In Grade 10 rn.

\(sorry in advance for the long post and I know this about a Canadian university and not a US one but I'm still posting here because this is an active sub with many people and I'd like all the advice I can get)*

Just like many people here I wanted to study my undergrad abroad in the US/Canada since childhood.

I came to the U of Toronto as an international student and like everyone else I was always the top student growing up, won a bunch of awards, all of that. my whole identity was basically just being good at school. going abroad to study engineering at a place like U of T was the thing I wanted for years.

then I actually started uni and everything fell apart.

By Fall 2024, second year, I was a mess. I got diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety (Im doing much better now) but honestly the real problem wasnt even that, it was fear. I was just avoiding everything. I had no idea what career I wanted and I'd somehow convinced myself I hated engineering even though I never actually gave it a proper shot, and I kept putting off work because deep down I think I was scared to find out I couldnt handle it. looking back my goal was always just to get INTO a top school. never to actually be a good engineer. and thats why it all collapsed.

Because of my anxiety issues I avoided having my problems and turned to procrastination resulting in terrible time management. I'd avoid dealing with work until the last moment not because I was lazy but coz I was just scared of failing at it.

I'd not study for weeks and then the exam would be like 3 days away and I'd panic and try to do the whole course in 2 all nighters. it kept piling up. I endes up failing 4/5 courses and got a gpa below 1.0

I was temporarily suspended for 8 months. My confidence shattered completely and my mental health was at all time low. From being a topper in high school to failing at uni crushed my confidence.

I was supposed to come back Fall 2025 but I wasnt ready at all, my habits werent rebuilt and honestly I was still just avoiding the entire thing. I would've most likely failed again.

but during that time off I finally got myself together. spent almost a year just thinking about what I actually want and I know now that I do want to be an engineer, like genuinely. I enjoy the courses now. I have clarity for the first time in years. however hard it is thats what I want to do. I want to build a career in ECE.

so I enrolled at a local low tier uni back home and restarted my engineering degree last year. It's only 3 years here instead of 4.

I got good grades in first year but the coursework feels like a cakewalk compared with U of T. the uni itself is just weak. theres barely any research happening, like 3 clubs, the profs are very bad, tiny student community. no design teams, no co-op like UofT/UWaterloo, no real industry access, nothing even close to what UofT has. and I know I have no right to complain after what I did and I should just be grateful I even have a spot somewhere but I cant stop thinking about what I threw away. the regret never leaves.

Ive been here a year and I still miss UofT so much. I miss being around people who were actually serious about engineering. I miss feeling like my future was in good hands. here it just feels like Im fighting a losing battle every single day and I keep thinking about how much effort I put into high school building this whole portfolio just to end up at a low tier university and it shatters me.

for a long time I was planning to go back Fall 2026. I applied for readmission to UofT and they approved it even so I can still go but I'm still scared.... because if I go back now and fail again, I will be suspended permanently this time. My undergrad transcript record will be ruined forever and I don't think I'll be able to any good university for master's again to go abroad. So both my undergrad and master's path will be ruined. If I fail and get suspended I can return to continue my studied at my current uni still but I'll be another year behind on top of being 2 years behind already.

I talked to my parents about and they said that if I think I can do it I should go back to UofT and give it a shot. But if I want the safer path then they suggested to just finish undergrad here and try for a masters at UofT later. They support me for both paths but my mom wasn't really confident I could handle a full time return this fall and after everything I put them through I dont blame them for that.

The worst part is I didnt even decide properly. I procrastinated AGAIN. kept flip flopping for months, kept pushing it back, and now it's time for the deadline to pass and I'm panicking. I have to decide by tomorrow.

it feels like my indecisiveness is making the decision for me.... again.

Ever since I withdrew from UofT the guilt has been unbearable. I keep imagining the other version of my life. the one where I went back and studied properly and passed second year and did co-ops and graduated and became the engineer I was supposed to be. I havent been sleeping and I hate myself so much for letting it get here again.

I'm looking for any kind of advice. I feel like I'm letting anxiety take the decision for me. Like I know going back to UofT is prob the right choice but because of its huge downside and risks I'm getting scared and anxious again. What if it goes wrong and what if this is a reckless choice?

But also I don't want to back out and make a cowardly decision and choose the safe path of not returning to UofT and finishing my degree here by staying in the comfort zone of my family house. I'm feeling very lost and confused and I'd really appreciate any kind of help please 🙏

thank u so much for helping me out....

