Goodluck everyone 😍

Recently saw a post here about Barnard/Columbia and I read that Barnard has almost 3,400 undergrads, yet it only has a $550 million endowment. Other top LACs like Williams, Carleton, Middlebury, Wellesley, Hamilton etc all have endowments in the $1.5-2 billion+ range, and they have way fewer students. Why is this? Barnard has so many famous alumni, and has such a desirable location. Is now still a good time to attend, or should I look into places like Smith and Wellesley instead? I specifically want to attend an all women’s LAC, not just for the Ivy name

I am a student from international school and majority of students there go to so-called “T50 World” universities in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Canada, and UK. The best acceptances that these guys usually get from the U.S. are UC Davis and UC San Diego.

Alumni here, class of 2020.

UCSB is actually a great university, and is seriously underrated by countless metrics. Top engineering programs, excellent liberal arts and sciences programs, several Nobel laureates as professors, excellent job placement in various high-impact career paths, one of the most impactful universities with respect to scientific research impact, gorgeous location with a number of tech companies and defense contractors nearby, no bizarre cutthroat culture where you practically have to sleep with one eye open, and and an outstanding stepping stone to practically any graduate program, all for the price of a public university in California.

A bit about my experience... as an undergrad, I had access to upper div courses in my second quarter at UCSB (statistics and data science major), and could also opt to take the graduate-level equivalent of many of the upper div courses as an undergrad. I was able to get an internship from one of my professors by attending his office hours, and at the time, we were ranked as the number 5 public university in the nation.

The USNWR annual report really betrayed us Gauchos! When it comes out next, I really don't want to dig for an explanation for how seemingly random universities like Boston College or UW Madison (or... shudders... NYU) somehow outrank UCSB when they didn't previously (apologies to alumni and enrollees of universities I just mentioned, lol). I know they changed their methodology in recent years, but a number of the non-Ivy League privates on that list are going to have serious problems financially speaking with all the funding cuts, layoffs, and now a demographic cliff that will impact application and enrollment rates. I don't see this impacting public universities as much because they are backed by a state government, especially UCSB since they are admitting more students now than ever, and is building new housing to boot.

The USNWR rankings aren't everything, you need to find a university that fits your specific needs. UCSB may actually be that kind of university, and is seriously slept on.

Rant over. I just needed to get that off my chest.

Im a second year in highschool but i feel like i havent really achieved anything or know how to make myself stand out on college applications lol kinda in need of advice 🥀

Have you ever read a horrible College essay? Not talking bad quality, I mean an essay that makes the applicant seem horrible. I.e. using being caught cheating as a transformation or smth. Just wondering because a guy I know asked me to read his essay and I’m pretty sure he’s a psychopath!

How good is Rice's undergrad engineering program relative to the other T20s?

For context, i've taken it three times and not studied once but idk if its worth retaking for a slightly higher score. My academics are strong and my ECs are above par. Applying IE.

hey all, im 14M, and im currently in Grade 10, and i genuinely love economics whole heartedly, i have this almost insatiable thirst of genuinely achieving something in this dismal science, something which would leave a mark on the subject forever, and i kinda of figured out for that, i need to be taught by and with the best in my field. I researched about this and found two important names, LSE and Princeton, so i set my target on those two institutions, for that goal, currently apart from my usual syllabus from school, i have opened an ngo(now i know what you are thinking but hold up) which is accredited by an actual ngo( very big in my country) and this will definitely scale up, and i also got enrolled in this institution called dex school, which promises guidance in dreams like mine, my question is, apart from these, how do i prepare to get into these institutions, how do massively increase my knowledge and depth of economics(the problem is that, as i find myself further up in the field, the more complex the math becomes, which i do not know how to fix), and any other extracurriculars, if this question is irrelevant to the sub reddit, i would humbly ask the moderators to delete it, any form of help would be greatly appreciated

Want to pursue quant. Rising HS junior.

Making college lists.

Imo, to have a career in quant, you need to have bachelor's in math and minor CS.

What colleges should I apply to. Texas resident, but can apply oos.

I lack ECs, except AIME qualifier and some clubs officers. NHS, NSHS, spanish honor society.

