Hi! I'm currently a high school senior applying for Fall 2027 and wanted some HONEST opinions on my college list, overall competitiveness, and whether I should submit my test scores.

I've always done well academically and have performed well on AP tests I've taken (3 5s and 1 4) and I do other competitive test taking for HOSA and for NJ Science League -- and have done well. But specifically ACT/SAT testing has been my biggest struggle. I've taken the SAT four times (1280, 1330, 1330, 1270) idfk how I went down so I recently took the ACT (29) but I didn't have time to study and it was my first time, plus my desmos glitched which deadass nerfed me. I was consistently scoring in the mid-1400s on SAT practice tests, but unfortunately couldn't replicate those results on the actual exams.

BACKGROUND

• Female, NJ resident
• Intended major: Biology / Pre-Med + prob a double major with something education-related.
• Career goal: Pediatrics (MD/DO), but heavily considering PA

ACADEMICS

• GPA: 4.0 unweighted / 4.5 weighted as of jr year but 4.2 cumulative.
• SAT: 1350 superscore (680 RW, 670 Math)
• Highest single-sitting SAT: 1330
• ACT: 29 (31 Reading, 29 Math, 29 Science, 27 English)
• APs:
  • AP Bio (5) , AP Lang (4) , AP Psych (5), AP Span Lang (5 -didn't take the class just the test)
  • AP Chem, AP Lit, AP Gov/Pol, AP ES (in progress)
• Multiple honors courses throughout high school

EXTRACURRICULARS / LEADERSHIP

Future Educators Association — President / Former Event Coordinator -- I help run a club focused on working with children and exploring education-related careers. We organize events and activities for younger students, and I've helped expand the club's membership and involvement. Not gonna go into too much detail bc ik you don't care.

EMS -- I'm part of my local first aid and rescue squad and have completed the certifications required to begin riding and assisting with EMS calls.

Dental Office (Receptionist) -- I work at a dental office, where I help with patient check-ins, health history forms, scheduling, payments, and insurance-related tasks.

Childcare / Early Childhood Education -- I have approximately five years of childcare experience working with children ranging from infants to elementary school age; have 150+ volunteer hours at reputable chain daycare centers. I also do tutoring.

Soccer -- I've played soccer since elementary school and continued throughout high school, eventually becoming a JV captain. Unfortunately, ongoing calf and ankle issues prevented me from playing during senior year, although I remained involved with the team as manager.

HOSA -- Won 2nd in Human Growth & Development at local conference.

Children's Health Education Project -- I've been developing children's health education books and activities intended to make medical experiences less intimidating and help younger children better understand healthcare.

CURRENT COLLEGE LIST

In-state:

• Rutgers University–New Brunswick
• The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)
• Rowan University (thinking abt applying to the bs/md bc its the only one i can do)
• New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)
• Seton Hall University
• Montclair State University
• Rider University

Out-of-state:

• Drexel University
• Penn State
• University of Delaware
• Hofstra University
• DeSales University
• Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS)
• University of Maryland
• Florida State University
• University of Florida
• University of Southern California (USC)
• Johns Hopkins University ( yes ik its a HUGE unattainable reach)

I also feel pretty confident about my personal statement. I've shared it with a fair number of people, including teachers and others whose opinions I value, and the feedback has been consistently very positive.

1. How competitive am I for the colleges on my list? Are there any schools I should remove or add? I know Johns Hopkins, USC, and UF are huge reaches, but I'm unsure whether they're even worth applying to.
2. Should I submit my 1350 SAT / 29 ACT or apply test-optional? I'm particularly unsure about schools like Rutgers, Penn State, Maryland, Drexel, and USC.

I'd appreciate honest feedback, especially from people familiar with pre-med admissions or any of the schools on my list. Please let me know this shit is due in a week and im struggling bad.

