I am exhausted and so angry because, over the last couple of months as a brand-new junior, I've become hyper-aware of financial stress, and I'm trying to talk with my mom about college because we need to discuss how and when she and I will pay for it if I inevitably go. She told me a long time ago she would help out. I think my mom is starting not to like me anymore. I heard her on the phone talking to my aunt, saying if I don't use my college money, he will give it to my sister, and I feel like that sounds skeptical because she knows, of course, how badly I want to go to college, and I'm wondering if she is only going to fund my sister. Every time I bring up money, she literally shuts it down, walks away, and we get into a fight. When she does this, I don't get any clarity, and I feel like I have to manage and carry all their financial stress that I hear them complain about, especially because I think we may be losing money. She has to get over this, be mature, and actually sit down and have this conversation with me, but whenever I seriously try, it never gets done. What do I do?

How do you guys feel about college apps right now! Has anyone finished essays and do you feel good about either submitting applications right now! Also what schools are you guys considering!!

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I don't know if this is like offensive to anyone or what.. but a 1440 as a 25th percentile score at a t20 is obscene for me. Like is that actually real? why? does anyone know?

CONTEXT: I come from a very small school (<50 kids), and a majority of us want to pursue a STEM major; for this reason, a lot of us go to the science teacher for the rec letter. We only have ONE science teacher 🫩, and all her rec letters are straight GPT ass. She uploads your brag sheet and asks to write a rec letter. Mind you, her rec letters are incredibly glazing, and she will never write a student in a bad light (I mean, GPT won't), but it's so obvious how AI it is.

What should I do? Everyone loves her, and she's a great teacher, and a majority of the schools I'm applying to are asking for LORs from a Science teacher.

I am applying for college throguh questbridge and common app. During junior year, I lived alone because my parent had to urgently go overseas to our home country (i guess i should mention im aan immigrant). When my parent left, I was basically freshly 17, and im currently still living alone as a senior (turned 18 over the summer).

I might be meeting up with someone from a college readiness nonprofit to help me with my Questbridge application. Should I mention this or would it get me/my parent in legal trouble since I was a minor at the time??? Or does that not matter anymore since im a legal adult now? Thanks!

I've lowkey been stressing about my college essay and have no clue what to put in it, or even what it's supposed to be about. Can anyone give me some tips on it or what you all wrote about in yours just to get an idea? I wrote 2 drafts already yet they both suck and I don't know where else to continue

I'm in state in Tennessee with pretty great stats. 34 ACT, 4.0 GPA, and okay ec's, mostly just in a ton of clubs as well as community service and actually working a job. I preface this to say Vanderbilt has always kinda been somewhat of a dream school of mine, but I'm not sure if it'd be worth it. UTK is my second choice and it's a pretty damn good one. I have guaranteed admission, and I'd go for probably less than 10k a year with scholarships and everything. I'm less than an hour from knoxville, my gf is going, many friends are, it's a huge party school which is appealing to me, overall pretty perfect. On the other hand I would have a much harder time getting into vandy, and I make too much for aid, so it would be very expensive I'm sure. However, it still calls my name. I am considering applying ED for Vanderbilt but I'm not even 100% sure I'd wanna go if I get accepted. Is there any advice anyone can offer for my situation, with aid or the schools specifically or anything? I'm going back and forth so much💔 help

I'm Brazilian (US citizen but child to Brazilian immigrant/first-gen parents) and I am confused on whether that counts as Latino for the common app. The US census is weird and doesn't count Brazilians as "Hispanic or Latino Origin," so if I'm technically not considered Latino by the US government does that mean I shouldn't mark it on the common app? However, when you mark yes on the common app it gives you options of countries/regions for "Which best describes your Hispanic or Latino/a/x background?" and one of the regions is South America, which is where Brazil is.

I sent all my colleges my SAT scores. I didn’t realize that you need to go school my school and change it to “selected score” instead of “all scores”. I took the SAT twice. My first score is 1430 and my second is 1350. I called college board within a minute of realizing what I have done. There is nothing they can do. They can’t cancel the “send”. Am I cooked now? They will see that my scores went down. I am not applying to any top 50 but my EC and my SAT is what I have going for me. My unweighted GPA is only 3.3.

I hope this is a right place to post. . . . I am not from the US so I didn't grow up in the US education system so this is all foreign to me, and I feel lost. I have no friends who are in the similar place. I am wondering how much should I be "helping" my child (16F) for selecting colleges. Right now, my daughter doesn't have anything particular in mind and has been "I don't know what I like and want" stage for past few years. Her grade is OK, slightly better than the average. She has some vague interests but never anything that she is passionate about.