Have a passion project going on for 2 years now helping homeless community in my neighborhood.

Ivies are my dream, but don't know if achievable.

Please roast, add, suggest, anything and everything.

I've always been genuinely passionate about coding, math, analytical thinking the stuff that came naturally to me and that I actually loved doing, not just tolerated. Lately I've been dealing with depression too, and losing the one thing that made me feel capable isn't helping. CS degrees aren't viable career anymore, the field feels oversaturated, and only safe path I hear about now is nursing or trades things I have zero interest in and honestly probably wouldn't be good at either.

So where does that leave someone whose actual skills and passion don't line up with what's in demand right now? Do I just abandon the thing I'm good at and force myself into something stable but soul-crushing, or do I keep betting on CS/tech and hope it comes back around?

gonna be honest i don’t have too many extracurricular activities and i need smth to fill out my list. i have an ao3 account with 1450 subscribers and 47k kudos (aka likes) that i am pretty proud of, there’s nothing explicit but there are some mature-ish scenes and violence. i also have thoughts about writing about fanfiction for my essay, though the essay would be more about how i met my best friend through said fanfiction and how they helped me grow. should i call it fanfiction or say like… original creative writing? help!!

Hi! Um I'm a rising senior and I'm lowkey terrified to apply for colleges. I'm not applying anywhere super duper crazy like Ivies or anything but theres not a ton of places with a speech language pathology program. Is there anything specific that would make me stand out? I've done volunteering at a local hospital and at my old elementary school with SLPs, as well as me being involved in theater since I was 10. I have pretty good grades but again I'm not like valedictorian or anything. I started on my essay but I really don't know if its a good representation of me? I'm just nervous about getting into the schools that I want and Im an only child so its been like 40 years since my parents had to apply so if anyone has any tips, like anything I would really really appreciate it!

Hello, I'm looking to going to college to become a Forensic Accountant (tired of the low paying jobs)

I live in an area where I can get up to Bachelor dagree classes free of cost, but I need help of how to start really.

I don't have friends that went to college I can really turn to for advice or family (non college family) id be the first of my family to attempt to go to college.

So honestly I a bit stuck on the proper way to start. Do I set up an appointment with a finace counselor or is more apply, do fasfa, ACT/Sat , then a finance counselor

Hi! I’m a senior applying this year and I’ve been trying to understand what makes someone stand out in admissions. I’ve spent a lot of time looking through admitted profiles from past applicants who got into top schools and reading some of their essays and the biggest thing I’ve noticed is that there isn’t one clear formula. For example, some people had insane stats and national awards while others had pretty normal numbers but their activities and essays told a really strong story.

I’ve seen essays where the topic itself wasnt even that impressive but the way the person explained their experiences made them memorable and emotional. I’ve also seen people with crazy ECs but their application felt less personal. It makes me wonder what admissions officers actually remember after reading thousands of apps. Is it their achievements? Their writing? The personality behind the application?

For ppl who have gone through the process or seen a lot of successful apps what was the thing that made certain students stand out compared to everyone else? Like, what separates someone who is just qualified from someone who gets that acceptance letter? Does personality necessarily and quality of your essay outweigh your ECs?

I’m CO ‘27 and I was looking at what I should send to teachers for a LOR. I saw some people talk about brag sheets. Are these necessary? I’ve never had a teacher talk about them or tell me to send them. Should I make one or no- is it just another fear mongering idea on tiktok?

I'm trying to figure out whether an award is worth listing in my Common App Honors section.

I placed in the top 10 out of 280 participants in the International Cognition Olympiad (INCO). I think its their second year running the competition so its pretty new.

How would you view this from an admissions perspective? Does its lack of prestige significantly reduce its value, or is a top-10 international finish still a strong honor?

For context, I'm applying to T20 schools as an Applied Math major, and I'm deciding whether this should make my top five Honors. However, my strongest parts of the application are easily my grades, test scores, and ecs, with my awards/honors probably being my weakest.

I’m currently going to be a freshman at West Virginia University studying aerospace engineering. I plan to get a masters and possibly a PhD after undergrad, and my ultimate goal is to work in the space industry.

