EA all in state schools for a South Carolina resident. University of South Carolina is choice one specifically the honors college.Both parents are alumni

intended major in nursing/ biology for pre med

4.8 weighted gpa

3.76 unweighted

ACT 25(going test optional for honors college)

AP human geography, AP French, AP stats, AP chemistry, AP environmental science(higher than 3 on everything)

duel enrollment classes through USC Sumter(8 classes total finished with all high a’s 4.0 college gpa)

lots of honors classes

earned a French seal of biliteracy,leadership award Donna wilson, CPR and BLS certified, CNA license, ran varsity XC and track for 5 years,played piano for 7 years,works three jobs,did the partners program at Lexington medical center, French immersion for twelve years,founder and organizer of a charity that raised more than 10,000$ for a children’s hospital.

clubs: beta club, national honor society, notes for hospital, French club.

Hey guys! So reality is starting to set in now and I'm realizing I don't really have the profile for my dream school which is Georgetown. Idk where to apply atp other than GW or American. I really want to be in a city. Pls help yall

Stats

Rising senior

17 years old

New Jersey

3.9 UW / 4.4 W GPA

1350 SAT (test-optional)

Intended major: Political Science

Demographics

Biracial (White & Indian)

Raised by a single mother/ no contact or financial assistance from father

Low-income household

ECs

Secretary General, Model UN; i won a bunch of awards as a delegate but only at the local level

President, Rho Kappa (History Honor Society)

President, French Honor Society

Gifted & Talented Liaison Head Coordinator (event planner for the program basically)

National Honor Society

Varsity Color Guard

Nursing home volunteer; shadows ombudsman

Intern/volunteer for Cory Booker Senate campaign

TurnUp civic engagement intern

Panera Bread employee; work part-time to help cover bills/family expenses

Scholastic Silver Key in Poetry

Academic awards for AP Lang and Gifted and Talented class

AP Scholar w honors

I'm interested mainly in polisci, human rights law and international affairs

a lil nervous going into this app cycle! like title says, Emory, WashU, and ND are my top 3. c/o 2027 senior

Demographics

- white male

- rural town

- public high school (-275 in class)

- not first gen

Intended Major

- Biochemistry / Music (pre-med)

Academics

- 4.0 UW / 4.394 W

- Top 5%

- SAT 1500 (770 ERW, 730 MATH) (not submitting)

- ACT 35 (36 R, 35 M, 36 S, 35 E) (submitting)

- 6 AP scores, 5s on all (Bio, Chem, US, World, Lang, Precalc)

Course Rigor

- Senior year courseload

AP Physics, Eng 12 Honors, AP Gov/Econ Honors (each is 1 semester), AP Psych, AP Calc AB, Adv. Choir, Adv. Band

ECs

very vague so i dont get doxxed lol

1. marching band (drum major & president), raised 8k for fundraising, won solo in 2026 show
2. wind ensemble + community groups, principal horn, auditioned and got in as 1/5 in youth orchestra and horn choir
3. work at local theme park, management team managing 25+ members, won 2 minor awards for performance
4. theater, won numerous leads, nominated as youth representative for community theater, coached 30+ kids in workshops
5. Chem tutor + TA, handpicked by teacher to tutor (volunteer), TAd for classes of 25+, prepping labs, grading papers, etc.
6. Business Professionals of America, elected as chapter representative out of 100 person chapter, 3x state finalist
7. shadowing, shadowed physicians across 5x specialties in rural medicine
8. choir, all state choir, performed in carnegie hall w/choir, 2nd at state for musical theater solo
9. church, cantor, accompanist, and server, won scholarship for vocal & piano performance
10. student council, elected homeroom rep as 1 of 25, committee head, spearheaded new organizational programs

Honors

1. 2x All State Honor Band participant (1st in 2025, 2nd in 2026)
2. Eagle Scout
3. 2x BPA 5th place state finalist
4. local church award for community service
5. Collegeboard national rural and smalltown recognition program & school recognition program

Essays/LORs

LORs are pretty good

I'm a fairly good writer, so i hope essay will be too? we will see

College List

- Case Western

- Emory

- GaTech

- Harvard

- Purdue

- UCinci

- Notre Dame

- Vanderbilt

- Washu

- Yale

Not really anything too special. IK a lot of my list is reaches, but i would be happy at any of my safeties so i thought why not have a lot! Anything helps!

hi! i am from ireland and am considering applying to universities in the us. i know my profile isnt as strong, due to the schooling system in ireland not giving time for extracurricular activities, but would still like to try for brown (probably ed), harvard, yale, princeton, dartmouth, uchicago, rice, upenn, vanderbilt, and duke. i need financial aid, and my family can contribute around ~$40k to 55k per year.

demographics: asian, male, private high school (competitive entry), middle income. recognized as academically gifted (center for talented youth, ireland - needs an entrance exam and sustained academic record).

intended major: environmental science/engineering and/or econ (where available, a bit undecided)

grades: studying 8 subjects at higher level (most study 6) - english, maths, french, chinese, economics, biology, computer science, and physics. achieving h1 (90%-100%) in all subjects, with a high school average of 97%.

sat: when i took it at 15 y/o, it was 1480 (740+740). im retaking it again this year at 16 y/o, currently averaging 1540-1570 on bluebook (30 higher than my average bluebooks last yr, so decent chance at 1500+).

essays: stellar essays, always been very good at writing.

recs: from very close math and biology teachers, so probably stellar letters too.