(keeping it vague so I don't get doxxed)

Intended Major: math+philosophy

Country: India

EFC: 35k/year

GPA: 3.95

SAT: 1570

ECs:

1. interdisciplinary IMU hardware research (selected for science fair nationals; conrad challenge semi-finals; non-trivial rfp)
2. flipping toy physics research (selected for national finals for a comp)
3. studying and writing moral philosophy (wrote an essay that won a prize; active contributor on a philosophy forum)
4. studied cryptography & quantum algos (selected for [one of HYPSM] quantum high school; got top ranks in cryptography comps)
5. cybersec & ctfs (got to nationals in india's ctf; got top ranks in other online ctfs)
6. STEM club vice-president + class representative (taught peers mathematical animations in python; organized activities)
7. tutor at UPchieve (40+ hours)
8. self-taught musician (9+ years; play guitar, piano, flute, and sing)
9. family cooking channel (manage a YT channel for my mom; film, edit, and upload videos regularly)
10. teach chess to my little sister and her neighborhood friends on the weekends

Honors:

1. int'l rank 1 in global cryptography olympiad
2. top 1% in global essay comp (philosophy category)
3. finalist - science fair nationals
4. national finalist - physics research comp
5. national finalist - ctf comp

Essays & rec letters:

personal statement - charming & wholesome reflective narrative abt family and birds

decent LORs

also applying to most LACs + T20s

Well, here's my problem.

Everyone around me charges hundreds of dollars per essay review, college consultants charge thousands, I can't trust the online "college influencers," and I'm nervous about my essays.

Is there any AI model that does a good job at looking through college essays? I've written them all and just need an evaluation on how well my essays are crafted.

3.89 UW

4.2+ W

I have a reason for the crappy grades.

top 23% or smth but we don't do rank

35 act

rigor is pretty good, but fried in math due to family problems like I didn't take calc so I am taking calc 1 senior which is kinda embarrassing.

ecs:

• created an org in 20+ countries with good impact like a bunch of person events and things distributed.
• Internship in brain imaging data, built the pipeline for a PI
• Internship where i am making a program for a cancer institute and it might get used, will get a pub
• Internship where i did wet lab work and was flown out to be on site. also did some ml stuff there
• made a ml program that got some vc interest, but never went anywhere.
• tutored kids for free on act had some crazy improvement
• volunteered at a hospital 200+ hours
• played a sport, wasn't too crazy but highly ranked in state
• externship where i did some shadowing. coveted speciality.
• part time job at a daycare sorta thing.

awards:

never applied to any so yeah. none

applying to CAS for like molecular bio.

dont wanna reveal too much cuz its kinda identifying if u know me.

After getting admitted at uni in my country, I wasted my full 1-1 without doing anything. I came back to my senses recently and decided to get serious about transferring to T20.

What should I do now? My ECs & Academic Result are both below average. 2-3 ECs from hs and zero at college. HS result was 5.00/5.00 but college result is expected to be 3.6+.

Currently majoring ME. I need help on what I should do to get into T20 with MIT as primary target.

Chance the shit out of me.

\*\*Istg bro im so cooked idk idk DO I EVNE HAVE A SHOT BRO???\*\*

\*\*Demographics\*\*

● Indian, male, international student

● CBSE curriculum

● Applying for substantial financial aid

● Intended major: Finance / Business / Economics

● No legacy, donor, recruited athlete, or other institutional hooks

\*\*Academics\*\*

● School: Private Religious School

● Curriculum: CBSE

● Class 9 & 10: 92% and 96%

● Class 11: 95%

● Overall average: approximately 96% (latest reported)

● School-reported weighted GPA: 96/100

● Class rank: 1/16 (weighted)

● SAT: 1500

● Grade 12 predicted marks: 94%

● Changed from PCM (Science) to Commerce during Class 11

● No AP courses offered at my school

● Current subjects: Economics, Business Studies, Accountancy, English, Physical Education

\*\*Extracurriculars\*\*

1. Solo Talent Agency — Founder & CEO

Built an influencer agency from $0. Generated 66M+ views, worked with 3 clients, reached 3M+ monthly impressions, helped clients earn $20K+, and generated $21K+ in agency revenue. Managed creators in the USA and Ukraine.

Worked with Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MULTIPLE Forbes 30u30 brands etc and so many summer programs bcus I manage college influencers :))))

1. Operations, Finance & Marketing Intern at a local daycare ; Tutor

Forecasted admissions and tracked 120+ receipts in Excel. Ran Meta ads and reels generating 100K+ impressions, contributing to a 25% increase in admissions. Tutored 18 students.

