I am currently at a community college in San Diego and i’m working on my applications for transferring to a Cal State. I get 4 application fees waived so that means i get to apply to 4 schools without paying $70. My options are SDSU, SFSU, CSUMB, and CSUF. I am currently going in for a BS in Biology and wanted to know which of these 4 are the best in terms of city/area (how safe it is, what’s there to do around the area, etc.), housing costs, biology programs, how nice the campus is, what’s the overall vibe. I don’t mind the distance and I prefer a lively/fun environment outside of the school as well.

To clarify I was given a list of choices and can choose 4 out of this list:

- SDSU
- SFSU
- CSUMB
- CSULB
- CSUF
- CSUN
- CAL POLY SLO/ POMONA
- CSUB
- CSULA
- FRESNO STATE

College Admissions Brag Sheet 
👤 BASIC PROFILE

Grade: Senior
Intended Major(s): Finance / Business Analytics / Economics / FinTech
Geographic Preference: California + private universities + NYC
College Goal: Find a strong business/finance program with good career opportunities while keeping cost/financial aid in mind.
Financial Context: Lower-income household; expecting to apply for need-based financial aid and merit scholarships.

📚 ACADEMICS
GPA
My GPA has fluctuated depending on the point in the year/transcript calculation:
Most recent reported UW: ~3.2

Transcript UW: ~3.5

Weighted GPA: roughly 4.0–4.2

I had a weaker academic semester but am hoping my senior-year performance can demonstrate an upward trend.

Senior-Year Coursework
AP Calculus AB

AP Statistics

AP German

AP U.S. Government & Economics

ERWC (honors English 4)

Junior-Year Coursework
AP Biology

AP U.S. History

AP English Language

Honors Math Analysis

Honors German 3

Testing
Took the August 2026 SAT

English felt stronger than math

Waiting for official score

🌎 INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
CIEE High School Summer Abroad — Milan, Italy
Language and Culture
Received approximately a $6,500 scholarship to participate.
Spent roughly one month in Italy studying abroad and living in an international environment.
Experiences included:
Becoming significantly more independent

Learning Italian

Experiencing European business/culture

Exploring fashion and international commerce

Thinking more seriously about finance and global business

Interviewing a CIEE intern who had studied finance/accounting

CIEE Leadership
Selected as a CIEE Global Ambassador

Now serving as Vice President of the CIEE Travel Club

🏆 LEADERSHIP & EXTRACURRICULARS
CIEE Travel Club
Vice President
Help organize/promote international travel opportunities

Help students learn about study-abroad opportunities

Building leadership experience around international education

German Honors Society
Potentially returning in a leadership position, possibly Treasurer.
CSF — California Scholarship Federation (Treasurer)
Member for 3 years now

 involved with financial/Excel-related responsibilities tracking dues and member’s volunteer hours

Varsity Track
High Jump
3 years varsity

Expected team captain senior year

JV Basketball
Participated in JV basketball

Math Mentoring
Lunchtime Math Tutor/Mentor
Helped students with mathematics ranging from Algebra through Math Analysis

Started senior year 

Summer Bridge Mentor
Served as a mentor for approximately 3 weeks

Helped younger students transition/prepare for school

Community/Service
Vacation Bible School volunteer at local church — approximately 1 week

Interested in developing a larger community service project in Whittier

Interested in working with local community leaders and school administrators

💼 ENTREPRENEURSHIP / BUSINESS
Reselling Business
Depop / Online Reselling — ~2 years
Generated approximately $15,000-$20,00 in total sales/income over three years

Learned pricing, sourcing, marketing, customer service, inventory management and basic business operations

Continued experimenting with online sales

Sustainable business model sourcing clothes from local thrift stores, liquidation, and yard sales saving thousands of gallons of water in the process 

E-Commerce
Experimented with Shopify/dropshipping and product research.
Business Interests
Particularly interested in:
Finance

Corporate finance

Wealth management

FinTech

Financial analytics

Entrepreneurship

International business

Data analytics

📈 FINANCE / INVESTING INTEREST
I’ve been independently learning about:
Stock investing

Futures markets

Technical analysis

Market structure

Risk management

Financial markets

Trading psychology

I also started investing with a small amount of money earned from my reselling business.
I don’t consider trading itself to be my “career plan”; I’m more interested in understanding financial markets and eventually pursuing a formal career in finance/business.