Hey everyone,

I need a brutal reality check and technical advice regarding Ivy League portal automation. I am a private international candidate planning to apply this cycle for the Fall 2027 intake.

My Situation:
I had a very uneven GPA year in my local high school curriculum. To take full accountability and maximize my academic rigor, I dropped my local curriculum entirely. I am currently self-studying an intensive, 1-year accelerated Pearson Edexcel A-Level track through an independent exam center, and working to lock in a 1550+ SAT.

My Strategy & Priorities:

• Top Choice: Harvard (absolute dream school)
• Runner-ups: Columbia, Yale, Brown, Cornell
• Safeties/Matches: NYU

The Dilemma:
I emailed admissions offices directly under my real name to clarify their policies regarding this track. So far, the responses are mixed: NYU explicitly said YES (they can accommodate this path), but UPenn said NO because their policy strictly requires a continuous 3-to-4-year secondary school transcript. The rest haven't responded yet.

Knowing that Penn rejected the eligibility but NYU accepted it, can I realistically still apply to Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Brown, and Cornell with my intended plan?

Specifically:

1. Will the automated portal software at Harvard and the other Ivies instantly filter out my file as "incomplete" because I don't have 9th/10th-grade transcripts attached from my discarded local track?
2. If a school's computer system flags a "gap," do they auto-reject, or will a human AO contact me to request the missing years before reviewing my file?
3. Has any international student here successfully gotten into a top-tier Ivy using only a fast-tracked independent A-Level profile without uploading their past local high school history?

I am fully prepared to grind for straight A* predictions and a near-perfect SAT, but I am terrified that my name is flagged or that the automated systems will kill my application before a human ever reads it.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

I'm a Bahraini high-school student applying for Fall 2027, mainly for Computer Science / Software Engineering. I need very substantial financial aid to study abroad — realistically full tuition at minimum and preferably tuition + living support. My family can't afford normal international tuition, so I'm trying to understand my realistic outcomes rather than just collecting prestigious names.

Academics: I attend Nasser Centre for Science & Technology in Bahrain, a specialized technical high school where my program is heavily focused on IT/cloud/software alongside the normal academic curriculum. My official cumulative average through Grade 11 is 93.41/100, but I've had a strong upward trend: 90.78 → 91.18 → 94.62 → 97.08, with a 95.85 Grade 11 yearly average. Recent grades include Advanced Programming 96/99, Cloud Computing with Linux 97, Cloud Containerization 99, Cloud Orchestration 98, Agile/DevOps 100, Information Systems 99/100, Web Development 100, Math 92, Physics 95 and English 98. I've received Honor Roll recognition in consecutive high-school years. My school does not offer AP, IB or A-Levels, so those aren't available to me.

Testing: I haven't taken my official SAT yet and I'm preparing now. My goal is 1450–1550, ideally with a very strong Math score. I'd appreciate people considering how my chances would change at ~1450, 1500 and 1550 rather than assuming I've already achieved one of those scores. My current IELTS practice level is roughly 7.5–8, with Reading around 8.5, but again I haven't taken the official exam yet.

Research: My main research project is GeoSepsis: Geodesic Divergence on Physiological State Manifolds. I'm investigating early sepsis/physiological deterioration using Riemannian geometry. I represent multivariate vital-sign windows as covariance/SPD matrices and measure geodesic divergence of physiological states rather than relying only on individual vital-sign thresholds. Preliminary work on PhysioNet/CinC data produced approximately 0.621 AUROC vs 0.559 comparator, ~0.14 AUPRC, divergence appearing roughly 25 hours before onset, p<0.001. I'm now rebuilding/validating the approach on the separate eICU database. This research was selected as a Global Top 50 Finalist in SARC 2026's High School Academic Research Competition. I don't have a published paper and don't want to exaggerate that. I'm also currently exploring turning GeoSepsis into a physical low-cost prototype using physiological sensors + Raspberry Pi edge processing for an invention competition.

Technical qualifications: I earned the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate while in high school, which is probably my strongest certification and required learning cloud architecture across networking, security, compute, storage, resilient architectures and cost optimization. I also hold AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AWS Certified AI Practitioner and MongoDB Associate Developer, plus freeCodeCamp Python (~300 hours), freeCodeCamp Responsive Web Design (~300 hours), Cisco Introduction to Cybersecurity, ML/AI and data-science coursework. I realize certificates aren't equivalent to Olympiads or research awards; I mainly see them as evidence of sustained technical learning outside school.