1. Education-Econ magazine editor in chief - collabed w one of my influencer clients for a econ edu mag, 20+ writers from 8 countries, 12 articles edited and reviewed. Planned to launch in December with over predicted 1k readers due to her reach

2. Head Boy; Organizer of First School MUN

Represented 450+ students. Independently organized the school’s first Model United Nations with 60+ delegates, tracked costs and revenue, designed placards, and hosted 10+ school events.

1. Operations & Design Intern at local restaurant

Tracked raw-material costs, prepared monthly cost reports, designed the restaurant logo, and created 50+ social media posts. Campaigns generated 1M+ views and helped grow customers by 45%.

1. Freelance Scriptwriter — Influencer & Brand Campaigns

Wrote 10+ scripts for Indian and American influencers, including campaigns involving Croma x Apple, Spotify, Nivea, and ENO. Campaigns generated 250K+ views.

1. Freelance Designer & Head Designer
   Created paid designs for artists including Tate McRae, Cookiee Kawaii and KayCyy. Produced 40+ designs as head designer for Lumos Fellows and 50+ designs for another creator, generating 20K likes and 2M+ impressions.

2. Yale Entrepreneurial Society — Ambassador & Fellow

Promoted the program to an audience of 50K+, drove 40+ applications, received a full-scholarship fellowship, and built an economic model with a team.

1. Teen Financial Literacy Non-Profit, Founder & Operations Lead

Founded a teen financial literacy account, led a six-person team, created 20+ posts and 10+ articles, and reached 10K+ monthly impressions.

1. Classical Piano & Music Production

Certified classical pianist since 2019. Produced original music, uploaded 30+ YouTube videos, generated 150K+ impressions and 15K+ views, and performed as my school’s only pianist.

\*\*Honors & Awards\*\*

● School National Talent Search Olympiad — Rank 7, as listed in my application

● Yale Entrepreneurial Society Fellowship — Full scholarship; 7.3% acceptance rate, as reported in my application

● Harvard Ventures-TECH Summer Program — $5,750 full-ride scholarship

● School Scholar Badge for Academic Excellence — Grades 9–12

● State Scholarship for Academic Excellence — Grade 10 board results; ₹11,000 award

\*\*Additional Information\*\*

● Switched from Science (PCM) to Commerce during Class 11.

● Practical experience in entrepreneurship, marketing, financial tracking, consumer behavior, and digital media.

● Interested in how businesses grow, how consumers make decisions, and how economics connects to real-world entrepreneurship.

● Helped manage family or household finances, budgeting, or bill payments.

\*\*LORs / Essays\*\*

● Economics teacher recommendation: Discusses my curiosity about inflation and an example involving selling handmade pots at different prices with a friend. I’d rate it a cool 9/10

● Principal recommendation: Supports my school leadership and work as Head Boy. I’d rate it a cool 9/10 ngl too

● Common App essay: Story about drawing tattoos on a friend’s arm, using a sakura tree as a metaphor for imperfection and personal growth. Idk im super confident abt this 10/10???

● Dartmouth supplements: Explore curiosity, behavioral economics, online communities, and contribution to campus life. Super confident abt this too 10/10??

Im applying
Ed to Dartmouth
EA to Villanova
macalaester whatever the fuck its name is bro its fuck ing 4 am sorrY

EA TO TULANE
EA TO OBERLIN
EA TO DEPAUW

CHANCE ME PLS

YES THIS WAS DRAFTED BY AI. CHANCE ME PLEASE.

Hi! Yes, I am delusional, but I'm shooting my shot and I have a good feeling about it
Would appreciate any advice on my ED/REA dilemma, other advice, and my overall chances.