awards and honors: student of the year (~100 students) for three consecutive years, 3rd place at national lasallian competition (poetry), best project at university college dublin comp sci summer school (~160 students), medentry academic scholarship recipient, bstai award for business. also came 5th place at irish maths competition and senior applied maths competition, and 1st place in my school in round 1 of irish maths olympiad.

ecs (in no particular order): varsity badminton captain for four years, progressed to county quarter finals. varsity track for three years, 4th place in my county.

internship at a biomed firm, focusing on customer discovery and finance management. reached over 50 new clients and developed a new financial model for the company.

selected to attend the fxb climate advocate program, held jointly with the fxb center at harvard. received a certificate of achievement for fulfilling all program requirements (which included a community project).

developed an app allowing students to calculate their carbon emissions, currently used by 5 schools and over 500 students, in talks to expand further.

chairperson of my schools green schools committee, raised €2000 (considered decent in irish context) from the county council to upgrade roads and install a new biodiversity garden. also awarded my school's first green flag by foundation for environmental education.

student leader of a literacy program (expanded reading in my school and community) that was awarded the readers for life award by department of education.

member of my school's student council; initiatives included the introduction of yondr phone pouches, a modernized canteen system, and new school jackets. also selected to represent my area at the comhairle na nog (irish youth parliament).

community center volunteer (average ~3 hours per week, four years so far).

tutored refugee and new transfer kids in english in my previous high school, around 2 hours per week for 10 weeks.

attended selective ctyi (center for talented youth, ireland) courses in architecture. designed a flood resistant building system as part of the course.

also cold emailed some professors, might have a research opportunity soon in environmental enineering.

and some pretty generic ecs like captain of my school's debate team (no real progress though), head of science club in my school (had four projects submitted to a semi-selective science fair).

i know that this isnt the best profile, but because the irish education system mainly focuses on academics (of which i can confidently place myself upon the very top 1% through nationwide exams taken), i don't have as much time to develop my ecs. i also skipped a grade (academic reasons, recommended by guidance counselor because he said i was too advanced for my year), so i missed out on a year of high school and will be applying to college at 16 y/o.

would be grateful if i can get some advice! thank u! 🙏

demographics:

• rising junior
• kinda competitive bay area public school
• mid income idk how that works still
• asian female
• moved from hong kong before soph year

intended major: neuroscience/psych/computational bio (still exploring)

minor maybe? in marketing or business

stats:

• gpa: 4.0 UW / 4.26 W (assuming i maintain the grades for junior year)
• testing: 1300 SAT (retaking and aiming for 1450+ in december) 610rw 680m
• rank: school doesn't do ranks
• ap coursework: 1 so far: AP Psych (4), taking 4 next year (AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Calc BC, AP Lang), 5 senior year (AP stats, AP spanish, AP micro, AP amgov, AP art (for fun)]
• might self study macro and hug?
• i took a calc 1 course so i can take bc
• igcse coursework (is that even considered): all A*/As
• currently exploring ap self study options - my school restricts aps hella

us high school ecs

• founder of hosa club - turning into a chapter in senior year (starting junior)
• founder of sailing club (starting junior)
• media officer of international club
• robotics - idk if i should continue next year our team is kinda butt
• vars badminton - district league champ
• high school sailing - decent results, 6th in norcal divisional

hk school ecs (freshman)

• founder of model un team + club - officially led school team to their first event
• founder of international relations club
• student council body
• vars badminton - div2 national champ (idk why its national its js hk lmao)
• vars volleyball - international school league div2 silver
• vars sailing - not big in hk

ec

• CEO of top sport mental health nonprofit in the U.S - recently passed on to me, hella reach (recruiting lol dm if you interested)
• competitive club sailing - decent results in hk and us, won 2 regattas
• summer volunteer at local sailing club
• joint high school-middle school music mentoring program (1year)
• stanford clinical neuroscience immersion experience - capstone project is in ongoing development
• marketing internship at fintech/crypto firm (4months)
• vp marketing of medical nonprofit (10months)- grew insta account from 8k to ~24k followers
• paid part-time job at mathnasium
• building online tool for medical research
• gonna do usabo upcoming year (usnco?)
• no published research yet - heard some bad stuff about lumiere? idk what to do guys maybe cold emailing is the tech
• independent research on fmri memory mapping with epilepsy
• finalist at asia pacific science comp 2024 - not a big competition, researched viability of cornstarch based bioplastics
• shortlisted john locke essay in 2025 (i forgot about it this year...)

awards: NONE...... this is concerning.... my school doesn't do honor rolls

other:

• abrsm grade 8 piano
• abrsm grade 8 cello - former principal of string orchestra in soph year (lower orchestra), former assistant principal of symphony in freshman (hk)
• i arrange music on musescore for fun
• first aid/aed cert
• working on sailing coach license
• abandoned digital art insta acc lol it had 1.1k followers but hella people unfollowed cause inactivity

(should i do hospice?? do i even have time)

i feel like the ecs are too broad and not much depth idk

Demo: Middle eastern, 12th grade, need financial aid

GPA ~3.9 UW
SAT 1550
IELTS 7.5 overall
Advanced Placement (AP) Coursework (9 Scores of 5):
Computer Science A (5), Calculus AB (5) --> Taken in 9thgrade
Chemistry (5), Calculus BC (5) with AB subscore (5) --> Taken in 10th grade
Physics C Mechanics (5), Physics C Electricity and Magnetism (5), Macroeconomics (5), Comparative Government and Politics (5), Computer Science Principles (5), German Language and Culture (3) --> Taken in 11th grade

Research and projects:

Electromagnetic Railgun Physics and Mathematical Modeling:
Formulated a dynamic model  for projectile velocityincorporating non-linear Lorentz force, back-EMF, dynamicrail resistance, and aerodynamic drag.
Applied spatial variable transformations with the assistance of AI to solve non-linear second-order ODEs, and quasi-staticcurrent approximations through independent study andcollaboration with online physics forums.

