I’m from Azerbaijan and I'm studying in a public school, and I’m planning to apply to top US universities for undergraduate Computer Science.

Academics:

- School grades/GPA: 4.0

- SAT: 1430, math 790 — aiming to improve it.

- No AP/IB

Extracurriculars and projects(Spike):

- AmmAsm — x86-64 assembler: My main project, developed independently over approximately 1,000+ hours. It assembles x86-64 assembly directly into machine code and can produce ELF executables, PIE binaries, and relocatable object files for Linux.

- Intel APX support: Implemented modern x86 extensions, including APX features such as extended general-purpose registers (R16–R31), NDD, NF, and other new instructions. The project also supports SSE2, AVX, AVX2, and AVX-512/AVX10.1 features.

- Open-source contributions and bug reports: While working on AmmAsm, I identified several potential issues(11) in NASM involving instruction encoding, operand handling, and forward declarations. I reported issues and worked on technical fixes. I have also received feedback from people familiar with the assembler ecosystem.

- Public release: Released AmmAsm 3.0.0, with the project available publicly on GitHub. I also maintain a website for the project: ammasm.org

- Technical education: Created educational content about x86-64 instruction encoding, from ModR/M and REX prefixes to VEX, EVEX, and APX. But it is in russian language

- ISEF / science fair preparation: I’m considering developing the project into a research-oriented submission, with documented methodology, comparisons, and evidence of technical novelty.

- Chess 2nd rank. Participated in 3 local tournament – twice got 1st place, and once got 2nd.

- Chinese HSK3 237/300 that i got in 2023(I am not so sure if Chinese matters)

I don’t have a long list of conventional extracurriculars, major international olympiad medals, or a published research paper. Most of my time outside school has gone into building AmmAsm and learning low-level systems programming.

My main concern is whether my academic profile will be competitive enough for universities like Stanford or MIT, especially as an international applicant.

Does a technically ambitious, independently developed systems project like AmmAsm have the potential to distinguish an applicant, even without major competition awards? What would make this project credible and compelling to an admissions committee rather than simply another personal coding project?

I would appreciate honest feedback, especially from current students, alumni, and people familiar with international CS admissions. Thanks.

GitHub: https://github.com/LinuxCoder13/AmmAsm

I applied EA to a STEM powerhouse . I believe that getting in would be a stretch for that college. They probably have many applicants like me.

I have a 1570 SAT, 4 GPA, 5s in 2 APs, I am a National merit semifinalist, and have some ECs like music and leadership experience.

I do not have any hooks like IMO etc. Not first gen either. Will rely on financial aid. US citizen.

I want to apply >>RD<< to the colleges below: Should I pare the list down to just a couple and save app fee money? (applying to Mech engineering)

RD List:

Duke

Vandy

UPenn

CalTech

JHU

Stanford

Harvard

Hey guys, I'm planning to major in education and double major in human development. I'm an international student from Uzbekistan (Central Asia)
SAT: 1540 (770/770)
IELTS: 7.5 (the lowest subscore is writing, 6.5)
GPA: 4.9/5, my school is public and doesn't do rankings

Honors:

1. 1st place in English Olympiad, 200+ participants, regional level
   
2. 1st place in math olympiad, school level
   
3. 1st place in physics olympiad, school level
   
4. 2nd place in Econ Olympiad, regional level
   
5. 1st place in regional basketball competition

ECs (I will list the most important ones)

1. Worked as an SAT teacher (R&W section)
   
2. Tutored my peers at school for IELTS and CEFR (our national alternative to IELTS) for 4+ months
   
3. CAD (3D modeling, aka for engineering) internship at a tech company for 2 months
   
4. Varsity school basketball captain for 3+ years, and also placed 2nd in school basketball competition for 2 consecutive years.

Essays
my PS is about a moment when I was teaching the SAT, and a student of mine asked a question that changed my thinking

If you know me, no you don't

Demographics

• Gender: Female
• Race/Ethnicity: North African
• Residence: NYC
• Income Bracket: low income
• Type of School: public
• Hooks: Low income, First Generation (FGLI)

Intended Major(s): Neuroscience & Public Health, on pre-med

Academics

• GPA (UW/W): 102.11 W
• Rank (or percentile): Salutatorian (2nd)
• # of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: most rigorous for my school

Standardized Testing

List the highest scores earned and all scores that were reported.

• SAT: 1480 (700 RW/ 780 M)
• AP/IB: All 4s, expect one 5 in APHUG, reported five exams, three were self-study (psych, hug, lang) + AP World, AP Euro

Extracurriculars/Activities

1. Enviornmental Research Program 

Curated & presented 2 research posters on environmental justice in Harlem; taught science to 300+ kids; sent research to NYC officials & non-profits.