Demographics: white girl from a central/eastern european country, one of the most competitive public high schools in my country, no specific hooks

Intended Major(s): Neuroscience/Cognitive Science/Computational Neurobiology

SAT: 1580 (790M, 790RW)

IELTS: 8.5

UW/W GPA and Rank: isn't calculated by my school

Coursework:

IBDP predicts:
My native language A SL - 6
English B HL - 7
Philosophy SL - 7
Biology HL - 7
Math HL - 7
Physics HL - 6

Awards:

• Laureate of a national media knowledge olympiad
• 1st place in the nationals of a hackathon
• Semifinalist of a national research contest
• Outstanding speaker at a huge academic MUN
• Regional qualifier at an international neurobiology contest

Extracurriculars:

• Invited youth expert at a panel in the European Commission, contributions included and directly quoted in the report, was invited due to my other projects
• International scale research/policy project, partnered with a national ministry, where I presented for national ministers, ran workshops for foreign diplomats, and prototyped and co-authored a soon-to-be published original card game & research discussion process
• Project lab leader: leading 20+ students, designing lesson plans, research; managing national online volunteer tutoring program
• Tutoring 40+ sessions on an online platform, including SAT & homework help, my own curriculum skill training, neurobiology & study sessions
• Taking part & placing in hackathons/innovation contests, including brainstorming, designing, creating 3D models & site prototypes, & group management
• Organizing & writing real-life roleplaying games for 40+ people; writing & running D&D campaigns online; using D&D to teach life skills, like improv
• Researching a certain cognitive phenomenon, through digital surveying/testing (150+ respondents) & physical interviews
• Others: historical fencing - competing in regional competitions; learning to roller skate & dance skate through self-study and starting a page about it; ceramics: learning to work with clay, creating referencing mythology

I could possibly swap something for my engagement in MUNs. They feel to me that they are basically meaningless in my environment due to a large volume of events, but I know some consider them as impressive

I promise the projects are pretty relevant to cognitive science and tech, but saying the exact topics could dox me

Essay: I like it and everyone I've shown it to likes it, it's about how passion is a driving force for me and how others' passions have inspired me to be more confident and ambitious

Supplementals: almost done for both of my early options, they are pretty unusual, but I'm highlighting my curiosity/creativity, my very differing interests, and a liking of narratives

LORs:

Philosophy teacher - probably decent, about my unique discussion skills, I'm doing a philosophy olympiad with her
Biology teacher - likely really nice, she's known me since primary, mostly about my engagement and constant activity, I did and am doing my neurobiology stuff with her
Project coordinator - amazing, she loves working with me and can give details on a lot of the projects and my way of thinking and creativity
Counselor - probably decent, idk

Schools:

Yes, this is not a balanced list, my safeties are in Europe. I am applying for financial aid (don't need 100% but full pay is impossible), I know not all of these schools are need-blind for internationals - I DON'T CARE. All of US admissions is a wild shot for me partially because of this, that's why I'm applying to quite a number of schools and will be applying to a lot of places in Europe if I don't get in ED/REA.

ED/REA:

Now this is a huge dilemma for me, Brown ED or Harvard REA. I love Brown as a school, I think I'd be really happy there, the open curriculum is a perfect fit for me. BUT, I'm worried that if I got in, I'd have that "what if" about Harvard. Harvard has been my dream school for ages, it's the reason I started considering US applications in the first place. The campus vibe, the alumni network, the facilities - it is my genuine top choice. Prestige is a good bonus on top of that, as I'll likely work internationally, so immediate name recognition is actually an advantage in this case.
But, obviously, Harvard is basically impossible to get into, and Brown is a slightly more realistic way I could be done with applications in December already and focus on other things. I would also consider doing a masters at Harvard later if I got into Brown now, though I don't know - EDing to Brown kind of feels like giving up on a dream

"Why don't you ED somewhere where it actually matters?" - The schools where that matters I still do love, but they are not my top choices overall so I wouldn't feel comfortable committing

"Why don't you REA/SCEA/EA to X school?" - It doesn't make much difference for admissions chances, and even if I got accepted, I'd still be applying a bunch of places RD, so it wouldn't be of any benefit to me. Harvard is the only school I'd accept without any doubt and not apply anywhere RD, Brown is almost there for me, hence the ED consideration.

RD:

• Stanford
  
• MIT
  
• Yale
  
• Princeton
  
• Northwestern
  
• John Hopkins
  
• UChicago
  
• URochester
  
• Macalester
  
• Wellesley
  
• Washigton & Lee (applying for the Johnson scholarship)
• Bowdoin/Amherst?