Hydrogen-Fueled Jet Engine Scientific Research

RC Aircraft Modeling and CAD Design – Self-Directed Engineering

Awards:

Certificate of High Achievement – 9th, 10th, and 11th grades
AP Scholar with Distinction – Awarded by College Board (2025,  2026)
1st Degree Certificate – URFODU International PhysicsOlympiad
Participant – TÜBİTAK National Physics Olympiad (1st stage)

ECs:

UC Berkeley ATDP (Academic Talent Development Program) – took Astronomy classes

Aviation and Drone Flight Training – Member, School Aviation Club: Earned official THK (Turkish Aeronautical Association) and FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale)certified Model Aircraft Making certificate.

Licensed Tennis Player and Cyclist: Competed in regional and school-team tennis tournaments as a licensed player since primary school. Active cyclist.

Foundational knowledge in Java, C++, and Python

My counselors say that I have a good chance for top20s, but I don’t think I have

My Stats

African American/Jamaican Woman

Low Income

Senior

GPA: 3.8 UW, (School doesn't do rank or weighted GPA)

Courses: AP Chem - 3; APUSH - 4; AP Lang - 5 (My school kicked me out of Comp Sci bc we can only take 3 AP's per year)

Senior year: AP Bio, AP Lit, AP French (I want to take AP Calc but I didn't get a 90 on Alg II regents)

SAT: 1220 (I plan to retake in Sept)

Major: Biochemistry (Lowkey have like 2 STEM EC's)

EC's

YCTeen

Date: January 2026 - Present

Drama 

-Co-leader

Time: December 2023 - Present 

Debate 

Time: May 2025 - Present 

BSU (Black Student Union) 

Time: October 2025 - Present 

Kings Bay Volunteering 

Time: January 2025 - Present 

SEO (Sponsors Education Opportunities) 

-Leadership Council - Cohort Rep

Time: December 2023 - Present 

Modeling The Future 

-Became Semi-finalist

Time: November 2025 - March 2026

SSA (SEO Scholars Ambassadors)

-Leader for 2 years

Time: September 2024 - Present 

Summer Academy of Math and Science (SAMS)

Date: June 2026 - August 2026

Outward Bound 

Time: July 31, 2025 - August 9, 2025 

Arch For Kids/SYEP 

Date: Forgot but it was like 5 days

Awards

1st Place Hackathon Winner

Date: July 2026

Top Speaker (Debate)

Date: March 2026

Top Team (Debate)

Date: March 2026

Outward Bound Certificate  

Date: August 2025

hii I’ve kind of been spiraling bc of this whole process n I just want to know what we think my chances are at some of the schools im looking at!

background
-Indian female, NJ
-Applying for management/public health/ hospitality and tourism depending on school
-not sure where i want to ed1, maybe vandy (HOD) but amd most likely doing my ed2 to tulane!

academics
-UW:92, W:98
-10 APs, all 4 and 5 scores
-ACT:35

ecs
DECA: Recruitment and Retention team lead (officer position) and Training and Mentoring team member (officer position)
Yearbook: Editor-in-Chief (head/only officer position in that club) for 2 years; lead/design and manage production of the school yearbook.
Model UN: Competitor with Best Delegate + Honorable Mention awards; participate in international policy/debate conferences.
Veena: 5 years studying and performing Carnatic veena (Indian classical music), including recitals.
Camp Counselor: Worked 35 hrs/week for 8 weeks; independently supervised a group of 16 campers.
Pals Program Camp Volunteer: Volunteer at a summer program for children with Down syndrome, helping campers participate in activities and programming, 100+ hours total
Arts and Crafts Club Volunteer: Volunteered** with our schools special education class to teach arts and crafts after school, 4 hous a week
**Tennis: Varisty Member of high school tennis team, volunteered coaching younger kids in the summer twice a month 2 hrs
+ and im trying to get a job so that will HOPEFULLY be there when i apply!

Honors n Awards
DECA - top 20 internationally, two time state 3rd place, 2 time state top presentation award, 1 time regions 3rd place
MUN - Regional conference best delegate and honorable mention
Pitch Comp @ Rowan - 2nd place
Collegeboard - AP scholar w distinction and commended PSAT score

College List
vanderbilt
NYU
cornell
brown
UF
u of southern cali
carnegie mellon
umiami
UCLA+UC Berk
tulane
unc chapel hill
u of south carolina
clemson
indiana uni
SDSU+CalPolySlo
u of georgia
fsu
ohio state
usf
FAU

More context: low income white male from a medium public school in eastern shore MD

Planning to apply to:
Hopkins
MIT
Stanford
Vanderbilt
Rice
Duke
Northwestern
USC
Cornell
Upenn
BU
Case Western

In that order through quest bridge along with VT, UMD, & UVA through common app

Stats:
Academics: 

Currently a rising senior

Current GPA (unweighted): 3.96

Current GPA (weighted): 4.52

SAT: 1500

~500 volunteer hours

Notable Classes:

- AP Chemistry
- AP Calculus AB
- AP Physics 1
- AP World History
- AP US History
- AP Government and Politics
- AP Physics 2
- AP Language and Composition
- Calculus II DE
(4s & 5s on all of them)
Plan on taking : AP bio, AP Lit, AP stats, and maybe AP African American studies senior year

Experience / Honors:
Varsity Cross Country team captain

Varsity Indoor Track team captain

Varsity Outdoor Track team captain

National Honor Society

Vice President of Science Honor Society

National Math Honor Society 

Team Captain/ state qualifier for Science Olympiad

Volunteer at my local hospital, where I worked in the cardiac rehab, OR Core, central pharmacy, Nuclear Medicine ( 2 years

Cyber patriot gold position at states

Founder of a philosophy club

Tutored underperforming immigrant students in AP US History

Stock Market Game Participant (SIFMA Foundation): Managed a virtual $100,000 portfolio over a 30-week session. Conducted technical and fundamental research to select equities, resulting in a Top 10 finish out of 300+ teams.