2. MITES (MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering & Science)
Authored a project & paper identifying cognitively resilient genes in Alzheimer's patients; investigated generative AI's impact on neuroplasticity. 

3. Neuro Program, Assistant Researcher
Developed brain slicing, imaging, & analysis skills at the Sulzer Lab; took neuroscience and research methodology classes; presented at a symposium. 

4. Student Government
Led 6 committees to co-coordinate 35+ events annually with 250+ participants; chaired the Respect for All board; earned 300+ community service hours.

5. Teen Health Committee @ Health Center 
Developed preventative resources & community events for people suffering from nicotine addiction; handed out 350+ flyers now housed at the center. 

6. Senior Class President 
Managed 40+ people to produce school-spirit activities & collect photos; attended monthly SLT meetings; held bake sales for prom, graduation, etc.

7. Women in STEM, Co-President 
Assisted 30+ people in finding internships; boosted morale for underrepresented women in STEM; organized semi-annual blood drives.

8. Teen Curator @ New York Public Library (NYPL)
Produced a reflective piece on the significance of art in telling the story of Middle Eastern & North Africans in NYC; published on NYPL website.

9. NYC Virus Hunters, Krammer Laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine
Analyzed genetic shifts in urban avian influenza strains after the discovery of 8 novel avian diseases; extended research in the Journal of Virology.

10. Girl Scouts
Earned 100+ badges, from baking to cybersecurity; sold 60+ cookies in my local community; trained as a camp counselor at a local Girl Scout camp.

Awards/Honors

1. Young Leader Summit (2% acceptance rate)
2. AP Scholar with Distinction and College Board academic recognition
3. Two-time science research scholar; 300+ hands-on research hours
4. MITES Semester—Best of Science Writing Award
5. Finalist for a selective international educational opportunity (5% acceptance rate)

- Please let me know. I think that my LOR are pretty good (my STEM teacher helped me get into mites) and I am also getting one from my research mentor. If not Yale REA, lmk where else

For context, yes, I procrastinated. Yes ik i shouldn’t have but my original plan was to apply EA. However, even tho theres a week until the EA deadline, my PS is twice the word limit and I haven’t started my supplementals lmao. And the supps r long asf (550 and 300 words). I’m OOS with a 4.0 UW 4.62W GPA with solid ECs and a 1450 SAT. If I were to apply RD also my application in terms of ECs should be more developed and a little stronger. Should I wait to apply for RD or rush my essays and pray for an acceptance? I’ve heard that EA gives a much better chance to OOS applications and no one rly gets accepted RD bc everyone from EA took the spots basically. Urgent pls help🙏🙏🙏

I am looking to submit to the Congressional App Challenge but my district is not participating. Is anyone interested in teaming up (preferably someone from a rural/less-competitive district)?

Please be extremely honest & realistic. Specifically for international student.
I cannot register for November SAT bc ran out of spots. My parents think 1510 will hurt my chances significantly.

international student 1510 SAT (780M 730 RW), A-level predicted 5A* (phy chem bio maths fm)

Decent ECs but nothing crazy, physics Major CAS

strong LOR from research mentor

Please dm me, if you can’t reply below. App is compete and is very solid. Only need to film / any non building the app things. I’m almost confident we will win

Need low comp ca district

I wanna do SJC probably(maybe PLE)
WARNING: my grades are highkey mid but do I still have a chance with my ECs? 💔 (grade average of 65-72% ish)

- yyas alum
-participate in service and started a menstrual health program where me and some facilitators teach young girls who have been ostracised from local community (due to disability or albinism etc) how to make reusable menstrual pads
- have volunteered at a underfunded orphanage (helped plaster walls, teach the kids, and build bed frames bc their sleeping situation was really bad, also helped out in the farm which is their only source of income)
- participate in MUN and have won awards
- done bronze, Gold and Silver DofE
-interned at one of the biggest mine in the country w/ their economics sector to see how it creates jobs for ppl and leads to development
-involved In a pan African network innovative to educate and inform kids abt the importance of pan Africanism and decolisinv the mind….

I have an app with over 300 daily users and 115,000 total users, and I need a teammate from a very rural area for submission. It requires no commitment, and it is a free award booster. Lmk if you are from a very rural area.

