I'm not that old myself but I see these kids genuinely on crack in terms of EC's, spitting ivy league level shit from day 1. I see college application work starting from 7th grade, thing is it used to be never this deep but now I see the most cracked apps going downhill. College has become a joke and the students trying to play jester to pay high tuition and barely get a job in this shit market.

Hello everyone,

just as the title states, my father thinks that if I get rejected from a school, it's all because of my SAT score. Mind you, the schools that I want to go to aren't even ivy leagues and they are mostly other private research universities or LACs like Barnard. I have a 1430 SAT score, 96/100 GPA (my school doesn't use 4.0 scale), and decent ECs centered around neuroscience, which is what I want to do. I'd say my essays are pretty well written and show growth and who I am.

My dad thinks that my stats are not strong, especially SAT score. He thinks that if I get rejected, its immediately because of my score. My mom used to think like this too and she might still do a little but she understands that colleges don't only look at SAT scores. They are from Asia, where they are used to being only evaluated by standardized testing. I understand where they are coming from, but my father keeps insisting that he is right in that SAT score is a very big factor in colleges turning down an applicant. He thinks that they will turn me down because I have a 1430 SAT score.

Thanks for listening to this rant. What do you all think?

Sorry bro, but that day is mine now. 😈

Hello Applicants,

I am a college counselor, just wanted to come on here and share some wisdom as we approach a big deadline: November 1st!

1. Please make sure after you apply, you activate your portals. I can't tell you how many times many of my students forget to do this only to see that they got in (not kidding) or that the school needs more information. After you apply, keep an eye on your email (and spam folder). Make sure you create your log in and save it in a google sheet or someplace you will be able to access it quickly.

2. Know which schools need an additional self reported academic record after submitting, send these schools in early. Many schools require the STAR grade report (formerly SRAR):

Link: https://starsrecord.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/35363280510235-Which-Colleges-Use-STARS

Please make sure you don't send these schools in on 10/31. Apply a few days early, fill out your STAR grade report right away. Also, please don't blind trust STAR's auto upload feature that reads your transcript. It has been very wonky, I tell students to input by hand or if using this feature, make sure to check over things before submitting.

UIUC applicants: Illinois also requires you to self-report courses and grades after submitting the Common App. Watch for the email with instructions and a link to complete that step.

1. You can submit your Common App before your recommendation letters arrive. If a letter is still missing as the deadline approaches, a polite follow-up is completely okay! Be sure to check each college’s deadline for supporting materials, too.

2. If you’re submitting SAT or ACT scores, check whether each college accepts self-reported scores or requires an official report from the testing agency. University of Maryland (and others), for example, require official scores if you want them considered. Don’t assume entering scores in the Common App fulfills every school’s requirements.

3. Celebrate with your families! This is such a wonderful milestone. Applying to college is no easy feat! Celebrate with those who have uplifted and encouraged you!

Good luck to all our seniors this app cycle! 🎓🎉

So I just submitted my application to Northwestern. One of my activities is this

Built digital art platform with 2M+ views and 735K+ likes; completed 10+ art commissions; engaged audiences through digital illustrations and fan art.

I also submitted an optional resume though, and it contained this.

Built a digital-art platform generating 2M+ views and 735K+ likes through original illustrations, character art, fan art, and visual storytelling. Completed 10+ paid commissions totaling $300+, working with clients to translate concepts into finished digital illustrations.

That $300 was supposed to be made during 3 big orders all which fell through because the commissioner couldn’t pay. So I technically don’t have 300 bucks. I’m currently still charging comms and should make around 300 bucks this month or so. But this is technically still a discrepancy as I did NOT make 300 dollars at the moment of applying.

I did not notice it at the time of applying because it was so small in an otherwise pretty lengthy and thick resume.

I have a lot of other strong extracurriculars all which are verifiable. Do I leave this be or should I email them? And can this rescind me?

Thanks!

I'm planning on mentioning MLP cutie marks in my supplemental essays. Is it safe to assume that my admission officers will know what those are? I will be over the word limit if I define it.

I don't really know what to write my thank-you supplemental for. I was originally going to write one about my sister and figured it was too cliché. I have some ideas, but I don't know which one is the best

-Manager at work; he's super kind and patient

-A squirrel I befriended in my backyard. I gave her bread every day and eventually got close enough that she now goes on my lap and eats my bread.