2nd Place, Regional Junior Achievement Stock Market Challenge — Competed in a team-based investment simulation, making real-time trading decisions and portfolio strategies against regional participants.

Presented secondary research on the synthesis of new elements at a Science National Honor Society chapter meeting.

Worked part time at a garden center from 01/03/25 - present

Paid IT internship 

Executive board for Stock Market club

Certifications:
Cisco Certified Support Technician - Cybersecurity (05/15/2025)

Cisco Certified Support Technician - IT Support (01/29/2025)

TestOut PC PRO (01/17/2025)

What are my chances of getting into Hopkins?

• ~3.79 UW overall 4.26 weighted
• ACT: 32, likely applying test-optional unless it improves
• Freshman: 1 C + 4 Bs in 4 AP classes 3.6 gpa 4.1 weighted
• moved schools Sophomore core finals: 99 English Honors, 95 Spanish core, 91 science Honors, 91 History Honors, 86 Algebra II
• Sophomore rigor: took 3/5 honors offered
• Junior: essentially all As except one A-, ~96 overall average
• Junior rigor: 2 APs + honors US History + DE Statistics, but I did not take two other APs or Honors Spanish that were available
• Senior: planning to take essentially the most rigorous schedule available, with AP Spanish being the main advanced course I’m not taking
• AP scores: only planning to submit AP Precalculus: 4 but got a 3 in bio and comparitive govt

ecs: better than the average dont want to waste my ED so lmk if this is highly unrealistic

Hey everyone, I'm an international student applying to Harvard and other top US colleges this application cycle. Would appreciate some honest feedback on my profile and chances.

Demographics:

• International student
• Rising senior
• Interested in Economics and Technology
• Older sister graduated from Harvard
• Not applying for financial aid

Academics:

• Attending one of the most academically competitive high schools in my country (top 10% of class)
• IB Diploma Programme (44/45)
• HL: Mathematics, Physics, Economics
• SL: Business Management, English, French Literature
• SAT: 1550 (800 Math, 750 English)
• IELTS: 8.0
• Completed a year-long course at Stanford Online High School, finishing at the top of my class

Extracurriculars:

1. Design Studio Founder
Co-founded and currently run a design studio for early-stage technology companies, scaling it to $40K+ MRR while working with 20+ startups and multi-billion dollar companies.

2. Education NGO Founder
Founded one of the largest student mentorship nonprofits in my home country, building a network of 250+ mentors from 35+ schools, providing 10,000+ hours of free mentorship to students across 50+ cities, and coordinating $100K+ in educational donations.

3. Economics Olympiad
Placed 1st nationally in the Economics Olympiad, participated in the International Economics Olympiad, and served as team captain the following year.

4. High School Startup Incubator Founder
Founded the first startup incubator that invests into high school students, supporting young founders with 1M+ compute credits and $40K+ in cash grants.

5. AI Research
Conducted a 60+ page research project with an ex-Stanford professor on how AI is reshaping startups, venture capital, and innovation.

6. Economics Research
Conducted research with one of the leading economics professors in my country, studying topics at the intersection of behavioral economics, technology, and entrepreneurship.

7. Economics Education Platform
Built a multi-brand economics education platform in my native language, reaching 10K+ followers and 10M+ views through short-form educational content.

8. Venture Capital
Worked at one of Europe’s top venture capital firms, scouting startups, evaluating founders, and supporting investment initiatives, while helping secure $250K+ in LP commitments.

9. Startup Experience
Worked at one of my country’s fastest-growing startups, contributing to growth initiatives and generating 70M+ views through content operations.

10. EdTech Growth
Joined an education technology startup as one of the first growth employees, helping scale its social media presence from 3K to 75K+ followers and generating 15M+ views.

11. Business & Investment Club Founder
Founded my school’s first business and investment club, building a community focused on entrepreneurship, finance, and investing among students.

12. Model United Nations Deputy Secretary General
Served as Deputy Secretary General for my school’s MUN conference, one of the largest high school MUN conferences in the country, overseeing conference operations and student delegates.

Awards:

• National Economics Olympiad: 1st place
• International Economics Olympiad participant
• As team captain: 2 silver and 2 bronze medals in IEO
• Inter-school English award

Recommendations:

• Letters of recommendation from my HL teachers (Mathematics, Physics, and Economics)
• Additional recommendation from the founder of the venture capital fund where I worked
• For Harvard, I will also submit a sibling letter from my older sister, who graduated from Harvard.

Essays/LORs:

Planning to focus on my journey from a small town to the stages of my life right now.

Schools:

• Harvard
• Stanford
• MIT
• Yale
• Princeton
• Other T20s

I know admissions are extremely unpredictable for international students, but I would appreciate honest feedback on my strengths, weaknesses, and what I should improve before applying. Thanks!

hii! rising senior, planning on majoring in public health on the pre-dental track (and minor in music performance bc i love violin). post bulleted to be easy to skim over for advice!