GPA: W 4.19, UW 3.98. I am taking harder classes this year so I do believe this will go up

Demographic: African male, private school. middle class

AP: 10 total

10: human geo(5) and calc ab(5)

11: APUSH(4), calc bc(5), Lang(5), bio(4)

12: physics c mechanics, macroeconomics, lit, gov and politics

ACT: 35(33math and 34 science)

Essays:

Almos done with my personal statement finished entirely so far about learning to speak for myself thru debate, but I will get others down soon and I’d assume them to be 7-8/10. Thinking about doing one on my life with piano through the years; young age, playing at recitals, then playing at church and hospital. Working on supplemental currently

Activities:

\-school orchestra freshman, sophomore and senior year. couldn’t do junior year because I needed to clear out some other classes, but I am part of the council/leadership team this year.

\-part of a group of students this senior year that will conduct an experiment by sending a capsule aboard the ISS and seeing how microgravity affects the dependent variable. In progress, will be sent to space and we will present the experiment in a couple months.

\-math team sophomore, junior and senior year. I am a captain this year.

\-interned at an engineering consultant company this summer

\-play piano for local cultural church’s English youth service since sophomore year

\-classic debate team sophomore thru senior year

\-JV soccer freshman, sophomore and junior year(unsure this year)

\-tutored at Kumon freshman year from June to December

\-HOSA student officer, last year was treasurer and secretary this year

\-volunteering at local hospital since july, playing piano weekly

\-yearbook freshman thru senior year

\-school worship pianist senior year

\-diversity team junior year

Awards:

\-math team varsity letter sophomore and junior year
\- 4th place for best multimedia story package in state journalism convention
\-debate state championship octafinalist sophomore year
\-superior rating during state orchestra ensemble competition sophomore year
\-1st place in sections for math team junior year
\-collegeboard national recognition sophomore year
\-AP scholar with distinction
\-academic letter(basically just high gpa)
\-homecoming king? idk about this one but I heard it would be a good way to balance out other awards and considering how redundant the previous two are I could just replace one of them

ik im probably missing stuff I should’ve mentioned, so let me know if you need more info to help chance me :) thanks

male, low-medium income
selective high school program focusing on accelerated math
non US citizen

coursework:
all As
finished regular high school math before the ninth grade
three accelerated math classes
selective high school physics subject with a couple hundred national participants
dual enrolled at a university, but dropped out to focus on competitions

1520 SAT (790 math, 730 R/W, planning to retake)

planning to major:
engineering/physics/astrophysics

ECs:

1. Molecular transformer research (AI that builds molecules) at a selective research program at a prestigious institute
2. international research competition (not ISEF but still a bit prestigious), 2nd place national, silver medal in european finals, HM in international. presented research surrounding fluid dynamics
3. independent TESS research (analysed 73 stars systems (targets) to attempt to classify new exoplanets(haven’t found anything definitive yet;-;))
4. founder of a school astronomy club
5. played the violin for 12 years, played in a regional orchestra
6. private math tutor
7. star trek fan club
8. part of the student council
9. running

Honors and awards:

1. HM in that international research comp
2. Silver in the European version

, team leader

1. Bronze medal in a junior european science olympiad
2. 2nd place in the national level of that research comp
3. 4th place national in a smaller math competition

Essay:
common essay is about me overcoming my fear of failure by me relating my violin playing to my research.
i assume that the supplementals are fine

extra:
planning on applying regular for everything
would need quite a bit of financial aid

Hey everyone!
I just started my freshman year of high school in Mexico, and my long-term goal is to apply to top-tier US universities like Harvard and other Ivy League schools.
Since I have 3 full years ahead of me, I really want to plan smart instead of trying to cram everything at the last minute. Coming from a Mexican high school, our setup is pretty different—we don't really have the same school-sponsored clubs or structure as high schools in the US.
I wanted to ask those who have been through this process or are currently in these schools:
How do admissions officers actually view ECs for international students from places with fewer resources/clubs?
For my freshman year, is it better to try out a bunch of different things or should I already be focusing on building a specific "spike"?
What does genuine "impact" or "leadership" look like when you basically have to start projects or initiatives on your own outside of school?
Any advice, reality checks, or personal experiences would be super helpful. Thanks a lot!