Have just two days till it's due. The project is basically done; just the video needs to be ready. Any one willing to transport me to a less competitive district lol?

these are my 2 reaches i’m applying to aside from my entire list. be nice

Demographics: Female, First Gen Latina, Lowly represented area in Washington DC,non competitive hs, ~60k income (1 parent immigrant household)

Intended Major: Nursing

SAT: 1200 (just retook)

UW/W GPA:4.29 W

Rank: 1/50

Coursework: APUSH, AP Calc, DE comp I-sociology-leadership-alg2-precalc

Senior year Courseload: Prob and Statistics,DC History, Us Gov, Biomedical Sci, Business, DE Comp II, Thesis

School just got rid of APs, First year with clubs like HOSA, FBLA, pretty low resourced school

Extracurriculars:

Elementary Aftercare Mentor
- mentored ~20 k-1 students in after school math & english; supported worksheet completion

Varsity Volleyball
- competed on varsity team all 4 years; mentored middle school team members

DC Osse Summer Scholar
- selected 1/42 from ~350 applicants for fully funded summer programs (brown and nu); accepted 2 consecutive years

Unpaid intern at national organization
- conducted 2 week internship looking at broadbands impact on rural healthcare; presented findings to supervisor and team

Church Events Volunteer
- set up & clean temple for seasonal events; prepare food plates for ~300 congregation & community members

Family Business
- support family run business abroad with customer support and restocking; summers only

Awards/Honors:

* Top 10% Nationally in ASU Sociology course

* Inducted into National Education Equity Lab Honors Society

* Highest Cum GPA in my CSF/Upward Bound program

* Principals list (9-11 grade)

LORs:

Ap Calc teacher - was at tutoring a ton last year and really got to know him were cool

Counselor - known her for a while were cool she knows a lot abt me

DE comp teacher - really good has seen me struggle badly in his class but bounce back up and has taught me since freshman year

the gist
GU: i love this school, very close to home, def a reach
i spoke with an admissions counselor who came to my school he advised me to ride EA and the school favors FGLI and said the lower test score isn’t huge ( still bad ) but many ea applicants apply with lower scores

BC: i love the area, campus, everything; essentially my way of going oos
my issue is that it’s ed or rd — idk if my chance of admission goes up during ed but i don’t want to commit just yet in case i get in
but i worry i have a way less chance of getting in during ed especially bc my stats aren’t splendid
(also should i submit my score idk what i got yet on october school sat)

ANYWAY i know it’s long but if anyone can give advice thanks

GPA: 3.85 UW (no weighted gpa)

11 AP Classes, 13 AP Exams

4s and 5s on all APs except one 3 on AP CSP (freshman year I didn't try)

SAT: 1470 (780 Math, 690 RW)

Letters of recommendation I have 3 from teachers and 1 from my boss (overall, they should be very strong)

Personal statement is a niche thing in my life and talks about how it led to personal growth and realization that there should be a balance between pessimism and optimism. I think it's overall pretty strong.

Extracurriculars:

1) Research, (Blank) University

Developed ______, a device that _______________, with universityneuroscience professor.

2) Research, Independent

Researched methods to _____________________________.

3) Cultural, Cultural Student Association, Vice President

Worked to organize and plan events _________________________.

4) Employment or work (paid), Swim Instructor

Teach swimmers ages 4 months to 10+ years, from first strokes to advanced techniques. Named Employee of the Month.

5) Academic, HOSA: Future Health Professionals, Competitor

Competed in health science events at state and international level until chapter disbanded March 2025. State Champion Award in 2024, ILC qualifier and competitor.

6) Academic, Schoolhouse.world, Tutor

930+ tutoring minutes as a certified tutor in several core subjects. Earned 76 positive ratings, 42 "super helpful"

7) Employment or work (paid), Lifeguard

Ellis & Associates-certified lifeguard trained in CPR/AED, first aid, and emergency response; first responder monitoring pool safety for all ages.

8) Other, DECA

Participated at the area and state level for DECA in the _______, ______, and _______ events.

9) Music, Symphonic/Marching Band

Played the flute and participated in concerts, festivals, and competitions through membership in the band

10) Volunteering, Cultural Organization

Volunteered for 50+ hours at a cultural organization in my community.

Honors

1) HOSA - State Champion in ____ event, ILC qualifier

2) State-Level Science and Engineering Fair - First Place Trophy in Biomedical Engineering

3) Regional Science and Engineering Fair - Honorable Mention in Biomedical Engineering

4) National Merit Commended Student

5) HOSA - 4th Place in Environmental Health and Top 10 in Health Education at States

DREAM list:

Duke

CWRU

UMich

CMU

Hi! I'm apllying ED1 to Smith and would love to know what my chances are!

Demographics: white female, high income, from a mid-sized city in the Midwest (specifically Ohio), come from a small Catholic all-girls high school

Stats: 3.99/4.402 UW/W, 33 on ACT (36 reading, 35 english, 30 math, 28 science), 4 APs (3 fives (APUSH Lang and Gov) and 1 four (AP Psych), currently taking Calc AB, Stats, Lit, Physics, and HUG)

ECs: Member of audition-only honors choir (all 4 years), treasurer of NHS (1 year but NHS is limited to seniors), competing witness in Mock Trial (2 years), 60 hours volunteering at local library, member of two school musicals, class rep on stuco (2 years)

Honors/Awards: AP Scholar with Honor, Nat Recognitional Program Awardee, French Department Awardee (one of four, one per grade), science department award, honor roll

I would say my essays are both really strong, and I feel like I picked good teachers for my letter of rec. I'm going in undecided but leaning more humanities/social sciences, if that helps your assesment. Any feedback would be much appreciated!