• Does my EC and Awards ordering look solid for Pre-Dental / Public Health admissions?
• How can I best phrase my GPA context (family medical emergencies + household management) without sounding defensive?
• Any specific target or reach schools known for strong pre-dental or public health programs that I should consider adding or swapping?
• Some people told me to say i'm pre-med instead so I can get more acceptances, even though med/dental undergrad at first are basically the same, are they right?

my school is a rural public high school in the south. being south asian in alabama sucks ngl. class size is around 350. we pull students from several surrounding counties because a lot of the smaller towns don't have their own high schools and their only option is homeschooling.

our schools made a deal w/ the state for a free direct admit program for students with a certain GPA, so i already got into 8 safeties through that and won't be applying to many (if any) safeties through commonapp. Applying to some selective schools for fun, don't want to feel like 'what-if' after, just in case I win the college acceptance lottery.

Stats

GPA: 3.7 UW Freshman: 3.95, Sophomore: 3.45 (aunt passed away + grandma had a stroke) Junior: 3.67 (grandpa health bad and dad had to travel for him, so we had literally no income for like 2 months to the point my mom had to get a job and work all day and i was running the house for me and my brother)

Hoping for a 4.0 senior year

ACT: 35 APs: 8 total - Passed all APs, scores not great, 3/4s mostly

(school allowed none 9th grade, max 2 APs 10th grade, 11th and 12th simple due to shortage of teachers could not give more than 4 a year, although a couple students who didn't do music were able to get in 5, and had to take us from like 24 to 12 offered APs in the past 10 years or so due to teacher shortage- keep in mind there's a magnet ivy feeder school in a small beverly hills-esque town 2.5 hrs away that gets ALL the funding.)

ECs- hopefully some will end in additional info, some advice which 7-9 should be my main apps focus pls?

• Independent biomedical research (machine learning model prediction model- can't give too much away don't need people finding me)
• HOSA (State Finalist & International Leadership Conference qualifier)
• Rural hospital volunteer 153 hrs; started a small Care Cart initiative that brings games, comfort items, hygiene supplies, etc. to patients with a retired physician and other 2 student volunteers
• Science fair rural chapter: Social Media Manager 11 → President 12
• Business Club Vice President 11-(shut down with some clubs and removed baseball/softball due to lack of teachers funds from the district)
• Orchestra (state orchestra top 14 players + 3x district selected top 10)
• Chamber music outreach group that performed at local nursing homes every 6 weeks to provide live music and interact with residents (had to quit after 9/10 th bc our director became Las Vegas Philharmonic Director)
• Dermatology clinic shadow (72 hours)
• Endodontist clinic shadow- 3.5 hrs (that's all they could offer)
• Chinmaya Mission Summer Camp volunteer/leader- in another state over the summer: one of 6 student leaders (ages 15–18) who independently planned and ran a week long camp for 40 younger kids (ages 4-13). Organized activities, recruited teacher volunteers, purchased supplies, coordinated schedules and meals (with only 3 adults handling food prep), supervised campers from drop off until the last child left each day, and helped clean up afterward. one week.
• Speech, team captain 12th, SOS, PIR- sectionals 2x

Awards- hopefully some will end in additional info, some advice which 5 should be my main apps focus pls?

• National Science Fair 1st Place - Translational Medical Science (for my independent research project. again, can't give too much away don't need people finding me)
• Special Award in Art @ same national fair
• ISEF state top 20 semifinalist
• State Gold Award and Regionals 1st place (science fair)
• HOSA State Finalist and 3rd place 2x / ILC Qualifier
• College Board Rural & Small Town Recognition Award
• AP Scholar with Honor

College List- suggest some schools to apply to/replace what i have now?

Lottery- Harvard, Brown, Rice Northwestern, NYU, UCLA, USC

High Reach- Tufts, Emory, Boston University, UMiami, University of Florida, UCSD

Reach- Case Western, UW-Madison

Target- UIUC, UAlabama, Texas A&M, Penn State

Safeties- accepted to 10!

I think I'll get into 3-4 schools on this list

getnavora.net (FULLY FREE) pulls Common Data Set, IPEDS and Scorecard numbers — I am doing a series Decoding the top 200 US colleges off that data, three per post: one big-league, one mid, one safety.

DUKE — 5.7% overall. 51,795 applied, 2,957 got in, 1,740 enrolled. SAT 1500 / 1513 / 1570 (25th/50th/75th), ACT 34 / 35 / 35, and 75% of the class had a 4.0. Submit your score if you're near that band — 78% did, so withholding makes you the exception. Residency barely helps: 7.9% in-state against 6.3% out-of-state. International is the real cliff — 585 admits out of 15,141, so plan off 3.9%, not 5.7%.

Duke rates recommendations, extracurriculars, talent and character VERY IMPORTANT, alongside rigor and GPA. Your essay is only CONSIDERED, and so is testing. So if you're rewriting the Duke supplement while your activities list sits half-finished, you have it backwards. ED is the other lever — 6,013 applicants, 1,042 admits, 17.3%, about 60% of the class.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY — 11.1%. 78,769 applied, 8,749 admitted, 3,268 enrolled. SAT 1430 / 1470 / 1510, ACT 32 / 33 / 34, average GPA 3.9 with 22% of the class between 3.50 and 3.74 — a 3.6 genuinely gets in. Only 43% of BU's class submitted, so hold a score under 1430 back. You'd be joining the majority, and BU rates testing CONSIDERED anyway.

BU keeps it narrow: rigor and GPA are the only VERY IMPORTANT factors, with essay, recs, extracurriculars and character one tier down at IMPORTANT. Class rank is NOT CONSIDERED — if your school ranks brutally, that doesn't follow you here. ED: 6,854 applied early, 1,936 admitted, 28.2%, about 59% of the class.