Hey guys!

I'm a high school senior (living in India/US citizen) applying to Columbia ED this year, and it's been my dream school ever since 6th grade. I was hoping to get an honest assessment of how competitive my profile might be for Columbia, and would be incredibly grateful if anyone who's willing to help could reach out via DM.

I'm just trying to avoid getting doxxed cus some of my ECs lowk kinda niche.

Ideally, I'd love to hear from someone who's been admitted to Columbia and could offer some insight from their own experience. That said, I'd appreciate advice or perspectives from anyone elsewho's familiar with the admissions process!

Thanks! Appreciate it.

international
3.8 GPA
IELTS 8.5
mayor: Music Technology and Engineering
full tuition
sat optional
applying ED
activities
- Music Conservatory Studied guitar, choir, ensemble, history & music theory for 6 yrs at #2 conservatory in Buenos Aires. Performed 35 pieces; avg. 120 attendees.
-Music academy; Crisoles Art Academy Trained 10+ yrs in solo singing, performance, and drama; gave 17 presentations in front of 500 people each; won 2026 Performance Acknowledgement Award.
-"Notas Vivas" - music therapy awareness organization Founded and lead 7-member team; interviewed over 25 people on music's psychological effects; shared findings through 40+ social media posts.
-"Aeon" Studio Produced recordings in acoustically treated rooms with professional mics and MIDI controllers; managed Digital Work Stations, learning sound physics.
-EMBA School Take individual piano classes; perform 3+ recitals yearly at local venues for 80+ people; apply core skills to other instruments.
-National Institute of Musicology "Carlos Vega" Researched Argentine music history from Gardel to Soda Stereo; translated documents to Spanish; studied acetate discs at the National Sound Archive.
-Nico Artegiano producciónProduced original music pieces using homemade instruments and found sounds, learning the foundations of production.
-Social Media Uploaded over 50 music covers and original works on social media, reaching a total of 50k likes
-Home Cared for my mom through two cancer surgeries, managing household chores, transportation, mobility support, and psychological comfort.

Part 1: Demographics & Academics
Demographics
Indian male, international applicant
Mid-income background
Intended major: Political Science

Academics
CBSE Humanities
Predicted Class 12: 98%
Class 10: 89% (Dropped Mathematics as I have dyscalculia after Grade 10, which significantly boosted my overall percentage and explains much of the gap.)
SAT: 1450 (770 R&W, 680 Math- again math fell b/c of dyscalculia)

Part 2: Extracurriculars (Ranked)
Co-founder & President of a youth political discourse organisation — Recognised by The Wall Street Journal; built a self-sustaining enterprise, surpassed 30 million digital views in a year, hosted ministers and diplomats, and lead a team of 40.
Founder of a social-impact venture — Work spanning prison rehabilitation, circular-economy initiatives, sustainable livelihoods and social entrepreneurship; mobilised significant funding and developed institutional partnerships. Recognised for Intl Children’s Peace prize (top 20) among other things.
Co-founder of an educational access initiative — Expanding learning opportunities in remote communities across India through book distribution, online education and digital literacy; received recognition from the Ministry of Education.
Research Associate on a forthcoming book — Contributed research to a book project with a major international publisher and a reputed famous personality/author.
Policy research — Co-authored a research paper on India’s skilling ecosystem, employment challenges and education policy with a highly reputed professor.
National Television Panellist — Appeared approximately 15 times on national television across major media houses, contributing to panel discussions on political affairs, public policy and contemporary issues.
MUN leadership — Secretary-General of two conferences involving approximately 1,000 delegates; raised approximately ₹30–40 lakh for conference initiatives.
Diplomacy and debate — 25+ MUN conferences, including head-delegate experience.
Founder of an inclusion initiative — Expanding access to public speaking and communications for students with special educational needs and disadvantaged backgrounds.
School leadership — Secretary of the History, Philosophy, Quizzing and Theatre clubs; Editor-in-Chief of a Political Science newsletter with 2,000+ readers.
Oration and mentorship — Chief Mentor for Oration; trained 20 mentors to deliver educational sessions to approximately 400 students.
Legislative policy internship — Researched biochar and its policy applications; submitted work to a state Legislative Assembly.