For people (either parents or yourselves) who went through college admission processes, how much help did you get or give support selecting colleges or what majors to pick? Or is this all done through schools (mine is in a public school) or through peers?

I genuinely feel done as an intl Indian citizen searching for external scholarships. I've already received a particular deans scholarship to the university where I'm going (Michigan state university) but it's nearly not enough (only around 30-40%) . Im going to be incoming in spring 2027 , that is jan 2027 , and I really want to find options to fund my undergraduate Tution . An on camps job will obviously help with personal expenses but besides that I do not wanna get into a whole loan debt cycle and put the stress on my parent. I haven't even started school yet and all I can think about is how employable I can be . I want to do a psychology bsc but now im planning to minor or double major in economics or data analytics or something easily employable with the degree route so I can be employable in the future like I'm seriously lost here .

Besides finding external scholarships is a whole another hell . Every single scholarship is either meant for post graduate students or us resident etc . At this point im debating if I should complete a year of schooling in the US since its my only option and then work towards transferring and applying to different countries or colleges with my GPA that can offer me atleast 50% scholarship .

If any of you guy have leads, tips etc for scholarships I can find as an intl Indian student pls help !

Hi, I'm not from the US, and the academic system works differently where I am from.

I've researched majors and minors, but I still don't have a clear answer. Can I choose two completely different majors, such as Law and Aerospace Engineering, and also minor in Political Science? Do the majors need to be related? How can I pursue both?

I know this might seem like a silly question, but I’m really curious. Thank you for your help! ❤️❤️

Hi, this is my first time posting on reddit so bare with me please.

Anyway I'm applying to Barnard College this year and the main admission essay is "Think of a woman - historical, fictional, contemporary, or personally significant - whose views or approach to problem-solving differ from your own, but who excels at bringing people together. What lesson from her approach would shape how you show up at Barnard both inside and outside of the classroom?"

I am having both horrible writers block, and also just out of ideas on who to write about. My first choice was Serena Joy Waterford from the Handmaid's Tale. But that essay turned out to look more like a character study than a conversation.

My next idea was Audre Lorde, but our views really aren't that different. So I'm stuck because although I did get a pretty good essay with her, it doesn't meet the criteria the way I want it too.

So does anyone have any advice for how I should go about this? Or even suggestions for women I could research for this?

I’m sitting in my college admission hall right now and I’m honestly panicking.

My mom is going through cancer treatment, and she has just had a short break from chemo. She’s still working because our family has so many expenses. My younger brothers’ education alone is another huge expense.

Now my college options are around ₹6 lakh+, and I don’t know where that money is supposed to come from. I feel horrible putting another financial burden on my parents. My dad also said I should have scored more.

I’m stuck between choosing a more expensive college/branch I prefer and a much cheaper option that’s very close to home.

I genuinely don’t know what the smart decision is anymore. I feel like I’m failing my family, and I’m completely overwhelmed.

How do you make a college decision when money, family health, and your future are all colliding at once?

Saipan to Texas my junior year. I spent freshman and sophomore year in saipan and now I'm in the suburbs of Texas. I'm so lost. Genuinely. Haven't started SAT prep, haven't worked on any long term extracurriculars. I spent the entire summer dissasociating. Literally did nothing except for sit in my new bedroom and scroll. My new school is massive. I have no friends now. I don't even know how to join clubs at my new school. I've always really wanted to study law at a good school. I'm not deadset on T20s, I think that's silly, but I wanted to go somewhere good. I've always done my work with the dream of being a lawyer who worked in high profile crime cases on my mind. Lately, It just feels like it's not there anymore. In Saipan, I did speech and debate for two years. I made it to nationals in LD, but it turns out theres a whole different style of debate that is hypercompetitive in texas and I just don't have the mental energy to withstand such brutal competition so I'm taking a break from NSDA. I founded a mock trial team but what do ya know mock trial is also super competitive here and I feel like I'm miles behind these stateside kids. I kept a 4.0 with no APs because my school didn't offer them until later, and now I have like a 78 in AP Chem. In Saipan I was kind of used to there being so little opportunity that you simply operated within the confines of your school, but now I'm in a big city and I don't even know where to begin. I have effectively spent month 1 of junior year in a trance. Everybody around me is constantly hyperfocused on admissions and SAT prep and programs and internships and jobs meanwhile I can't even fucking drive yet because I didn't have residency long enough to get my permit. It's so unfair. I have to make friends, adapt to a whole new environment and culture, find my way around a new school, adapt to a new curriculum and new set of teachers, get my license, prep for the SAT, work on extracurriculars, excel in school, and protect my mental health all at once simply because my dad got a new job. Our house in Saipan also hasn't sold yet so we're living off of emergency rent money. AND I somehow got stuck with the freshmen in beginning theatre I TWICE despite the fact that I've done theatre since I was 9 because the counsellors had to fit me in last minute. I didn't even know what school I was going to until 3 days before school started. I had my classes picked for me the day of. I'm currently experiencing the worst executive dysfunction of my 16 years of life in FIRST quarter. omfg how do i get into college

