Iowa state!! Just something that made me happy :]

To finish the Common App and see a .pdf spit out of the last four years is really jarring. I've never felt so dehumanized. Where do I talk about all the friends who saved my life and are the spark of my world? Why did my orchestra experience get dumbed down to a handful of words and not the everlasting memories that I made? Why is my SAT score the first time and not the second time I took it? I studied CRAZY amounts just to get a lower score? My firefighting experience is the only thing that gets put into 650 words, but that's still not enough to show the brotherhood and the trauma I experienced. My dream school is far away, but it's the one I want. If I go to my dream school, will I see my brothers and sisters again? Will I step into my firefighting gear again?

I've cried so many times and lost so many hours just thinking. EA is around the corner. I dislike this process. I wish I were good at something. I wish I did something that would show better on a college app. I wish my studying didn't leave me barely short of a 1500 SAT. I wish my parents knew that I'm not built for T20 schools.

:(

I am an incredibly boring person. I have no intrest, I've never traveled. I have never had any deep, meaningful character arc in, well, ever. Theres only one thing im good at: telling a story.

So here I am, staring at the blank Google doc on my laptop, mind completely blank. Then it comes to me: they want a story. It doesn't have to be true, it just needs to sound true. The poor overworked underpaid bloke who will be reading this could care less about me as a person. They want to be told a story, so why not give them one.

I think the best way to approach this is by not looking at it as "an essay that will determine if i get into college and therefore the rest of my life", but as 500 word first person short story. I think this will sound a lot more personal than if I wrote about me. I hate writing about myself because I am a very private, and as before mentioned, boring person. But I do love to write stories.

Any advice (or just telling me this is a really shitty, terrible, idiotic idea) is appreciated.

Hello everyone, wondering if anyone can shed light on this comparison. I've visited both, and the jury is still out. I love the promise of learning-for-learning's sake in the U Chicago essays, but I've also heard that Brown's open curriculum promotes learning-for-learning's sake. Corny as it sounds I really want to wind up at a school where people enjoy learning. At the same time, I want college to not feel like that same level of high school stress. I'll be a humanities major.

hi guys! I'm currently trying to decide which Ivies I should apply to. I really want to apply only if my character type seems fitting for the school (obviously not the only thing, but a big part for me). For example, Brown is known for its artsy/quirky kids. So my question is: what is the average personality for each of the Ivy League schools?

Is imperial college really better than all U.S schools excluding MIT or are the Brits coping

Disclaimer: These are general questions I have received from friends and some of my own.

1. Testing - At what point does a lower than typical testing score genuinely bring up a red flag? Yellow? Orange?

2. Personal Statement - Are you looking for different attributes from different majors? A unique quality? A unique story?

3. Favorite - What are your favorite essays, activities, or genuinely standout parts on an application that has even the most average student gain admittance?

Hi everyone!

I'm really conflicted as to whether I should submit my SAT score, considering all my early application schools are test optional. I am an international student, by the way.

I have a weighted GPA of 3.89

I'm wondering if a 1440 will detract from this/make me look worse or not.

I'm applying to USC ED and Babson, U-Mich, and UVA EA and I just want to know if taking the test optional route would be better than submitting or not. I've heard so many different perspectives and am curious as to what you think. Thanks!

my ielts scores just got released. i got an overall band score of 8.0.

listening: 9.0
reading: 8.0
writing: 7.0
speaking: 7.5

i am a native english speaker so i feel like my score is lowk horrible… i took it without practice or tutoring beforehand. i am applying to top 30 universities. should i take it again and aim for an 8.5?

test optional for now
3.8uw
5.3w
rank: 4/402
7 APs taken before senior year but only one score is submittable 💔:
Ap Human Geography = 4
3 APs rn= AP Stats , AP Psych, AP Pysics1

letters or rec:
math teacher from 11th grade- 4/10 didn’t really have a relationship
bio teacher from 10th/11th grade- 8/10 (I have faith)
counselor- 10/10 she loves me

ECs are kinda mid:

~Paid research internship at JHU (related to social science) - 12th grade
~Unpaid Clinical Medical Internship at local hospital for full school year -12th grade
~2 summers spent volunteering at same hospital
~150+ community service hours total
~$200+ raised for leukemia research (fundraiser) - 11-12th grade
~Girls who code program in game design before sophomore year (summer)
~Got into a coding/software dev program with an internship pipeline summer before senior year (full full school year)
~Possibly a national coding contest participant
~National Honor Society president at school- become president senior year but have been a part of the club since 10th grade
~Member of Red Cross club at school (11-12th grade)
~Member of Science National Honor Society at school (10-12)
~Worked a job for 6 months during junior year as a dining associate at a senior loving home with people who had dementia (so I got lots of training on dementia care)
~Part of a specialized cs track school

Prospective major:
Molecular engineering or Computational Biology

I just started writing my bajillion supplementals and I'm realizing that maybe my life would be easier if I ED'ed somewhere. The issue is I don't have the greatest stats, and I also think I like the UCs (in state tuition). If I were to ED it would be Brown or Uchicago. I would go pre-med. I just don't know how I could walk into a binding agreement without more knowledge(sure, deep diving into the website helps) and I visited for a couple hours, but its not providing me with enough conclusive evidence to do something binding....

Anyone have any tips?

how does it work? my school says i have a 3.9 weighted, but i took 6 College courses and I have a 5.0 all together. It doesn't make sense for it to be a 3.9. before that, i had a 3.7. idk it just doesn't make sense so im a bit confused. Also, if I get my SAT scores after the admission deadline, can i still submit it?

I did some independent literature review research and was looking for somewhere to submit it so it could potentially be published. I came across a high school research journal called The Schola, which apparently only publishes literature review papers. I was wondering if this is a genuine journal or a predatory one.
How does it compare to something like The Concord Review? Will it add value to my application?

I just don't want 3s to bring down my application. I've taken 9 AP Tests, on 6 of the tests I got 4's and above, but on 3 i got 3's. I'm also submitting my senior year AP Tests (4 out of the 6). AP stats and physics 2 is lowkirk killing me so js choosing not to report those.

For “Please select which circumstances you’ve experienced,” I want to choose “Experiencing homelessness or another unstable living situation”

• Does this have to be current, or can it be a lived experience
• This has happened to me before from 3rd- 5th grade, but currently my family and I are in good financial standings

This seems confusing because the original question includes both past and present experiences. However, when I preview it, it mentions "experiencing homelessness or another unstable living situation" without the original question, which I thought indicated a current/present moment.

What should I choose? Should I deselect this or select this?

Can past people who applied tell me how their stats looked like for ED1 for context my gpa is a 3.76 UW and my sat is 1440 (780 math)

Academic Tutoring: Founded an online tutoring platform; tutored 50+ students in SAT Math, with 95% improving scores; created AP study materials and instructional videos with 6,900 views.

Music: Studied violin for 13 years; earned third-chair orchestra placement and three gold ratings at state-level music assessments; performed at regional concerts.

Heart Health Education: Designed and distributed hundreds of educational flyers about cardiovascular disease; led public presentations and community discussions on heart health.

Philosophy Community: Founded an online philosophy discussion community; facilitated diverse philosophical discussions generating 600+ comments and interactions.

Competitive Soccer: Played club soccer for six years; served as team captain for three seasons; participated in teams that won 15+ tournaments.

Medical Internship: Supported patients before medical and dental procedures; advised physicians on practice statistics to improve patient care and efficiency.

Political Campaign: Coordinated fundraising events and parades, designed promotional flyers, organized supplies, and contacted voters.

Entrepreneurship: Founded a freelance web design business; built websites for local businesses to improve user experience and customer growth; generated $3,500 in gross revenue.

Business & Healthcare Ethics: Qualified for a statewide business competition and placed third in a healthcare and ethics event; helped expand club membership and advised student leadership.

Cancer Patient Support: Assembled care packages with
essential supplies and encouraging messages for individuals diagnosed with cancer.

like for deca, fbla, hosa. i personally think it doesn’t mean much if ur not either president or vice president.