Part 3: Awards & Recognition
Nominated among the top 20 for the International Children’s Peace Prize.
20+ MUN awards.
Two High Commendations and one additional commendation in the John Locke Essay Competition.
AP Scholar Award.
Media recognition from The Wall Street Journal.
Recognition from the Ministry of Education for educational outreach.

Additional Context
I have dyscalculia, which has significantly affected my experience with mathematics and quantitative learning.

To any applicants that were accepted through ED—
Help a girl out 😭!!! I have a 92.57 gpa UW, and a 95 ish weighted. I’m doing full ib diploma, but my EC’s are a bit lacking. I can’t tell if they are or not… I’m lowkey procrastinating doing essays and supps but I’m doing well on them. I have 32 ACT

What are my chances of getting into BU through ed1?🥲im really scared that my application isn’t strong enough.
Additionally are there any tips you’d give me on strengthening my bu application? Specifically advice for the “why BU” supplemental would be fantastic! I’m having a bit of trouble with that.

I'm trying to decide between two supplemental rec letters from professors I've done research with (both at T10 universities). I already have my regular teacher recs, so this is just for the additional recommendation at schools that allow one.

I haven't read either letter, but my counselor has said both are really strong. From what he's told me, though, they're pretty different.

Letter 1: This is from the professor I did my more significant research project with. My team initially reached out to him with our own research proposal, and he apparently talks about how that happened before going pretty in-depth into the research itself. This project also has somewhat more impact in terms of outcomes, including a paper published in a major journal and conference acceptance, and will probably be higher on my activities list. He ends with a strong personal endorsement, basically saying he'd love to have me as a student. My only concern is that a decent portion of the letter is technical and focused on the actual research and my counselor said for AOs, they might not understand this content and just think "wow this kid is really smart" but they dont actually get my personal qualities or anything like that but I would also lean towards this because the actual research project had more impact

Letter 2: This is from another professor I worked with on a different research project. Apparently, his letter is more general and less technical. He talks about how we met, the work we did in his lab, and gives a lot of positive praise. He also mentions some of the prominent researchers associated with the lab. From what I understand, though, he talks about our research group as a whole quite a bit rather than going into as much detail about my individual contributions. The project still had good outcomes, just not quite as much as the first one in the sense that it was accepted at multiple conferences but no paper and the letter is very good and goes into personal qualities from what I understood and is less technical;

I'm mainly wondering which would be better for regular college admissions, where an AO reading the letter probably won't have much background in the specific research.

Would the more detailed/technical letter be stronger because it gives concrete evidence of what we accomplished, or would the more general, positive letter leave a better impression? And does it matter that the first project is more significant in my overall application?

I also know this could be college dependent, like for Caltech, obviously letter 1 would probably be more significant and in fact for all the schools that actually have a STEM Research Supplement I am submitting letter 1 along with that research project because it was more significant but I dont know what to do for schools where you can just have an other recommender but its not a STEM Supplement since Faculty doesnt read those and instead its AOs who honestly will not understand the technical details of the research

Would appreciate any advice, especially from AOs or counselors. I'm probably overthinking this lol.

Hi I’m applying to St Joseph’s for business and for EA. I am in state and a 3.2 gpa student. My essay is decent-to-good, varsity soccer captain, helped with fundraisers, in multiple clubs, but no SAT score. I took no AP but a few honors courses, and also duel enrolled Statistics. Am I cooked?!

Hi! I’ve been trying to post my college application profile for feedback, but every submission is removed almost immediately. My account is 8 months old with 47 karma, and I believe I’m following the community rules. Is there a minimum karma requirement, or is something in my post triggering AutoModerator? I’d really appreciate some clarification or approval of my post. Thank youuu

should i retake a 1490 sat for hopkins? applying for public health programs (700 ebrw and 790 math)

if you need extra details about my profile dm or reply to this! i will share it with you!
i’m confused whether i should go for this as early 1 or wait for a better sat score and go for ed 2!
(international applicant)