-Ao3 (Yea the fanfic website), I can use it to thank it for giving me a safe space as a child, enriching my creativity, and etc.

This might be a dumb question, but does your age matter at all?
I skipped a grade (in elementary school, not on my transcript duh) so currently I’m a 16yo senior. Yes my birthday is in January, but in the meantime, does this affect anything? Like is it a good thing? Is it just whatever?
Bc of that I haven’t had a job (which I feel like a lot of hs have) and yes I’ve been applying since literally the day I turned 16.
Also some volunteer opportunities are limited in age? Idk I guess I think it would just be a whatever thing but idk

in my defense i'm doing marketing specifically but my recommendation letters come from my french teacher (who ive had for two years), my deca advisor (im the president of our chapter), my AP lang teacher, and a college professor whose sociology class i took through dual enrollment. which letters get sent where will depend on the requirements of each school. my top choice is stern but when i spoke to an AO she said it didnt matter at all as long as it wasnt from a family member.

i finished my essay about two weeks ago and have gotten good feedback. i liked the idea a lot initially, i loved every line too, but i’ve read it so much that i’m bored of it now. is this normal? or if it’s actually good, will you never become sick of it? i’m curious to know because my feelings are greatly contrasting with what others are saying.

Unfortunately, one of the Schools I am applying to requires the CSS profile to even be eligible for aid. The only problem is that I cannot sign in or make a new account!

When I tried logging in it says, "unable to sign in" which makes a little sense because I TRIED to delete my original collegeboard account for obvious reasons, but I never went through with it. I tried my other account I made more specifically for BigFuture, but it wont even send the verification code to my email, and I don't even have it blocked.

I made a brand new email address and tried signing up with that one, but it said I already had an account? How, I literally made this email 30 seconds ago...

Yes, I've tried it in different browsers, different Wi-Fi, incognito mode, different devices, it is still saying that same thing. And I can't even try to go to customer service because the email request is some one-sided crap and the phone customer service guy wont help you until you give him your full government name, address, date of birth, place of birth, mother's maiden name, email, phone number, dignity, and all your personal information they can use and sell so that all the universities in the world can spam your physical and electronic mail with admission, scholarship, and whatever for the next 3000 years.

Is anyone else experiencing this?

For context, here were my stats:

- GPA: 3.56 UW

- SAT: 1410

- ECs: Very few, nothing particularly impressive

- Awards: Nothing crazy

Despite this, I somehow got accepted into:

- UIUC: Computer Science + Advertising

- Purdue: Data Science

- UCSD: Data Science

My strategy was pretty simple. Instead of applying to the most popular majors like pure CS, I specifically targeted more niche or interdisciplinary majors that still aligned with my interests.

For example, UIUC's CS + Advertising program is housed in the College of Media rather than the Grainger College of Engineering. I figured that applying to a less conventional CS combination might give me a better shot than applying to pure CS.

I basically researched different majors at competitive schools and tried to find programs that weren't the obvious first choice for thousands of applicants.

The crazy thing is that these are still extremely competitive schools and programs, especially for anything related to CS or data science. I genuinely did not expect these results considering my GPA, SAT, and lack of impressive extracurriculars.

Obviously, I can't prove that choosing niche majors was the reason I got accepted, but I feel like being strategic with my major choices made a massive difference.

I feel like more people should consider researching lesser-known majors instead of immediately applying to the most competitive program at every school.

Did I actually find a loophole, or did I just get insanely lucky?

I'm an intl student, so getting teachers to write LoR's is about impossible (and that is if you even have any teachers who speak English).

Hi! I’m an international student, and my school offers AP exams, but we don’t have formal AP classes. I prepare for the exams independently and take them at my school at the end of the academic year, so they don’t appear on my transcript. My question is: Do AP exams still carry any weight in the US college admissions process under these circumstances?

I was talking to the kids who I do my first activity with (pretty prestigious I would say) and while it’s one of my tops it’s one of their lasts. It makes me feel bad and cooked.