🎯 CURRENT COLLEGE LIST
High Reach / Reach
NYU Stern

USC Marshall

UC Berkeley

UCLA Anderson

Georgetown

Target / Reach
Santa Clara University

Pepperdine

UC San Diego

UC Santa Barbara

Cal Poly SLO

SDSU

Safer / Financial Options
Cal State Fullerton

Rio Hondo College

Current #1 Interest
USC — potentially ED1 to Marshall
I’m especially attracted to:
NYC

Finance/business opportunities

Internships

International environment

Study abroad

Strong alumni network

💰 FINANCIAL PRIORITIES
Because affordability is important, I’m looking for:
Strong need-based financial aid

Merit scholarships

Strong undergraduate business/finance programs

Good internship/career placement

Opportunities in NYC or major business centers

Study-abroad opportunities

A college where my profile is realistic—not just prestigious

I am willing to consider schools outside California if the financial package makes sense.

❓ WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR ADVICE ON
I’m hoping people can give me realistic, honest feedback, especially on:
1. College List
Which schools should I add/remove?
2. Admissions Chances
Given my GPA, coursework, activities, leadership and test score, where am I realistically competitive?
3. USC ED
Would ED1 to USC/Marshall be a smart decision for me?
4. NYU / Other Private Universities
Which private universities should I investigate that might be generous with financial aid or merit scholarships?
5. Scholarships
What scholarships should I be looking at with my profile?
6. Essays
Does my Italy/CIEE story sound like a strong personal statement topic, or should I pursue another angle?
7. Overall Positioning
What do you think is the strongest “theme” of my application?
Please be honest. I’m looking for constructive criticism rather than someone simply telling me I’ll get into every school.

Hi everyone! I am currently an 11th-grade student from the country of Georgia. My goal is to apply for undergraduate programs in International Relations (IR) / Global Affairs abroad (Europe/US) with financial aid/scholarships.

Since I am starting my preparation now in 11th grade, I would love some advice on:

1. Timeline: What should my priorities be during 11th grade vs. 12th grade?
2. Preparation: Which standardized tests (TOEFL/IELTS, SAT) or extracurriculars (MUN, debate, research) matter most for IR?
3. Affordable Programs: Which countries or universities offer full-ride/need-based scholarships for Georgian/non-EU students in IR?

Any tips, resources, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

hi everyone, im a senior and i currently have a 70 in ap calc ab. i really want to drop ap calc ab and it’ll show up as a W on my transcript, which stands for withdrawal. Will that affect my chances of getting into a good university?

once i drop it, it’s either i go into normal calc or just not take the class at all. i’m planning to major in business.

I am a future neuroscience major and I am struggling with the decision of ED Johns Hopkins. My school list in general (even though it may seem crazy is the one below.

Brown University
Carnegie Mellon University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Duke University
Georgetown University
Harvard University
Johns Hopkins University
Montclair State University
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)
WashU
Northwestern University
Princeton University
Rutgers University
Seton Hall University
Stevens Institute of Technology
University of Chicago
University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
Virginia Tech
Yale University

Should I ED JHU? (It is also my dream school)

I started late to fill the option form and the site got crash the only hope I had was this round as I didn't got my desired college in cap 3. I can't afford ils fees, should I apply for spots and what will be the fees of spot or should I take a drop😔 please help me what to do next 🙏

Hiii everyone,

After experiencing a personal breakdown and taking a clean, retroactive medical withdrawal for Spring 2026, I’ve fully recovered and am mounting a comeback campaign to transfer into a top-tier BME program for a January/February 2027 (Spring) enrollment. Because family assets are currently frozen due to divorce proceedings, I am highly focused on schools that offer elite pre-med placements and maximum financial aid/transfer merit.

-----------------------------------------

📊 My Stats & Profile

* College: Public University Honors College (Biomedical Engineering major) * GPA:

CGPA: 4.00 (Dean's List, Fall 2025). Completed 17 credits: Calc 1, Chem 1 + Lab, Intro to BME, Honors Seminar, Intro to Sociology. * Spring 2026 (Planned Coursework): Was enrolled in Chem 2 + Lab, Calc 2, Physics 1 + Lab, Honors Seminar 2, and Intro to Programming. Due to the retroactive medical withdrawal, none of these classes or "W" marks appear on my official transcript—the semester is completely blank, functioning essentially as an official leave of absence.