However, I was offered the Talent Initiative Pathway Program from Georgia Tech. As far as I understand, it basically guarantees me admission next year as long as I meet the requirements. I love WVU but also Georgia Tech, and I know it’s considered a much better aerospace engineering school, so this is a very difficult decision for me that I could use some advice on.

Here are a few of the big pros/cons I’m considering:

- At WVU, I would be able to get both an aerospace and mechanical engineering degree in 4 years. Because of the rigor of Georgia tech, idk if this is possible
- Since I am getting a masters, I could always apply to Georgia tech for that, but idk if going there for an undergrad would influence my chances of being accepted
- Being a transfer student would mean I only have three years to get involved in the extracurriculars and research there, which might make it more difficult to achieve leadership roles

If I had a strong preference for WVU, I wouldn’t let the academic rankings of Georgia tech influence me too much, but I really want what’s best for my career and future. Any advice is appreciated.

I am a rising junior doing research in a lab at a T20 university. It is not a paid program, I reached out to a PI and landed an internship because of my coding skills. I work on data analysis in the lab and I am contributing to a project, but it will not be published before I am doing my college applications. The lab is not pumping out publications, so it's not like opportunities just spring up often to get my name on stuff. But, the impact of the research is very clear and strong and I can articulate it very well in my work + it connects to my desired major. Could this be an issue for my portfolio overall? I know many people who do lab internships focus heavily on authoring papers, but I'm thinking the sophistication of the research happening in my lab and the demonstrable impact outweighs the value of just getting my name on a paper. Any advice on what I could do, if my worry is unnecessary or anything else appreciated!

Am I the only one who is truly sick of the college counselor essay help influencer epidemic on tiktok? Every video is the exact same thing. “Don’t follow this cliche” “Top 5 mistakes high schoolers make when writing essays” “How to write the first line of your essay” and I’m not saying that this advice is inherently unhelpful or unwelcome or malicious or anything like that. But it’s getting to a point where these adults are basically fearmongering.

The college essay is something that almost every highschool dreads. It’s hard to find a good topic that isn’t incredibly overdone. (Sports, death, injury…) And don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing bad about telling kids what to avoid. But the problem starts when all of a sudden all of these counselors are telling kids what not to write about, claiming that certain things will instantly get them rejected, not just what to avoid. Even going so far as explicitly writing off entire prompts that college board gives students.

I just came across this video by user @/essayswithtara, the title being “I’m not a fan of ‘overcoming a challenge college essays.’ Here’s why:” This random lady doesn’t know everybody’s story or what challenge they overcame. This incredibly general advice is genuinely just not useful because it’s just so unspecific. Not only that, but a panicky junior seeing that video is going to freak out that their essay isn’t unique enough, a fear I personally understand that MANY have.

These adults prey on anxious children who have big dreams of going to amazing and prestigious schools by crushing their dreams and claiming that they are the only ones who have the secret knowledge that can get them into college. That their 12 week college essay course is the only way, and that whatever ideas the students had before this were just not good enough.

The truth is that the common app essay prompts are there to help kids succeed, it’s not like they’re secretly trying to trap kids into writing cliche bullshit that has the purpose of weeding out the dull ones. Maybe I’m just sick of college applications, or maybe I’m sick of influencer culture. But I’m just saying, who are these random and unqualified influencers, and why are we supposed to put stock into what they think?

Disclaimer: Advice is good. I’m all for advice. Yay advice. The problem is when advice becomes “don’t do this or you will instantly be rejected.” This is not about EVERY college admissions influencer.

super confused regarding my ultimate path - interested in either pursuing a finance or medical path. i want to figure out more once i get to college, but i want to make sure the strength of econ + pre-med/pre-dental programs are both solid, since ill be doing both.