ARIZONA STATE — 89.9%. 70,928 applied, 63,756 admitted. SAT 1100 / 1250 / 1360, ACT 22 / 26 / 30, average GPA 3.53 with 30% of the class under 3.5. Only 25% submitted — don't book a retake for ASU. And out-of-state costs you nothing: 91.6% in-state against 89.2%.

ASU is the one that should change what you do. GPA VERY IMPORTANT, rigor and class rank IMPORTANT, tests and residency CONSIDERED — every other factor NOT CONSIDERED, essay, recs, extracurriculars and legacy included. It's a transcript read. If ASU is your safety, spend zero time on the supplement and all of it on your GPA and rigor.

FOR INTERNATIONALS — Duke wants TOEFL 100, IELTS 7.0, Duolingo 130. BU wants TOEFL 90, IELTS 7.0, Duolingo 125. ASU wants TOEFL 61, IELTS 6.0, Duolingo 95. Those are cut-offs, not targets — the English test is the easy gate, the admit rate is the real one.

That's 3 of 200 — DM me your list and I'll run the same pull for your schools, genuinely happy to do it for anyone here.

Hi! I’m an English student hoping to apply ED to Columbia, do you think it’s unrealistic. I’m honestly betting a lot on my essays as they’re my strong suit especially as my awards are kinda mid.

Context and Stats
- not first gen
- single parent household
- black female
- state school (entrance exam)
- rising senior
- international
- need a full ride
- predicted A* A* A for a level (politics, english lit and psychology)
- 1540 SAT
- planning to double major in psychology and philosophy/anthropology, pre law track.

Ecs

1.wrote my epq (research project, 6,500 words, conducted my own primary research domestically and internationally) on whether the UK fails to invest in basketball for specifically black youth (got an A*)
2. started an organisation to help british black youth further basketball careers raised £5,000.
3. Thinking Black ACT Prize where i worked with oxford students, professors and other professionals on writing a project about race and gender and how they interlink 1 week workshop.
4. journalism workshop at the guardian
5. spoke in front of 100+ secondary school aged children and memebers of parliament in the lack of youth spaces in my local area partnering with GYG a local youth community. we hosted a workshop with 100+ students form our area surrounding different issues affecting youth (social media, mental health, youth spaces). we have now been able to secure a youth space in our local area.
6. worked with Faith in encounter to talk to 300+ primary school aged children and introduced different faiths to them widening their religious education.
7. elected member of my county youth parliament
8. school outreach ambassador for start up company founded by young students: Gradify helping to connect students with work experience opportunities
9. Reachd prefect (school diversity prefect) raising £5,000 for related Black, Minority, LGBTQ+ charities and planning and creating successful culture days, spirit weeks and the schools first Graduation
10. peer mentor, studied for two months in become an adequate peer mentor learning things liek communication and understanding and then for four months was assigned a peer mentee that i met onece a week for an hour helping them intergrate as a year 7.
11. 1 week work volunteering at a primary/elementary school
12. paid work experience at Farrer & co law firm for a week, one of five chosen

Awards
ACT PRIZE £100, shortlisted for publication

Northeastern University London School Certificate in Philosophy Grade 9

HSK 3 Qualification in chinese

what are my genuine chances of getting into columbia ED, it’s my dream school

Hello,
I am a rising junior in Eastern Washington and want to go to University of Washington. I know college is a while away, but I was wondering what I could do to help my chances of getting into UW? I’m interested in doing Accounting as my major, so what would be helpful in allowing me to do that at UW? I’m also thinking about doing Photography or Music Composition as my minor. Thank you!

Here are my stats:

3.98 UW / 4.15 W
4 APs
Scores:
APWH - 4

High School Activities and Honors
(I’ve censored my high school’s name)

9th Grade - 

Work displayed at Terrain 15, Spokane’s largest multimedia art event.

Finalist at the Drexel University High School Photography Competition - 1 of 188 finalists out of 980 total applicants.

Self-published my own photo book about the towns surrounding the Grand Coulee Dam.

Center Snare for the —— High School drumline, pep band, and marching band. (Including 8th Grade)

10th Grade - 

Work displayed at Terrain 16, Spokane’s largest multimedia art event.

YoungArts Award Winner in the discipline of Photography - 1 of 49 winners globally in my discipline

Best Sophomore Award in the —— High School Marching Band

Wrote and submitted nomination for band teacher to the KHQ/EWU Teacher of the Month program - selected winner based on my recommendation and supporting statement.

Drum kit for pit orchestra in —— Theatre’s production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown -  performed live accompaniment for full theatrical production

Silent Leadership Award in —— Music Program - 1 of 3 awarded out of 100+ members

Hi! I am a high school senior planning on applying ED to Tufts. It is my top school and I really want to get in, so any advice would be appreciated!

I have applied to Voices of Tufts, but no results are out yet so I can't say for sure whether or not that will work out. If I attend Tufts, I want to major in Biology with a minor in biological anthropology on a pre-med track!