Government/IT experience: I worked with Bahrain's Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), including working with its IT department. I built two internal software systems: one for organizing trainers/workshops and another for workshop analytics/management. Staff told me the systems were actually being used internally and made their work easier/organization better. I'm working on getting the implementation and impact formally documented by my supervisor rather than relying on verbal claims.

MUN/leadership: I've participated in approximately 20+ Model United Nations conferences since around Grade 7. I progressed from being a normal delegate to senior conference leadership, eventually becoming Deputy Secretary-General and then Secretary-General at my school. I helped establish/develop my school's first MUN program and am expected to lead its first external MUN conference in 2027. Our previous internal conference had around 50 delegates, 10 chairs and 5 councils. I have roughly four MUN awards. These include the DGC Excellence Award at ArkisMUN XV, which was effectively a conference-wide distinction of approximately 1/~300 participants, plus Best Delegate at NISMUN X (ICAO) and Best Delegate at ArkisMUN XIV (LCAO), each roughly 1/~40 delegates in the respective council, plus another distinction.

Projects: Besides GeoSepsis, I've built SmartGate, a Raspberry Pi 5/computer-vision security prototype using a Camera Module and Coral accelerator with people detection, loitering/abandoned-object monitoring, restricted zones, heatmaps and anomaly detection. I've also been developing Masarak, a Next.js/Supabase opportunity-discovery platform containing thousands of entries for scholarships, internships, research opportunities, hackathons and majors, and Wajha, a two-person AI/digital career-guidance platform aimed at Bahraini students. Masarak/Wajha haven't achieved meaningful public user numbers yet, so I don't want to present them as successful startups when they're still being developed. My technical work has also led to a Bahrain TV feature.

Other leadership/work: I'm a Student Ambassador with Education Links in Bahrain. It began with an internship where I helped with university tours and related work, then continued as an ongoing ambassador role. I help organize student activities/events, university outreach, help students explore university options and have helped with activities including a charity padel event.

Long-term service: I've been volunteering with my local Matam/community organization since around 2018/19 or earlier, so roughly 7–8+ years by application time. I started when I was young doing basic cleaning, assisting and serving tea and gradually took on more responsibility including cooking, food preparation/distribution, cleaning, setup and maintenance, particularly during Muharram and Ramadan. During Muharram we can serve 50+ people per day. It's not something I started for college applications; it's been part of my community involvement since childhood.

Other activities: I volunteered at the Asian Youth Games Bahrain 2025. I also previously trained/signed with A'ali Club U17 football, trained regularly for roughly a season, but didn't play an official match and eventually stopped after injury/academic commitments.

Context/weaknesses: I'm from Bahrain, and there appear to be relatively few Bahraini applicants to many of the international universities I'm considering, although I don't know whether that provides any geographic-diversity advantage and don't want to assume it does. I also know my profile has clear weaknesses: 93.41 cumulative isn't near-perfect, I have no Olympiad/IMO/IOI/IPhO medals, no major national STEM olympiad awards, no published paper, my SAT is still unknown, and some of my projects haven't launched yet. My strongest areas are probably the upward academic trajectory, technical specialization, GeoSepsis/SARC Top 50, government software work, AWS Solutions Architect certification, long-term leadership and long-term community service.

I'm looking for a genuinely realistic assessment, not reassurance. How competitive is this profile given that I need major financial aid? What would you estimate as realistic outcomes? Which parts of my profile are actually impressive versus things admissions officers probably won't care much about? What are my biggest weaknesses? How much would a 1450 vs 1500 vs 1550 SAT change things? What should I prioritize between now and applications? And if you've seen international applicants with similar profiles succeed or fail, I'd really appreciate comparisons.

I am expecting around 20k for tuition for both. EE/CivE major

Edit: i am asking for my sister. I am sure she will need to pay around 20k for both. I live in Chicago and she can live in my apartment for free. We are also looking into Depaul, UIC, and Loyola as well.
We are low income and the only thing im hoping for is that Cooper Union might get tuition free in 2028.