I'm about to finish high school within next 3 months and haven't chosen any college yet...I wanna do something related to art n design but has no idea on what to choose or do(neither does my parents)???I chose bio computer for 12th..what should I keep in mind while applying and any suggestions on what or where I could apply?help pleasee???!!

I am an intl student from Asia, and i am genuinely upset about my Oct SAT score..it was my first attempt and I got 1460 (800 maths, 660 r & w)..I am planning to apply REA to Princeton. Now, I am skeptical about whether I should go test optional or submit my score? My major is astrophysics and my LoR, honors and ecas are pretty good and math/physics centric. Will low SAT score affect how AO view my profile.

Its been a dream of mine to get accepted into a UC, maybe it be UCLA, UCB, UCSD etc but everytime I check the admissions website I get confused with what I'm supposed to submit with my application

As an international student, I always thought we had to give either the SAT or the ACT to apply but no UC considers those in the application and I'm so confused on wtf am i supposed to attach or which exams am i supposed to give to get accepted into the university

It would be a major help if you guys could guide me

My personal essay is about living in the present and disliking slow walkers until I realized that those who do are just living in the present, like spending time with friends.

Are there any really good college essays with the same theme? How could I approach it better?

hi, I am planning on eding to washu olin and applying to other top business schools. Will a 1530 that is 780 RW and 750 M hurt me? Should I retake?

(TLDR at the end.)

I am completely lost on what I want to do with my life, what field I want to pursue in the future or what I want to study in college. I know for sure that I will go to university, so taking a year off could really help me explore my options before I commit to something.

I'll be able to experiment a lot with my development, pay serious attention to my hobbies, learn basic life skills, do stuff that I've always wanted to do - make more art, learn a new language, become more comfortable in myself. Though most of my problems are social, and I don't know how I can better myself if I don't meet new people. Hell, I still don't know who I want to be.

The thing is, I am extremely apprehensive about staying at home for a year. I believe staying isolated in my small home town with no friends will start to weigh on me a bit. I have always felt that highschool has stumped my growth due to the close mindedness of people, but my home would be worse. I'll be able to experiment with things on my own in my room, yes, but my family is extremely overbearing and will probably weigh down on my mental health tenfold. I have escaped that toxic environment for a few years living away from home for highschool, but for a gap year I would have to go back. And as I mentioned, all my friends will be leaving for college. There are no good ways for me to meet new people as there is barely anything happening in my town (not to mention I am extremely socially anxious and if I'm not in forced settings like college, I will not talk to anyone).

I come for a country where its socially unfit for teenagers/young adults to do jobs, especially part time jobs like working as a barista or volunteering. (This was something I've been yearning to do but my parents are not allowing me to go to university abroad, I'm still caught up whether I should still try to convince them) No parks, no clubs, no events. I've been waiting to have lived life freely after school but I feel like this will just suck my soul dry. On the other hand there is no way I could rush into deciding a major, especially after I feel incredibly burnt out from school (after studying difficult subjects I hated and 3 continuous years of no summer break because my school can't plan their calendar. also they planned every exam after our breaks so we studied in all our vacations) I think it'll just fully ruin my relationship with academics, something I've been meaning to mend over a year of break. There is also no option for me to travel somewhere or do an internship. My mom was even angry at the idea that I wanted to 'explore' career options or my interests if I take a gap year, and wants me to spend all that time working towards an entrance exam.

It's hard to explain, but it's like my family doesn't see the point of a life existing outside of academics or career success, something which I've been trying to grapple with after some very depressing years at high school.

Any advice or input will be heavily appreciated.

TLDR; if I take a gap year I can learn new stuff, work on my hobbies, and explore my interests. However I can't do internships or jobs, and I'll be socially isolated so I won't be able to work on any social skills. Will have to stay with a toxic family, and stuck at home, weighing down my already precarious mental health. But if I go to university I rush my options, do a major I do not like, double down on my burn out, might feel stuck into a new chapter of my life.

Is it possible to get into top schools or any ivies with weak ECs
I have a summer job, tutoring, newspaper club, and key club that’s basically it. No leadership

4.0 UW gpa, top 10% in the class, 7APS, 1510 superscore

Can my essays and academics be enough or is it a waste of time?