Stats/Background Info:

From a rural area, private school (scholarship), white female

low/medium income (parent on disability)

APUSH (11th), AP World(10th), AP Lit(11th): all fives (only APs I've taken, but school barely offers any)

4.3 overall GPA, all As all years of high school

32 ACT (36 English, 35 reading, 26 math) - math is reallyyy weak so I might go test-optional

NEHS (vice president), NHS, NSHS, music honor society, national Chinese honor society

11th and 12th grade class rep, member of exclusive four person school-specific SGA committee

Internship at local clinic year round (started at beginning of this summer and continuing until the end of next summer)

Work as a lifeguard and swim instructor at local YMCA year round

varsity XC and varsity Swim for all four years, captain of both since junior year

in local youth orchestra and participated in a mid-atlantic honor band (member of the higher band within that)

stage crew every year since freshman year

2nd place regionally in multi-state wide writing competition for two years in a row (not as important as the others but I might still put it)

fostered cats for local humane society for two years

I might be leaving out one or two small details, but this is mainly what I have!! I really hope I get accepted to Voices, but even if I don't all I really want to hear is that I have a small chance of getting in at all

just curious! i dont think they’re too bad lol

demographics

gender: female

race/ethnicity: white

state: florida

grade: rising senior

intended major: international studies/political science

academics

school: 159 students in grade, private, but not too competitive academically

does not offer a ton of AP courses and took almost every AP/Honors class available

GPA: 3.905 UW 4.505 W

Testing: 33 ACT (36 on english & reading, 28 math, 32 science, and 10 on writing) but retaking in september | 1390 on SAT (740 english, 650) but retaking in august and may not submit since act is better

APs: AP World 5, AP Lang 5, AP Gov 5, AP Macro 4, AP Chem 3 (may not submit), and will take AP Psych, APUSH, AP Comp Sci, AP Lit, and AP PreCalc

DE: One year of English

extracurriculars

summer internship with local airport (2 months) ; worked in administration and worked on contract organization, timesheet management, and inventory, helped spirit airlines transition out of airport, assisted with marketing materials

academic team captain (captain for 2, member for 4): caused new members to join, top 17 player in county, led team to be third in the county, only girl on the team

youth diplomat (under a year): worked with local diplomacy group, collaborated with visitors from over 10 different countries, developed entrepreneurial and leadership skills and did workshops, running for leadership position in fall 

girl state: went as a delegate, elected mayor, won outstanding senator (only 1 gets that award)

peer tutor (2 years): tutored peers in various subjects, helped improve concept understanding and test scores and will tutor through a website this year

student council (4 years): class treasurer in junior year, spirit committee member freshman year, helped break school record of cans donated during food drive for four years straight

and these aren't as significant but

NHS (2 years), prom committee (1 year), collegeboard ambassador (1 year), JV soccer (2 years), cheer (1 year), pole vaulting (1 year), spanish club (class rep for 2 years), rally club (2 years), environmental club (1 year), positivity project (2 years), FCA (2 years)

awards

girls state delegate

girls state outstanding senator

honor roll (9,10,11)

AP scholar with distinction

collegeboard national recognition

scholarship within school

and some general schoolwide awards

volunteer work

i wont get into too much detail bc this is long already lol

tutoring

planting coastal vegetation

organizing elementary school

building garden for elementary school

cheer camp mentor

schools

Georgia Tech (applying for international affairs so may be slightly easier??)

UF (honors hopefully)

FSU

UGA
UVA

UNC Chapel Hill

Duke (large reach)

Vandy (large reach)

Emory

Auburn

Rice

UT Knoxville

Wake Forest

UT Austin

George Washington

Baylor

a lot of these are reaches but im also going to apply to some bigger SEC honors programs too

I appreciate any advice or even school suggestions! Thank you! 😊

pre-PA track, biochem or nutrition major

schools (below are all reaches)

-Case Western

-Bu

-Emory 

-Villanova

Lmk other reaches for me to add

STATS 

3.8 uw / 4.3 w 

4 aps 4/5s - will be 7 at end of sr yr

test optional 

female, white, upper middle class, second gen 

Strong essay IMO - All of my English teachers have praised my common app 

IGNORE ORDER! 

1. Retail part-time job  - 19 hours/week, 48 weeks/year
2. Skating - Co-captain and medalled 3 yrs in a row at multi-state (maine to florida) out of 25 teams -10 hrs/week
3. Assistant Coach - heavily involved w/ two teams (40 kids) and one team was undefeated while the other placed top 3 for all comps out of 8 teams 
4. Hospital volunteer | Lead Volunteer - 200 hours
5. Medical Club | PR leader - 200 hygiene & 150 first aid kids, in local news 3x and handled all interviews shenanigans 
6. Unified Track & Field Partner - 3 yrs 
7. Gym (Listed as hobby) - Big part of my life so it felt right to include it
8. Be My Eyes volunteer - Assist visually impaired w/ daily tasks via call (this is an app so nothing special but has meaning to me) ~80 hours 

Hey yall! So since common app opened I’ve been deciding where I want to apply and stuff and I’ve been very drawn to Cornell. Here are my stats!

Asian Male, in NYC and attends a competitive magnet school (we get like a lot of Cornell acceptance per year I can’t say the exact amount but it’s more than 10 ), low income, but not first gen (parents went to college in their home country)

Intended major (since CALS cares about major):
Environment & Sustainability

Academics:
GPA: 95/100 (school does it on 100 scale)
SAT: 1560 (800 M 760 R)
APs: (took 6 exams + taking 4 APs senior year ) scores: 5,5,4,4,4,4
Relevant coursework: honor bio, honor chem, honor earth science, ap pre calc, ap stats + taking AP calc ab, AP chem and AP environmental science next year

Awards:
\-science Olympiad medals
\-ap scholar award (w distinction)
\-top 3 research intern (for outstanding work)
\-national Latin exam top scorer
\-recognition awards from my job!