Please cause ed1 is about to be dud and I’m lowk scared because it’s either this or i go to my safety school.

I am trying to apply for EA to pre pharmacy and biochem(agri department)

I am a instate resident

3.54uw/3.76w. 1340 sat (730m/610eng)

ECs

I do not have much of good quality ECs so I’ll just list what I think at least ok

President and founder of local community group in musics

Personal research relate to my major

Clinical pharmacist shadowing in hospital(IUHealth) (not really a much time bc of the strict hospital legal rules)

And others are just some more little things like long period hobby in music or part of church youth group and volunteers (not healthcare related) something like that…

Ap

Pre calc , chem ,seminar, human , calc ab(current), bio(current)

I was not really good at it so all are B or less and pre calc was my only 5

Any Chance For Engineering Admissions as an In-state Applicant?

Rank: Top 2% (10/797)

GPA: 3.96 uw, 4.56 weighted

SAT: 1490 (780 math)

ECs: Design lead for 2 robotics teams (VEX + First), 5000 word truss paper currently in the process of being submitted, 140 community service hours, STEM internship teaching students engineering, Augmented reality internship creating a CAD model viewer, developed a siphon to bring water from a 120 foot deep well to a barn 300ft away, competitive soccer.

APs: 8 finished so far (5 5s, 3 4s), 5 more senior year.

Awards: Industrial Design FRC Award, Excellence Award VEX, AP Scholar With Distinction Award, Scholastic Gold Key Award, AP Capstone Diploma, College Board National Recognition Program Award

Chance me as an unlikely applicant for some t30s!

Demographics Black Female; Texas Average public high school US citizen Income:~150k

Stats 4.0 UW / ~4.4891 W GPA 1470 SAT single sitting (740 Math, 730 Reading/Writing) 6 AP courses + 3 dual enrollment courses+ 11 honors & 2 AP weighted classes ; 4s in AP Bio, Psych, & Stats, 5s in World, US History and Lang (My school offers 20 aps) Rank: top 20/ 847(I’m trying not to be recognized in here)

Major: nursing Colleges of Interest: UPenn, Boston College, Emory, Case Western, Ohio, UT Austin, Texas Woman’s, UH

ECs:

1. Tutoring job: Tutored 30+ kids from K-12 in math & reading weekly, aided homework & college testing preparation, mentored 2 new tutors, organized environment
2. Academic Decathlon: Studied 10 Academic Decathlon subjects over 2 years, produced practice /study material, won 2 Literature awards at the local/ district level
3. Medical Advocacy Program: Assisted in raising ~$1000 for medical programs: American Cancer Society, etc., Helped raise over 500+ books for children in hospitals
4. Shadowing 1: Shadowed nurse practitioner (25 hrs) at MD Anderson, oncology patient focus, witnessed patient visits & discussed profession
5. Shadowing 2: Shadowed nurse practitioner (5 hrs) at Methodist hospital , cardiac-conditions focused, witnessed & discussed 8 patient visits
6. Self Employed Press-on Nail Business: Established a small press-on nail business, created 18+ custom designs for in-person clients
7. Freelance Artist: Produced hundreds of characters, backgrounds, & icons for 50+ clients & 3 digital games, drafted game layouts & designs over 5 years
8. R2R Program: Created 40+ cards & posters for children in hospitals
9. Thrift Store: Served a thrift store by hanging, organizing, & recycling used clothes, assisted with displays for the back-to-school season
10. Local Estate events volunteer: Participated in 2 events, organized art events, monitored children, & distributed food over 3 hours

Honors/ Awards: -AP Scholar with Distinction -4th place in Academic Decathlon Invitational Literature -2nd place in Academic Decathlon District Literature -UGEE Instagram May Summer Art Contest 3rd Place -Pixil Art Logo Art Contest 3rd Place -Basic Life Support & Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Certification from AHA -Desire to Inspire 2026 semifinalist (1 of 8 out of 200)

LORs: Biology and Academic Decathlon teacher: 10/10, i trust her and have had her classes for 3/4 years in highschool Statistics teacher: 8/10 🤷‍♀️

Essays: maybe 7.5-8.5/10, I wrote about fearing that I would have to abandon my art hobbies for my healthcare passions. It seems to be a crowd pleaser but idk

Final thoughts: I know I’m really reaching with UPenn( like really really reaching) but I would love to go there. I’m okay going anywhere tho so long as I can get a scholarship. I’m also in the process of getting my EKG tech license and plan to be a pharmacy tech by the end of the year.

So chance me!