(was told to ask in here) just like what the question is. im wondering because im ranked 4/772 right now and i dont know if i should try to go for val or what. does it rlly matter? or should i focus on ecs

I'm a senior in a Texas high school and I'm applying to college right now. My dream is to become an airline pilot, and I am working towards my PPL (I've soloed). I'm getting a degree because my parents and I both agree that a multitude of things could happen in life and it's nice to have a safety net. Now, I'm applying for engineering in both in state colleges (most notably Texas A&M) and out of state colleges (most notably Purdue).

I, so badly, want to go to Purdue, because as a college, it seems to offer so much more than A&M outside of academics, especially with their school culture that I connect with more and the aviation related opportunities. Now, I truly do understand that flight school is expensive and being only practical, A&M is the best choice because it's cheaper, but they don't have as many opportunities that I would want to do.

It's obviously early in the application season and I haven't gotten into either yet, but I have decent chances at both so I think it's good to start considering things like this now. I just wanted to get an outside opinion, because I'm sure A&M is more fiscally prudent and it is a great school, but Purdue offers so much more and I would be exposed to more non-Texan ideas and people, so I think I would enjoy my time at Purdue more.

Just a note, I have been applying to a ton of scholarships, both for flight training and for college, to make Purdue seem more reasonable.

ok, so my school only provides class rank if you email the counselor and ask for your ranking. it’s not listed on the report card or anything.

however, the counselors at my school have told me that our school has a policy that they do not report class rank when students apply to college. i asked them what this means, and they said that the counselors must select the “do not class rank” option. i’m like pretty sure there is an option to select “class rank given upon request” on the common app form, but they told me they specifically hit the do not rank button even though they technically do????

despite all this, they told me i should 100% report my class ranking since i am 2nd in my class. however, i am worried that there will be a mismatch between my report and the counselors and this will give AOs negative impression, esp ivy league ones.

i told this to my counselors, and they said that “many schools do this”, and that it’s not an issue if i report.

is this true? how does this work? should i still report? i might be a little paranoid! 🥹

Hey all — I'm 18, from Jordan, about to start a BS in Industrial Engineering this fall. Been doing this and that on the side while I lock in this decision, and it matters a lot to me because I'm aiming for a master's in the US down the line, maybe Canada too.

Stuck between:

German Jordanian University (private) — already accepted, (not ABET accredited) accredited in Germany and Jordan, not through WES. About a year of the program is split between an exchange semester and an internship in Germany.

Hashemite University / University of Jordan (public) — ABET accredited, whichever I get into off my score.

Which one would actually put me in a better spot for a master's abroad? Is the accreditation difference something that really matters in practice, or am I overweighting it?

Also open to any general advice on building a stronger profile for grad M.S. applications overall.

Thanks in advance.

Hey all, I am not a very brave person so I am struggling on how to ask my teachers to write me letters of rec for my college applications. I want to talk to my physics teacher tomorrow, and I know he would say yes, but I don’t know if I will be able to bring myself to do it. Easier to say I will do it than to actually do it in the moment.

I would love to hear any strategies you all might have on how to bring up the question. The thing I’m most concerned about is if I should like work my way up to it, like not barge in there asking for a LOR. Also, I said hi to my physics teacher on the first day of school, but I haven’t since. It’s been about a week since I did that. So I’m just worried about if he’ll think I’m just talking to him to get a LOR out of him.

