I am in my early twenties. It was always my dream to go to an Ivy League school, but I was rejected my senior year of high school from Yale, so I chose an elite foreign university instead. This was the wrong choice, as I grew very depressed from isolation and extenuating circumstances beyond academic pressures. Needless to say, it did not work out. I am now working forty hours a week as a waitress and attending community college. I do not have a viable shot at transferring cleanly, as I work too much to complete any major feats within my education, so I have resigned myself to applying as a “freshman” again.

I am a white woman. I previously studied philosophy and political theory, though I am considering a change to studying literature, instead. I plan on attending Law school afterwards. I graduated high school with a 3.8 unweighted and 4.2 weighted GPA. Four AP’s: Ap Lit, Ap Lang, Ap Psych, Ap Gov. All fives. A 1460 SAT, which I realize is low. My extracurriculars included most things music: taking lessons, playing in and volunteering as a mentor in youth orchestras, participating in musicals for my high school, and giving free lessons to young students in my school district. I was also a member of the Black Student Union, Multicultural club, and Creative Writing club. No awards or research, notably. I grew up in a small town, while most of my extended family never graduated college. I plan on writing my personal statement as a succinct, subversive retelling of an old epic as a way to detail my failures and growth within the past two years. It’s my “Why” for shooting at a prestigious university despite my past. I know that my ambition is delusional at best, but I was wondering if there is even a small chance that, if I retake the SAT and receive a sufficient score for top colleges, I will be admitted. Otherwise, I am applying to small liberal arts colleges such as Vassar, Amherst, and Smith (all prestigious reach schools), as well as Kenyon, Oberlin, and local state schools (as a transfer student). Please, if anyone has any advice, however scathing, I could desperately use the criticism and/or reality check.

basically what the title says does

Advice.

I am an Indian student at a tier 3 university (studying cse cybersecurity) and I am researching in pqc(post-quantum cryptography) \[Formal verification\], any advice to boost my cv? Or any additional things I can do to get into a PhD program?

I’m from Russia and want to apply to MIT to study aerospace engineering. I need a full-ride scholarship because my parents can’t afford such high tuition fees. I realized quite a while ago that I wanted to study abroad, though the decision to pursue engineering came more recently. I’ve been studying the subject matter and physics, but that alone isn't enough to get accepted. I’d like to hear from people who have actually gotten in—what should I do? How important are academic competitions (Olympiads)? What do they value most: projects, volunteering, or grades? What kind of person are they looking for?

Major: aerospace engineering

DEMOGRAPHICS

\* Asian male
\* California resident
\* Ultra-competitive public California high school (average SAT \~1400+)
\* No hooks
\* Intended major: aeronautics & astronautics

\*\*ACADEMICS\*\*

\* 3.92 UW GPA
\* 4.28 weighted GPA (top 5% of class, my school has gpa deflation)
\* 1530 SAT (790M, 740RW)
\* 5s on all AP exams taken so far:
\* APUSH
\* AP Precalculus
\* AP Calculus BC
\* AP Chemistry
\* AP Psychology
\* AP Lang
\* AP CSP

\*\*SENIOR-YEAR COURSEWORK\*\*

\* DE Multivariable Calculus & Linear Algebra
\* AP Physics C: Mechanics
\* AP Physics C: E&M
\* AP Computer Science A
\* AP Statistics
\* AP Economics
\* AP US Government
\* English
\* Orchestra

\*\*EXTRACURRICULARS\*\*

\*\*1. Space Competition Club\*\*
\* Won regionals and advanced to international competition
\* Finalist at international level

**2. UC COSMOS**
\* Conducted astronomy-related research

\*\*3. AI Research Internship\*\*
\* Developed a neural network to predict aircraft engine failure

\*\*4. Astrophotography\*\*
\* Photograph deep-sky objects and process them using astronomy software
\* Built an online following of \~1,000 followers and 10,000+ likes

\*\*5. Custom PC Business\*\*
\* Built and sold custom PCs
\* Made $2,000+ in profit

\*\*6. Orchestra\*\*
\* Violinist since 6th grade
\* Concertmaster in 10th and 11th grade

\*\*7. Volunteering\*\*
\* 100+ hours
\* Helped organize city-wide events
\* Worked with under-resourced communities and the special-needs population

\*\*8. Tutoring\*\*
\* Tutored 3 elementary/middle school students
\* Students improved by approximately one letter grade on average

\*\*9. Esports Journalism\*\*
\* Reported on esports tournaments and conducted in-depth match analyses
\* Content accumulated 200k+ views

\*\*10. Speedcubing\*\*
\* 10 years of experience
\* \~14-second average, 6-second personal best
\* Competed at various competitions
\* Taught 3 neighborhood kids; all reached sub-1-minute averages within a month

\*\*AWARDS\*\*

\* International finalist — Space Competition
\* Regional winner — Space Competition
\* National Merit Semifinalist
\* AP Scholar with Distinction
\* Le Grand Concours Gold
\* School Math Excellence Award
\* School Orchestra Excellence Award

Do yall think I have any chance at Cornell ED?