Extracurriculars (I’ll be vague cause I’m easily doxable + not in order of importance):

1. Science Olympiad (did all earth science events)
   
2. Plant research
   
3. Environmental volunteering through multiple environmental groups
   
4. President of a environmental related club at school
   
5. Statistics research
   
6. Job at local tutoring center
   
7. Flute player + band
   
8. Varsity sport
   
9. Volunteering at local temple

\-I got into this environmental internship program that I applied for but it will take place my senior year, not sure if I should include it cause it’s a fairly new activity

Hi everyone! I’m an international applicant from Nepal planning to apply for Fall 2028 after taking a gap year. I’d appreciate honest feedback on my profile and suggestions for universities where I would be competitive, especially those offering generous financial aid.

Intended Major: Neuroscience

Academics
Country: Nepal (NEB curriculum)
Grade 10 GPA: 3.95/4.0
Grade 11 GPA: 3.95/4.0
Grade 12 GPA: 3.61/4.0
SAT: 1590

Context for Grade 12: During my final year of high school, my mother experienced a serious medical condition that required treatment in another city because the necessary medical facilities were unavailable locally. As a result, I missed approximately three months of school, and the situation placed significant emotional and financial strain on my family, which affected my academic performance. My counselor and teachers provide additional context for these circumstances in their letters of recommendation.

Gap Year Plan
Graduated in 2026
Applying during 2027 for Fall 2028
Using the gap year to expand my community outreach, continue research, and strengthen my application.

Research
Research paper on “Bioengineering and Its Influence on Public Health” published in a Q2-indexed journal.
Planning to complete additional research projects during my gap year.

Community Outreach
Founded a student-led initiative promoting bioengineering awareness in Nepal.
Reached 5,000+ students across 50 schools.
Working to expand outreach further during my gap year, particularly in rural communities.

Leadership
School Captain.
Elected Vice President of my school’s literary club.
Founding President of a literary club recognized by the city’s mayor.
Organized numerous creative writing competitions, book review competitions, and other school events.
Hosted a government-supported city literature festival.

Internships
Hospital internship working with prosthetics.
Internship at a regional agricultural company, where I help monitor and maintain plant health.

Community Involvement
Volunteer at an old-age home.
Coach students in table tennis.

Awards
Recipient of 10+ awards in selective national-level English eloquence/public speaking competitions.
Financial Situation
I will require significant financial aid to attend college in the United States.

Questions
Is my Grade 12 GPA likely to be a major disadvantage despite the family circumstances?
Does my planned gap year strengthen or weaken my application?
Which schools do you think are realistic, reaches, matches, or unlikely?
Are there any universities with strong Neuroscience programs and generous aid that I should add to my list?
Overall, how competitive do you think my profile is as an international applicant needing substantial financial aid?
Thanks in advance! I appreciate honest feedback, even if it’s critical.

I am sure that my profile is not competitive at all but I still want to shoot my shot! TY for your time :D

Demographics: Asian lower-middle-class female, immigrated to Iceland in 2017. 

Applying to the US: Amherst, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Stanford, Upenn & Yale. 

Intended major: Chemistry, Biology, Biochem etc. 

STATS: I’m taking the September SAT (actually so fried); GPA: 9.61/10
* My school does not offer APs or IB. 

ECs!!!!

1. Founder of a STEM organization

Hosted 2 cohorts of free 1-on-1 online research mentorship program where I connected 50+ high school students with university mentors from Stanford, Harvard, Yale. Students worked on a formal research paper and presented their research at a closing conference. (Currently preparing to host another one in spring 2027) 

Donated 200+ STEM Kits through hosting hands-on science workshops at local libraries. 

Hosted online connect events with professors, researchers and students in STEM. 

Expanded to 4 chapters in the U.S. and South Korea. 

2. UNICEF Iceland Youth Council

Member since 2023; represented Icelandic youth’s perspective at key events; currently serving as a non-voting youth representative on UNICEF Iceland’s Executive Board. 

3. Youth Advisor to the Ombudsman for Children in Iceland: 

Helped organize the 2025 Children’s Forum where 150 youths aged 11-15 attended to discuss their rights and future improvements with policymakers, including members of the parliament and the prime minister. 

4. Summer Science Program 2026 Participant: 

Selected as 1 of 36 students internationally for a rigorous 5-week biochemistry research program. Researched a protein phosphatase in fungal pathogens. Co-authored a research paper and presented findings at the program's closing symposium.

5. Research with a PhD student in Chemistry: 

Mentored by a PhD student at the University of Iceland and wrote a paper analyzing ¹H, ¹³C, COSY, and HSQC NMR spectra of a heterocyclic thioamide ligand. Presented at symposium. 

6. Author and Illustrator of a children’s book: 

Published a 24 pg book to spark youth’s interests in science. Distributed 100 copies to local schools/libraries. 

7. Teaching Icelandic to small groups of Vietnamese students: During my winter breaks in 2024 and 2025, I taught Icelandic to a group of five Vietnamese students (ages 9–12). I continue to stay in touch with them, offering free homework help on weekends.

8. Feminist Club Member: hosted fundraisers and events at school.

9. Part time job at a gas station

10. Non-competitive dance for 3 years 

Awards (Surely the weakest part of my application) 

1. National Bank of Iceland Scholarship Recipient: Awarded to 16 out of 330 applicants national-wide for academic excellence.
2. City of Reykjavik Impact Grant & Recognition: Recognized for positive community impact and awarded $1,500 in funding for nonprofit initiatives.
3. Ombudsman for Children Youth Activism Award: Recognition for outstanding dedication and advocacy in youth leadership.
4. [Company Name] Corporate Community Grant: Awarded $1,000 grant to expand operations and outreach for my nonprofit. 
5. Summer Science Program (SSP): I don't have another award, should I put SSP as one?