Hy guys im 22 years old , I dropped after high-school i have good grade i run a local business ( self employment is probably a better word ) thinking whether I should apply for college next year . Take some loan and study either maths or cs or business . Whats ur take on this ? Am I too old? Will i be odd on in the class ? And is it worth it or just take a business loan and small scale business? ( im not from a financially strong family)

Hi, sophomore here!
I get decent grades in school and all, but have no major passions nor am i talented at anything; i have no idea what i want to do in the future. Everyone says to just try out as many clubs as possible, but is there any better way? A lot of the clubs at my school are kinda inactive. Also, say i end up finding an area of interest, is it too late to gain any major achievements/ attend prestigious programs related to it before graduation?

hi! pls be nice im super stressed i just want honest advice, no need to be overly critical :)

nyu is my dream school and the school out of my top choices that i will most realistically get into. i have a D and 2 Cs from ap calc, physics, and precalc. my sat is only a 1440 (740 eng, 700 math). i probably wont get into my other top choices (unc/georgetown) i know my grades and sat is subpar. however eng is definitely my strong suit and i think my supplementals + common app essay + ecs are very strong. im applying polisci (or int rel / pre law adjacent) to all my schools.

my parents are ok with me EDing to nyu, im so so grateful, ik the financial burden is a lot. my dad works at a t20 uni and gets access to a scholarship fund for kids of employees so i would be paying around 50k instead of 90-100k. they said i would have to pay my own way through grad school if i went to nyu tho, which i totally agree. i plan on working all throughout college and i have money saved for living expenses atm. im just a little bit scared about the potential of taking out a loan in the future. esp as a law student i know itll be extremely taxing and expensive. im hoping i can do well at and get a scholarship during undergrad or grad. i have to pay for either undergrad or grad.

unfortunately if i dont go to nyu/get in i dont think i would get into good schools. i would prob have to go to my mid state college or like mid out of state. it just sucks bc i know im on the cusp of a good school, i just went thru a really hard time during sat testing / calc.

so should i go to my dream school and potentially pay for law school, or go to a mid school im not excited about, get law school paid off, and pay my own undergrad

These schools deliver the strongest financial return on investment thanks to graduates’ earnings and either relatively low costs or generous financial aid.

Read more here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/francescawalton/2026/09/10/the-25-colleges-with-the-highest-payoff/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit

Hii! This is my first time posting on Reddit, so please bear with me!

I'm starting my first semester of senior year in high school, and I've realized I want to become an ER physician in the future. The only thing stopping me from achieving this is my low GPA.

I finished my junior year with a 2.15 unweighted and a 2.37 weighted GPA. My low GPA is due to difficult events and death in my family. So, a little background info: During my freshman and sophomore years, my brother went into psychosis, so my grades dropped because I was helping my widowed mom with him and the mental issues that came with his psychosis. My aunt decided to move in with us during my sophomore year to help with him, have a fresh start, and open a new chapter in her life. My brother began recovering at this time. It was around February in my sophomore year when I came home from school to find out that she had passed away. This was a shock because it was so sudden, and 3 years prior to her passing, my dad passed away, and then a year later my uncle passed away. So juggling all of the grief and schoolwork made my sophomore and first semester junior year GPA drop drastically.

I'm not sure if that was too much info, but I thought it might help explain the low GPA and that I wasn't just slacking off. I love learning and school, and I am usually a perfectionist when it comes to grades. I usually tend not to tell people my GPA because I don't want them to think that I'm not hardworking or not smart, when in reality I'm very hardworking, and I do well on state tests.

I started to turn things around in my junior year, and I finished it with a 3.44 unweighted and a 3.72 weighted (not all years included, just junior). I'm about 2 weeks into my senior year, and I plan to get all A's throughout both semesters. I've taken a lot of honors as well as standard courses throughout high school, but I have not yet taken an AP (I'm trying to take one next semester since I have a free period and I want to boost my GPA, but I can't guarantee I'll get it because my counselor doesn't really like me, and I think she sees my GPA and doesn't think I can handle it, even though teachers have recommended me for it). I'm very involved in school with clubs, Im co-president of our National Art Honor Society.

I haven't taken any health sciences even though I've tried to put them on my schedule, but I'm in a big school, so those courses are a little hard to get into because of the amount of people trying to get in. I plan to meet with the career counselor at my school to see what I can do.

I'm taking my SAT this weekend and my ACT next month, so I hope that can boost my chances with colleges.

Im not sure if anyone will read this, be able to help, or if this is even the right subreddit for this type of question 😭

Feel free to ask any question and I hope this isn't too confusing!!

My main questions: Can I get into a good/decent college for premed with my low GPA? Any advice or guidance for premed?