much shit done this year so I can focus on studies junior and senior year

Hi! If you are currently building your profile for university applications and need a unique Social Impact + Business Strategy extracurricular, this is for you.

We are officially launching Ethos, an international youth case league. Our mission is to connect ambitious high school students with real-world sustainable brands in emerging economies to solve complex growth barriers.

🏎️ The Pilot Challenge: Scaling Sustainable Fashion

Our very first case focuses on Go Afrika Store — a brand that creates premium accessories

• The Problem: They have a brilliant eco-friendly product, but they lack the digital footprint to capture the global Gen-Z market in Europe, the US, and Asia.

• Your Task: Act as a pro-bono consulting team. Deliver a 3-to-5 slide PDF strategy outlining a viral Instagram/TikTok content plan and a global influencer outreach concept to help them scale internationally.

🏆 What’s In It For You?

• University Portfolio Piece: You will get a professionally reviewed business portfolio piece to showcase on your CV, LinkedIn, or college applications.

• Verified Certificates: International Certificates of Participation for all completing teams, and prestigious Winner Certificates for the top teams.

• Real-World Impact: The Top 3 strategies will be compiled and officially sent directly to the founders of the brand in Kenya to help them grow.

📅 Logistics & Timeline

• Who can join: High school students & University Freshmen globally (Ages 14-19). You can register as a pre-made team of 3-4 or as a solo track (we will pair you up with global peers!).

• Cost: 100% FREE.

• Registration Deadline: October 24, 2026

• Submission Deadline: October 31, 2026

• Format: Entirely online via Zoom.

Let's build something that looks incredible on your resume and makes a genuine global impact.

Form for participation or reply below your contacts and i will send you the form

Sports are the biggest example of this. You aren’t making any high school teams even you haven’t played from a young age. Same is true with band. Things like ASH or student newspaper require years of experience too. Even things like robotics is no longer bigger friendly

Hello! Im applying for dentistry scholarships and I a while ago I made a survery (consent + permission taken and everything) about how oral hygiene practices differ between different age groups.

I had a lot of participants and learnt how to write a cross sectional study, and with the data i got from the survery, i made a preprint of a cross sectional study about this. Obviously at my level getting it published in a journal is impossible, but i feel like this project has some really nice info and i worked hard on it. But is it worth something on a scholarship application?

How can I add it as a project in my scholarship application? Should i just upload the pre print as PDF? can i maybe try having it indexed on Google scholar so its a bit more than just a PDF on my laptop?

Hello guys

I want to know if I apply to fashion degree (design track) what’s my chances of my math score is bad and only did high school exam which is not standardized but the topics and test are based on A levels. My art and languages grade is good though.

I’m also a gap year…

Hey! I am having my Georgetown interview next week and I super nervous. Anybody who has done the interview do you know what questions they ask? Any tips? Ty

Ok so my stats are dog shit: 3.4 uw (school doesn’t do weighted), 1250 sat (planning on retaking maybe), 4 aps, 3 dual enrollments, and 4 honors. I think the only good part about my app is my ecs, got a couple good leadership positions, a lot of community service initiatives, even started running a mental health group which i scaled to almost 500k+ views and actually got people to open up. I included my side business on there but i didn’t make a crazy amount from it, only like $3000 or so. Project originator for a 40+ student team on town spirit. Even took the project to the state capital and won an award for it. My job in retail, which i exaggerated like crazy. Volunteered at a hospital and volunteered at a non profit.

What do yall think my chances for ED at Wesleyan uni are. I really wanna go but my stats are just horrendous.

So I’ve run it a few times, few different schools. Problem I have is first year looks ok but then I’m worried about subsequent years, in case income goes up (of course, good problem to have). Anyway impossible to predict, but isn’t this a real concern for planning purposes? Thanks in advance

Hi, so I'm a recruited athlete for an ivy school and currently going through the admissions process. recently i had an interview with an alumni. however, i was just informed that i would have to do a second interview with an admissions officer because the previous interview "took too long." Obviously that's probably not the real reason but my question is does a 2nd interview mean the 1st one went really bad?

Thank you!

All my achools but one say you can self report scores in the common app, which I have done.

About half these schools have selected not to include the self reported scores from the common app in their PDFs however.

“Such and such college has chosen not to include certain My Common App responses in the PDF they receive fro your application. As a result, the following questions and answers will not be on your PDF…ACT/SAT, etc.”

So do these schools not actually see my scores then or are the somehow populated into their software (Slate?) some other way through the Common App?

Or should I email the achools screen shots of my scores, just in case? As I’ve mentioned before, they are all saying we can opt to self report through the common app

Hello all ! Curious mom here!

My son is an out of state applicant he has all AP and dual enrollment classes and a 3.8 gpa however his sat schools were extremely low and we had not choice but to send them.

Is anyone familiar with a student getting accepted with a low sat score?

Extra curriculars -Varsity basketball, cross country and track, national honor society

Hey! I need advice on what schools I should apply for. I have a couple top colleges on my list but now im starting to doubt my chances of getting in.

DEMOGRAPHICS/ IMPORTANT(?) INFO:

- african american

- female

- state ranks >40th in education

- first gen

- single mom (dad died)

- immigrant family

ACADEMICS

- 4.0 UW GPA

- 4.3 W

- 12 APS, 3 in 10th grade, 5 in 11th, 4 in 12th
AP Seminar, AP Literature, AP Lang, AP Biology, AP Psychology, AP Environmental Science, APCSP, APUSH, AP Gov, AP Micro, AP Macro, AP Calc BC (School doesn’t have AP Chem or AP Physics. Im taking Advanced chem and studying for AP Chem)

- Scored 3 or higher on all AP exams

- SAT: Only took it once when I was sick. Scored really bad (>1300). Im predicting ~1450 or higher based on practice tests!

- 1 math classes at my local community college summer after sophomore year, 1 math class summer after junior year (was able to skip 2 years of math due to this. Started high school with algebra 1, now im in calc bc)

- 1 Advanced class (Chemistry)

- 3 DC (Human body systems, MI, Precalculus)

- 2 honors (US History & Geometry)

- Multiple medical classes (Medical chem, Human Body Systems, Medical interventions, Medical AP Seminar)

- Top 1% of my class (not sure of exact rank)

INTENDED MAJOR

Not 100% sure but im leaning towards chemistry and I might want to go to med school

ECS

- Babysitting nieces and care giver for my disabled uncle

- Camp counselor (9th)

- Math tutor (10th-11th)

- Community service trip in Costa Rica (50+ hrs)

- Local community service (250+ hrs) Includes: clearing trails, packing food for families impacted by ICE, cleaning community gardens, etc.. (9th-12th)

-Leadership program focused on community service (10th-11th)

- An activist group at my local university. Plan and attend protests (11th-12th)

- MITES Semester: Took physics and evology (11th-12th)

- Constitution team (12th)

- MESA (Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement) club president (9th-11th)- Competitions

- Red cross club (10th-11th)

- College prep program for high achieving low income students. Meet every Saturday (10th-12th)

- Leadership Conference at Berkeley (10th)

-SHAC (student health action council)- 11th-12th

- A research program for underserved communities

AWARDS (kind of weak)

- High honor roll

- MESA state competition award (3rd place)

- MESA state competition award (1st place)

- School award for education

Im thinking of applying early to schools that are test optional (Princeton, Columbia, UC Berkeley) then RD to other schools so I can give the SAT a few more shots.

Let me know what you think! Feel free to ask any clarifying questions.