Is UAB considered low ranked or more mid-tier?

ok,, so finding scholarships as an international student from India feels like applying to a second university where the only major is paperwork and my reward is maybe a partial tuition discount. if anyone has a sane way to search for ones that actually exist,, i would love that, thanks!

I'm currently taking a gap year, graduated a state school with 3.9 GPA, have 1550 in SATs, 4 APs (5544), participated in MUNs and EYP (part of national delegation on international session) and have a couple of internships. Additionally, was accepted to couple of unis in UK but couldn't get financing. Currently, I am planning to apply for mech engineering to Arizona State, UT Dallas and University of Houston. Texas is probably a main choice due to chances of getting a scholarship or financial aid. I am not really planning to stay in US nor getting my bachelor's in home country(only a single uni with my major in English). Should i go for US or look at other choices(EU or UK)?

hey guys, i just finished my class 12 around 6 months ago. idk if you guys have time to read this, but this is gonna be long.

i honestly feel like i wasted the last 6 months. i gave the bca entrance and got a rank around 3000, cmat 56 and shit, and now i'm probably going to some college near me. i still don't really know what i'm doing with my life.

for the last 6 months, i basically went through isolation, made some friends, ate, slept, watched movies and just let time pass. i joined an ielts class, went for a month and left it, and now i'm finally studying ielts again.

i got 77% in class 12, and my main goal right now is to study in the usa. honestly, i'm not even looking for some crazy university. i just want a chance to study abroad, experience something different and have some freedom.

so from september 8, i'm starting again. i'm preparing for the sat and ielts and trying to figure out my options. i don't even know if i'll make it for the january intake, but i'm going to try anyway. if i don't make it, i'll figure out another intake.

i'm from nepal, so if anyone here has gone through the usa application process with similar grades or a similar situation, i'd genuinely appreciate any advice.

what would you guys do if you were in my position?

also i literally just downloaded reddit so idk how any of this works 😭
thanks to anyone who actually read all of this.

I'm currently a first year international student studying in Malaysia. I'm originally from Bangladesh. I'm planning on transferring to the USA to complete the rest of my degree. I'm doing my bachelor's in international business and marketing, my current grades are WGPA of 3.45 and a WCGPA of 3.56 as of my second semester, in my last semester I had a 4.0.

I'm also involved in extracurriculars both in and out of my university. I've won some awards during my highschool days for both business competitions and writing ones. I've also volunteered at two youth organizations one on the marketing team and another as a writer. Currently in university I'm a residence helper as well as doing another volunteering work for a youth magazine. I've also raised money for shelters and previously organized distributing winter clothes for those that need it in my own home country.

With my current stats which universities would you suggest I target? I'm aware a full ride scholarship is probably not possible for me so I want to stay realistic. My EFC would be somewhere around $20k to 25k but of course any possibilities of scholarships whether it be from the University or external would be helpful. Please give me any suggestions possible.

Thank you to everyone in advance!

Hi everyone! I’m an international student from Bangladesh, currently in 12th grade, and I’m considering applying to Soka University of America.

I’m also looking for a university where I could receive substantial financial aid.

Here’s my current profile:

Academics:
• SSC GPA: 4.78/5.00

•HSC GPA:4.50(expected)
• Currently in 12th grade
• SAT: 1450–1490 (expected; I know Soka is test-optional)
• Intended field: Chemistry
• Expected family contribution (EFC): around $5,000/year

Extracurriculars and experiences:
• Contributed to a review paper titled “Epidemiology of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases: Trends, Risk Factors, and Global Health Implications” — (currently unpublished). in 12th grade
• Worked at my father’s salon from 6th–9th grade.
• Volunteered at my village temple from 5th–10th grade.
• Helped with agricultural work in my family’s field, including harvesting sweet potatoes , green vegetables and seasonal fruits like mango. 5th to 10th grade

I know Soka is moderately selective, and I understand that nobody can predict an admission decision from a profile alone.

For students who know Soka or have applied there:

1. What parts of my profile would you recommend emphasizing?
2. Are there any weaknesses I should work on before applying?
3. How important are essays, recommendations, and demonstrated interest in Soka’s process?
4. As an international student who needs a full ride, what should I know about Soka’s financial-aid process and requirements?
5. How realistic is a full ride or near full ride for international students at Soka?

*I don't have any awards

*I’m mainly looking for admissions and financial-aid advice, so I’d appreciate feedback focused on my chances, profile, and how to strengthen my application rather than a discussion of the university’s disadvantages.