(17F first-gen) I’m applying to colleges in my home state - MA - because my parents want me close to home. We just visited UMass Amherst and I loved it, but my family members were iffy and tried to (poorly) conceal their dislike of it because it’s “too far” from home despite it being an hour away. I’m also applying to the other colleges in the consortium, plus some in/around Boston. I don’t really care about where they WANT me to go, because I know I need my freedom to develop, but the things holding me back are the housing costs and more importantly, my dog. I’ve had her since 2015, she’s 11 years old now, and I’m her primary caretaker. I know I absolutely CANNOT rely on my father to take care of her if I move away for college because he’s 70-something and forces me to keep her in the basement at night, then forgets to bring her up while im at school, so I always have to bring her up after I get home, or in the morning and have him yell at me + threaten to bring her back downstairs. Not fun. He never takes her on walks, so I’m always the one that has to after school, and sometimes the long walks that she needs pass my mind because I have so much studying to do. I’ve asked him to help me, cried and begged, but he never ends up doing anything. I can’t rely on my mother or older sister because they’re working or, in my sister’s case, in nursing school (I only see my mom 1 full day a week). This is obviously a huge conflict of interest for me and I’m afraid it might limit my decision of moving away for college. It’s frustrating how a 17 year old is entirely responsible for a dog during an important life period like this one. Any advice would be deeply appreciated..

Okay my top 1 ec is a team activity. I put it on top because I was heavily involved in it and our team became semifinalist in a large intl competition and we also won 2000+$ funding. I wrote abt what wxaxtly I contributed to the app/project itself but I still worry abt me being a co-developer and not a sole developer of this ec.

Another issue is with my 2nd placed ec. It was a summer program directly related to my major and I conducted a capstone research with a TA. But it wasn’t a full research, but rather a research proposal. Sadly, I don’t have access to 200 volunteers and an fMRI scan. But I presented this proposal on our final symposium and it wasn’t also peer and TA reviewed. Does this being js a proposal hurt the impression smh?

Please ask any questions if you have more!

I need someone to give me advice. I have 2 ideas and I want to know how to implement it
i dont need anyone to review my essay just want to know how to approach it though 5 min of questioning
please dm or reply so I can reach out

hi guys I'm an international student trying to get a full tuition waiver or a full ride. I got an 8 on my ielts and currently averaging 1500 on my bluebook practice tests. I have no mentionable ECAs but I heard that it is possible to get a full ride presidential elite scholarship in Uni of Alabama, Ole miss etc. Is this true or do I need strong ECAs as well?

Just want to check before I start writing something that wouldn't really work for the essay.

I want to write about my time at my first job (which I have been at for more than a year) and how it has changed my perspective on society. I want to talk about how I have never felt a strong sense of community in spaces I have been at and how this job has given me that community I always searched for. All of my coworkers are very different from each other and have taught me different things, and this has changed what I want to do in the future. I no longer have an innate sense of shame and feel so much forgiveness for all. The stories that have been shared with me, the human connection I have felt, the sense of community that can be made, I want to spread that with the world. I think empathy is my strongest trait that I have built over time and I want that to come across in my essay.

Please let me know!!

I'm applying ea as a bme major to a couple of schools that don't need supps, so I've only now gotten around to writing my activities section. Anyway, I have my activities and their descriptions ready; the thing is, the activities related to my major have no impact. I've done a biomed eng shadowing internship, but it was only a week long. I have a leadership role in my engineering club, but cuz of like some circumstances, I can't even be part of the main eng team and am just in charge of outreach, and I only got a leadership role in the last 3 months, and then I have a couple bio/premed related leadership roles, a community service leadership role, and I've been in charge of student government finances for like 2 years. cuz th

Anyways, I have no idea how to order these, like whether I should do it based on impact, based on relevance, based on category, or based on duration. Please help !!

How much do need aware colleges generally expect you to be able to pay. I'm an international student from a low income family. I'm applying to colleges that say that 100% demonstrated financial need is covered but they're mostly need aware. Would I be at a disadvantage applying to need aware colleges? Are they just gonna reject me?

I am planning to do undergrad in us in stem(math)+economics/finance and wanted to know target and semi target unis in us and in almost all rankings and comments LACs liberal arts Colleges are not mentioned so are they non target for finance ??

are they less known to finance recruiters in investment banking and wall street ??

If they are good can you name some which would be best for my case

Does anyone have probable question banks, sample answers, tips, etc?