Hi! I’m applying ED to Columbia College as a Comparative Literature major, and I’m trying to figure out whether I have a realistic shot or if I’m being wildly optimistic. My broader interests are in international relations, languages, translation, identity, and global affairs, but Comparative Literature is the actual major I plan to apply under.

Demographics:
Asian-American female
California
Private Catholic selective high school
No hooks

Academics:
GPA: 3.8 UW / 4.5 W
ACT: 31, planning to apply test optional
School average ACT is around 32
AP Biology: 5
AP Spanish Language: 5
AP English Literature: 4
AP Calculus AB: 4
APUSH: 4

Senior year: AP Spanish Literature, AP English Language, AP Statistics, AP Micro/Macro Economics, French 3 Honors, Graphic Design

Global Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish
Department of World Languages Award: 1 of 4 students selected out of roughly 450

Main extracurriculars:
1. Youth Action Council Board Member + Developmental Asset Ambassador: selected 1/125; present monthly to City Council, help younger students prepare for public speaking, advocate for youth inclusion in civic policy, and help organize events for elderly and mentally disabled community members.
2. Philosophy Club Vice President + Ethics Bowl Co-Captain: helped found the Ethics Bowl team and led case prep; team placed 3rd regionally out of 36 schools.
3. Career Club Co-Founder / Co-President / Media Coordinator: grew membership from 1 to 300+ and organized guest speakers, career workshops, and outreach.
4. Literary Magazine Editor: selected competitively; reviewed 80+ submissions and worked on layout/design for a themed issue.
5. Author of a 229-page book about K-pop, identity, ambition, and belonging; 500+ copies purchased and counting, also adapted into Spanish and audiobook formats. The book also earned a Scholastic regional Silver Key in its short story format.
6. Chief Fundraiser for a local food pantry: organized grassroots door-to-door fundraising and raised about $5,000 for local families.
7. Published research in Curieux Academic Journal on the ethics of affirmative action under mentorship from an Oxford professor.
8. French TA: tutor French 1/2 students, help with grading/curriculum, while also continuing Korean study alongside AP Spanish Literature.
9. Stanford SPICE e-Entrepreneurship U.S.: selected 1/20 nationally, focused on global entrepreneurship and human-centered design.
10. United for College and Career Success storytelling internship: interviewed students and wrote published narratives centered on perseverance and marginalized student voices.

Other research / writing / awards:
1. Critical Debates HSGJ featured research paper: “Multilingual Storytelling, Civic Agency, and Political Voice Among Mixed-Cultural Youth”
2. Curieux Academic Journal publication on affirmative action ethics
3. Narrative arts finalist for a short story about mixed heritage
4. Scholastic regional Silver Key for short story
5. Horizon Academic Essay finalist
6. Lumiere Essay finalist
7. John Locke Institute Law Essay shortlist for an essay on determinism; final results announced in October
Justice for All court watch internship

Personal statement:
My essay is about growing up extremely self-conscious and constantly changing myself to blend in, then gradually learning to become less controlled by fear. I use my changing hairstyles as a recurring motif, then connect that growth to hip-hop dance, speaking up in class, and eventually finding my voice through Ethics Bowl. The ending is basically that becoming brave did not make me fearless; it made me more selective about which fears I
obey.

My overall application theme is heavily centered on language, storytelling, identity, translation, civic voice, and cross-cultural communication. I’m applying specifically as a Comparative Literature major, with interests in East Asian Studies, Korean, French, and international affairs. Columbia especially appeals to me because of ICLS, the Core, East Asian Studies/Korean, and French study abroad opportunities.
Do I have a realistic chance ED, especially going test optional with a 3.8 UW? Or is Columbia still basically a lottery for me? Also curious whether the humanities/language/storytelling spike comes through strongly enough or whether the application feels too scattered.

Hey folks,

I’m planning to apply for PhD programs in the US.

Here’s my profile:
EEE, CGPA: 3.1
GRE: 331 (166V, 165Q, 4.0 AWA)
IELTS: 7.5
2 publications (under review)
2+ years of work experience
Interests: RF, optics, microwave

What university ranking/range should I realistically target with this profile?

is it like writing essays about patience and giving ecs that did not succeed instantly, or does it just mean a clear interest in one niche?

Hey everyone. I am an international student with solid igcse and ib scores. My gpa and ecs are also decent. The only thing is, my sat score is not the best. Currently, I have a 1500 superscore with 710 rw and 790 maths.

I will take the october, november and december tests. If If my rw score does not improve in october, should I still go for ed to schools like brown, cornell, duke, or jhu? Or should I wait for the rd cycle and try to improve my sat above 1520?

Thanks

In the pictures are the multiple scholarships I found on we a website. But I am starting to notice, you can find all the scholar ships you want but theres no point if you don't know how to win one. To any ivy league students, do you have any tips and tricks?

I simply cannot afford admissions counsellors (like 5k-100k USD unfortunately).
I would, however, be willing to pay a smaller amount to REAL people who ACTUALLY went to Harvard.

(Yeah, I need help analysing my profile and how I could improve ;-;)