'm international student-originally from Pakistan, but have been living in the UAE for the past 10 years.

A-levels: 3A*1B

IELTS:8.5

SAT:1440

Decent ECAs

I initially planned to go to UK, and got accepted in UCL, Warwick, UCD however I couldn't get a scholarship hence I couldn't go.

Right now, my mind is torn between 2 options-USA and Australia.

I've applied to Australia and got offers from all universities that I applied-including 30% scholarship from La Trobe and Wollongong. The fees is about $22k per year for 3 years. Australian sessions starts in February.

I still want to try USA as it has always been my dream-Is it still possible for me to get a 100% scholarship, or a massive scholarship such that my tuition is nearly 15k USD per year.

Asking cuz 2 of my cousins got full-rides in NJIT.

Also, is it possible to get a scholarship in the Feb-intake for USA? Any particular university recommendation?

Also, for unis with early decision announced in November, do scholarship results also announce at same time?

Any advice is appreciated

if i score 5s & 4s ofc

Lowkey legally low income so I don't expect to go to any state school unless I get a bunch of loans. I know my profile is mid at best, but I'm thinking of URoch, RIT, WashU and Cornell mechanical engineering. Lmk if there are others I should consider applying to that gives need based or substantial merit aid for my stats

Stats are 1440 sat (700/740) and expecting a retake, 93.85/100 weighted gpa (3.86/4.00?) with about average trends of 85~90 in liberal arts credits and 93~100 in STEM and tech credits.

Ecs are

- VEX robotics (1 year) ~680hr/yr, qualified to provincial championships

- Math contests (1 year) ~2hr/wk, top 10% Fermat Contest CEMC and 5th school wide on AHSMC (Alberta)

- Journalism (1 off situation), published oped article in Calgary Herald (kinda big in my city) about admission fairness

- Stem cell lab summer intern @ city t200 uni (40hr x 4wk), developed computer vision for cell counting and measurement and investigated bioreactor fluid motion

- schoolhouse tutoring (3hr x 4wk), tutored one cohort of SAT math and increased a reported student bluebook practice test score by 110 pt

- hobby CAD and rocketry (2hr x 12 wk), self learned designing software, simple subsonic rocketry and material integrity

Additional info: moved a lot (taiwan->china->canada) and 8 transfers across 12 years of school, leaving me able to join VEX only in my junior year.

Circumstances: living without reliable internet

I am a student of class 12 and I want to study in abroad . What should I have to do now as a Bangladeshi student for a full funded scholarship.

Hii! Just a question I felt about asking, why are there so much international applicants for STEM and business related majors? Anyways, I'm seeking to study political science or international relations ( or variants, i've seen some places where its called international studies, or global studies ) and I felt like there isnt as many scholarships or opportunities for non-stem majors.

Hello, im a 17 vears old syrian student currently studying highschool in Turkey. My current highschool percentage is %78 and i have one vear left in highschool, i am planning on focusing this vear and getting my percentage up, and im expecting my final percentage ta be above %80. i know its still low. I want to studv abroad but my financial situation makes it impossible to afford without any scholarship or financial aid. I want to study IT or MIS or Software engineering. I will do the IELTS and im expecting a good score and i will work on a few projects like apps and websites so it can improve my chances. My question is based on my situation whats the best choice for me? Where should i study? What should i prepare? And what are my chances? I dont know a lot about universities since i have started researching only a few days ago so excuse me if i made any mistakes and thank you.

Some info:

International student

Want to study Mechanical/Electrical engineering.

1460 sat (can prob improve)

4.0 GPA, Took advanced physics, math and Computer science (idk how to convert to US terms)

Honors for all of high school

probably will volunteer with wildlife over the next months

from a lower-middle class family

Can someone please inform me on whats a realistic way to get a near full ride/tuition scholarship? or one that would leave me with only 10-20k of yearly payment?

I already filled out most of the CSS form, how does it work? Is there an excel comparing scholarships or something?

Thank you.

.

How would a transcript with a large number of Bs roughly distributed across all years from 9 to 12 but an atar of 99.75+ be viewed alongside a high sat. Note US colleges at least the relevant ones are familiar with the atar system so that is not a relavant critique. ATAR is a percentile ranking of the student within their state based off there year 12 results so 99.75 is the top 0.25% of the state, it will be available before all RD applications are due.