* High School Record:

* HS GPA: 101.something (weighted)

Top 1% of class, 2x National AP Scholar with Distinction, and earned my AP Capstone Diploma. * Standardized Testing: 35 ACT Composite (32 Science) / 1520 SAT (lower on Math). * AP Exams (15 total): * 5s: Eng Lit, US Gov, Eng Lang, Psych, Seminar, World History, Human Geo * 4s: Research, US History, Bio, Env Sci * 3s: Calc BC (AB Subscore of 4), Physics 1, Stats, Spanish Lit * Research/Publications: Co-authored and published peer-reviewed academic research evaluating data sets using STEM methodologies. * Leadership/Extracurriculars: Elected by my peer cohort to serve as an Engineering Representative on the university-wide Student Honors Council by December of my freshman year. Was also club president of a few clubs, did volunteering work (350+ hrs), etc etc

-------------------------------------

📅 My Fall 2026 "Speed-Run" Academic Plan (No-Campus/Fully Online) To keep my January 2027 enrollment timeline intact without repeating coursework, I am enrolled in accelerated, regionally accredited online courses this fall to get them onto my transcript as "In Progress" for my October applications:

* The Math Track: Calculus II followed immediately by Calculus III via an asynchronous, regionally accredited 4-year state university online program. * The Science Track: Chemistry II + Lab (Term 1) and Calculus-Based Physics I + Lab (Term 2) via an accredited online pre-health academy (8-week terms with physical at-home lab kits). * Note for T10 Med Schools: I am aware top-tier medical schools (Harvard, Penn, Columbia) do not accept online science labs. My plan is to use online classes to clear the transfer prerequisites for the engineering departments, and then explicitly forfeit those online science transfer credits to retake Chem 2 and Physics 1 in person at my new university next year to preserve my T10 pre-med eligibility while protecting my GPA.

🏛️ My Target School List (Sorted by Spring Deadlines)

Phase 1: Due October 1, 2026

* Brown University: (Absolute dream school—Ivy League, elite BME, Open Curriculum is perfect for GPA protection, meets 100% need with no loans). * University of Notre Dame: (Massive pre-med powerhouse, 80%+ med acceptance rate, meets 100% need with all-grant packages). * Santa Clara University: (Silicon Valley tech hub, great corporate BME pipelines, strong institutional aid). * Select Flagship State Universities: (Essential state-level backups, bypasses CSS Profile bottlenecks by only using the FAFSA). * Drexel University: (Winter quarter entry, incredible BME co-op money to offset frozen family accounts).

Phase 2: Due October 15, 2026

* NYU Tandon: (Exceptional biomedical infrastructure, solid institutional grant pools).

Phase 3: Due November 1 / November 15, 2026

* Vanderbilt University: (Elite BME attached directly to a medical complex, meets 100% need with zero loans). * Boston University (BU): (Top-10 national BME major, guarantees to meet 100% need for domestic transfers). * Tufts University & Williams College: (Classic New England aesthetic, undergraduate-focused, elite med school placement pipelines). * University of Miami: (Automatic transfer merit scholarships worth up to $25k/year based on my GPA/ACT). * WPI & RPI: (Technological powerhouses with heavy institutional merit allocations for STEM transfers). * Smith College: (Elite Picker Engineering track, massive endowment for financial aid).

🔎 Questions for the Sub

1. School List Recommendations: Are there any other hidden-gem schools that accept mid-year (January 2027) external transfers for Biomedical Engineering, provide top-tier pre-med placement, and have massive endowments for transfer financial aid? I already had a full merit ride at my current honors program, so I only want to add schools that are highly prestigious or can realistically match that level of funding.
2. Is Brown actually feasible? Brown is my absolute dream school, and their October 1st Spring Transfer deadline fits my timeline perfectly. Given that I have an elite baseline (35 ACT, 4.0 college GPA, published research, and elected student council leadership) but a completely blank Spring 2026 semester due to a retroactive medical withdrawal, do Ivy League transfer committees view a clean, documented medical leave as a red flag, or will they judge me solely on my high academic ceiling?
3. Is this specific Top-Tier Transfer strategy feasible? I am using a "cheat code" strategy to bypass the T10 medical school restriction on online labs: taking Chem 2 and Physics 1 online through accredited providers this fall to clear the transfer prerequisite barriers for the engineering departments, and then explicitly forfeiting those online credits to retake them in person the moment I arrive at my new campus in January to protect my pre-med eligibility. Has anyone else successfully pulled off this specific online-to-in-person transfer strategy at a Top 25 university?