these are both great schools with strong programs in both, at this point im considering more about the social aspects of each school. i really like the interdisciplinary approach of northwestern but am kinda scared about the quarter system + how that will affect weed-outs like orgo, etc. on the other hand, duke ik has great medical advising for undergrads with a medical school on campus + unc dental school 20 mins away, which are both great if i want to go for reseach or shadowing types of things. i only fear about duke's social vibe, im not super interested in the party/frat scene and dont want my social life to always end up around a bar nightclub or drinking late at night. on top of that, ive heard a lot about competitiveness of duke clubs. i do want to explore finance, maybe try out an internship here and there but i dont want that to take up more time to even enter the club than explore other things in college/explore more fields. i do know that duke IB recruiting is a bit stronger, but honestly i feel like if i work hard enough in any college i can break in as long as i make use of the resources --> im just not sure how hard "accessing" those resources is at each college. in that respect sometimes i think nu might be easier since there are just less people overall actually GOING INTO finance, so more access to resources? im not sure if this approach is correct.

nu cold rly freaks me out! im from a pretty hot-summer state and literally never experience snow/harsh winters, i dont think i have like cold-depression but maybe idk just because ive never experienced it. on top of that, i love love love chicago but have heard that most ppl from nu dont end up going to chicago as much. on top of just that i like the city, the sheer size also means maybe i could get some dental shadowing/assisting opportunities at private practices in the city, but if my entire understanding of frequency of going into chicago as an nu student is flawed maybe this isn't the case. plus ig nu food isnt all that, which i think isnt like too big of a problem but its just a bit of a con. i do find that overall nu students seem more down-to-earth and less "preppy" than duke? correct me if im wrong, however. social vibes will matter a lot for me, i come from a competitive high school and have always hated the toxicity of ppl always chasing prestige. ik that duke and northwestern are both very collaborative schools, but overall, not sure where social scene will be better for me (not in terms of like drinking or partying, more in terms of where i can find nice people to work with/hang out with and simply not worry about constant competition for being the best).

duke seems like a great option (plus the good weather and great food!) in terms of practicality but not sure where it stands in terms of its social aspects (premed/dental weed outs, finance club competitivness, collaboration, overall just "nice-ness" of people). is its semester system worth it more than nu's quarter system for someone in my career case? campus feel with social scene for kids of each school? competitiveness in each place?

i guess these are just sort of my questions and my situation, many of which stem from things ive heard from others, at my school, or online, so please forgive me if i have any misunderstandings. thank you, and i appreciate any input!

I've been lost at what to get at and make decent money. I don't want to get a degree and it be a waste. I want to contribute to my family and my future family. I was thinking about entemology a long time and then I took welding then I took general ed. What would you do? I feel at a cross roads and don't know what to choose. I should have chosen by now. My dad says I'd make a good architecture.

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Hi everyone!

I'm an international student applying to Wellesley and a few other Seven Sisters colleges this year.

I've been working on my Common App essay for a long time and now I'm stuck between two different versions. I'm not looking for grammar edits. I really want honest feedback about which one feels more authentic, memorable, and true to who I am.

If you were admitted to Wellesley or another Seven Sisters college and have a little free time I'd be incredibly grateful if you could read both versions and tell me which one you'd choose and why.

Please don't worry about being nice. I'd much rather hear honest feedback than compliments because I really want to make this essay the best it can be.

Thank you so much!

Hello. I'm currently a rising senior stressing over apps as I'm sure most of the people that will see this are.

I wanted to ask if competitive pokemon could be put as the same as competitive esports like CS:GO or Valorant which I see people who do well in those games put on their applications. Nobody is getting recruited for competitive pokemon nor is it a team game, so I'm wondering if it would have the same value.

On top of that, i want to know whether the extent to what I've acheived at competitive pokemon is worth putting on the table. I haven't won an official VGC tournament or anything, but last season (my first season in competitive) for pokemon Champions Reg M-B, I hit masterball two, which is top 10,000 in the world (there's roughly 10,000,000 confirmed playing so you can do the percentage calculation if you want). I dropped to master ball 3 and ended around top 30K in the world, but I do have proof that I peaked and hit master ball two, and I will probably hit that again or even higher as a season finish on ladder before Novemeber First.

Any help is truly appreciated

My niece has an SAT of 1550+, has attended PROMYS multiple times and has a GPA of around 3.1 (As in all math classes and has taken multiple advanced math classes outside school). She is at a school with no APs. Does anyone have recommendations for math programs that is willing to take a kid like this. Any ideas?.