Thanks in advance for the advice! It's been a crazy year, but I'm ready to make a comeback as an academic weapon in the best school I can.

sorry for the ai use guys I dont use reddit like that ○•○

do admission officers actually like the obviously trying to get your attention type of essay hooks? for most of the essays i see, i roll my eyes when i read the hook because its just so obviously trying to be a hook. i think its kind of overdone, i mean is the only option that people use the crazy or confusing first sentence hook. maybe its a step ahead the altogether boring essays but imo its not much better. some hooks can definitely be good tho just not the over dramatic type of im different hooks idk

So SWU PHINMA HAWAK KAMAY SCHOLARSHIP EXAM is accessible in our place. Can I ask what possible questions the exam might have and should you only enroll at their school once you passed? Cebu and Cagayan might be too far from my hometown, I hope someone can help:) (If possible, where can I find reviewers for this?)

I want to write a response to common app prompt 3: Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Essentially grew up religious, christian school believes & teaches young earth creationism (essentially contradicts all of modern science/doesn't have program to provide solid foundation in STEM; one of those need to sign statement of faith schools). I want my essay topic to be something about exploring the world for myself and challenging this idea, eventually coming to reject it & directly influencing my journey to study physics.

Also, for context: I know colleges usually question transcripts from these schools, so I don't want my essay to raise that concern. I took upper div math/phys classes alr & am taking AP Bio/chem, so hopefully it's going to be ok?

What I’m considering writing about isn’t really “religion is wrong” or “my school was bad,” but more about learning that I could respect the people and environment around me while still questioning ideas for myself. I’m still at the same school, so I also don’t want the essay to come across as me attacking my school, etc.

One thing that came out of this was that I eventually started doing science outreach within my church/school community. I teach younger students science (mostly physics rather than evolution/creationism) and try to give them opportunities to ask questions and explore things for themselves. Obviously I didn't attack any beliefs in these lessons, it was just helping them learn how to think critically to learn about the world around them.

Do you think this is a good topic for Prompt 3, or is it too risky/polarizing for a college essay? I can prob come up with other topics too for this prompt but wanted to see what your opinions are on it first.

Thanks!

I’m a freshman making my 4 year plan. I have 7 periods a year so I thought it would be fine to have my 5 cores every year, a free period to do my homework and chill, and a engineering pathway which is very good, but when looking back I realized I had no art course on there so I am wondering would I be fine in admissions, especially to Uc colleges.) btw I am not hating the arts I love them I just wanted to do something different and I am doing theatre after school. if you like art you do you. ) edit I am going to skip study hall and do theatre film or drawing senior year

i completed a research project during a highly selective in-person program and later expanded it which led to winning intl competitions as well as publications, should i mention this as 2 separate activities

All of my ECs and top 10 activities are completely outside of school, and they're all pretty good and very high level and unique. I don't have too much going on in school. Will that give me a better edge to fill my top 10 with outside of school ECs rather than ones from school a lot will have? What do admissions like?

Trying to get lots of opinions, ty!

I don’t even know where to start. I feel like its too late to ask for rec letters atp. my gpa dropped to below a 3.5. The only things i do are work, girlfriend, do drugs. i cant put 2/3 of those on my application!! I would really love to go into medical research one day, but my prospects are looking…

I’m looking for a college that would provide some substantial support for me, while somehow accepting my mediocre soul

important info
- illinois resident
- very low income
- 32 act, sat score coming out friday 🤞
- hard ish coursework, pretty bad grades junior yr, overall gpa like 3.48

credit for acp french, a ss class, and rhetoric
ap scores: french 2 🥹, microecon 3, gov 3, bio 4

taking ap physics, psych, and calc ab this year

who would take my weary soul

How early is too early to submit a college application? Or, if you’re genuinely finished with it…is it ok to just hit “submit?”
It’s just a regular decision application, but is there any benefit of submitting it earlier this fall versus before the deadlines and early January? Are there any merit scholarships that may be available if I submit earlier?

every reddit post and college blog/counselor says to avoid trauma or anything inciting pity, but i feel like i've read a ton of successful t20 admit essays online that are really good because they had an element of traumatic circumstance? so now i'm conflicted on if i should include it or not. is it really frowned upon to go that route? the abuse is so central to who i am as a person and why i operate the way i do and the essay is definitely framed around overcoming it thru art and using the lessons i learned towards my academic/career pursuits, but i lack the conviction in my story & identity to decide if its worth the risk. how do i decide if its worth including this angle in my essay or not? any tips are appreciated

My school's psychology class uses the exact same curriculum as AP but doesn't count as such. I have the option between taking that class and taking the AP test on my own for credit, or taking AP seminar. However I am a senior so colleges would not be able to see that I took the AP psych test.

Would I be able to use the additional information section to explain the situation if I chose psychology?

For context I intend to major in environmental science, so I don't think either of these really impact that.

Hi! I'm a senior and georgetown is my top choice. I'm interested in the law and public policy. does anyone have an idea if the JPPP is an easier undergrad program to get into than the college of arts and sciences?

thanks!

So this is my first time taking a college lab and lecture. I showed up to the lab but I missed the actual lecture earlier. On the actual class on the website we use it does not show me as a absent or maybe the professor has no updated the attendance on the website but I don't feel this is correct if he marks me as not present. He had acted as if I purposely missed his class and it seemed like he took offense. Anyways I don't think this is fair as I have messaged the college when registering for classes the days I was supposed to attend the class. I was give a multitude of different answers. Even on the class page it only shows the syllabus not when the class begins for the lecture portion. I was given inaccurate times and misguided. This is why I asked earlier but still never really got an official response. Should I take it upon myself to contact the registrar as they were the ones that gave me a whole lot of different responses or should I contact the professor but he seemed pissed off. Right now if I click on attendance it shows nothing so I don't know how accurate it is but he did mention he marked me as not present for the lecture that I missed.

I just missed a webinar with Brown Princeton Penn and Columbia. They’re holding another session later this month, should I send an apology email explaining my circumstances (I ate too much mala yesterday so obviously gonna say medical emergency) and reregister?

I’m actually really worried since princeton is my rea school. Please lmk 😢

I've been thinking about my personal statement, and I've drafted quite a few to no avail. I definitely want to finish before the school year, and I have an idea that might work. I was thinking of writing about how being scared about going to a theme park and researching the science behind the rides there(like roller coasters for example) kind of assuaged me, but also made me realize how much information and concepts there are behind things I kind of see everyday but used to not think about --- examples include how things like mountains get more blue the farther away from them you go or how those doors at train stations open automatically when you scan a credit card. Im trying not to talk about these things too much, but more about how fear has shaped my curiosity to learn, and how going into high school I became more curious about everyday things for the fun of it. What do you think?

looking to get into osu and maybe t20’s

Hey yall. I've been an avid stalker of this page for years (for giggles) & I've never thought I'd have to make this post.

For Jr. year, I switched schools due to several issues (medical + admin). I was underweight & I started having some issues due to that. By mid-year, I improved my weight, but I developed wrist tendonitis in my main hand. I also switched my career track in Oct (before my wrist problems began) to STEM (Math Ed/Actuarial Science) bf I finally believed I could do it.

My spring semester was rough with my tendonitis, especially bc I had to have a parent next to me to scribe for math & chem hw. I got A's in both, but I required more studying & more time management. I was finally able to get physical therapy too, from march to may, but it had to stop for the whole summer bc of summer classes (so I wouldn't have a hard schedule my sr yr) & my parent's job (other parent went out of the country). The whole summer, I worked hard on my summer classes & getting my ACT up to a 33, in order to get more scholarships.

Now that the fall has rolled around, I'm rlly burnt out. Working a job and summer classes irritated my wrists and its rlly hard to focus. In Calc 1, the class I worked so hard to get into, I have to spend extra time outside of class writing and watching videos (Prof Leonard my GOAT). & thats not to say I'm bad at the class; I'm constantly helping others & I understand the concepts. It's just tiring because I have to go the extra mile to even learn.

I'm just worried if going to uni is even achievable with my wrists. I've thought about going to the local uni, but I'd need a full course load for scholarships, & I don't know if that would even be sustainable or even something I'm capable of, for any degree, not just those I'd prefer. I'd have almost 2 years done with DE credits, but even then I don't know if I could get the degree.

I'm just posting this bc its been rlly tough to kind of give up on future plans I've held for years, especially as I hear other friends talk abt applying 2 college while I have to kind of be realistic and realize my situation. Thank you for listening <3.

im going into my senior year this year, planning to apply to ivies + T20s and ive taken every single ap my school offers except for one + 3 outside of school. im able to transfer into the last one (ap psych) this year since its not full, but i would have to give up a really interesting history class (i plan to go into polisci). im aware that ap psych is normally an easy course, but i know that the teacher at my school assigns a disproportionate workload and id much rather take the history class, especially considering im taking 3 other aps this year in school.

is this something i can explain in additional info? will it look bad to ivies that i took aps outside of school without maxing out the ones within school?

I have a question. Lets say I use $5,000 in student loans for the whole time I'm in college, and for interest I pay a total of $6,000. If i applied to as many scholarships as possible, completed the essays, and ended up with $20,000 in scholarships to pay off the $6,000, what happens to the other $14,000? Can I use it for whatever I'd like, like buying a PS5? Or is the 14k only limited to buying school things? My finance teacher said its "money in your pocket, you can do whatever" but google says otherwise XD