...if you think you will be working as a software engineer when you graduate.

10-15 years ago Google was asking FizzBuzz and Two Sum questions to candidates, now it's not farfetched to see them toss a new grad a leetcode hard. The rise of continued globalization, remote work, and growth of platforms like leetcode has drastically increased not only the candidate pool but the candidate skill level as well.

Offshoring, globalization, and AI are all destroying the tech industry. In 2024 the US Bureau of labor statistics had a 15% projected 10 year job growth outlook for software engineers. In 2026 it stands at just 10%.

Do not fall for this scam.

currently SOPHOMORE International from highly represented Asian country(visa needy) student applying BIOLOGY on the PRE MED track

Harvard

Stanford

MIT

Cornell

Columbia

Dartmouth

UPenn

Brown

Yale

Princeton

Duke

Amherst

Bowdoin

Berea

Colby

Colgate

College of the Atlantic

Hamilton

Haverford

Lafayette

Macalester

Middlebury

Northwestern

Pomona

Skidmore

Swarthmore

Tufts

Notre Dame

Vanderbilt

Vassar

Washington & Lee

WashU St Louis

Wesleyan

Williams

BEFORE i get flamed for only applying to Ultra-Reach colleges, Please, note that all my safeties and targets are in my home country, i do not wish to go to the US for safeties.

I am well aware that Med school is insanely tough in the US, i am also aware that may not get into even a single college, i have safeties, please disregard this.

I'm mainly applying to the US because reaches in my home country are subpar compared to this.

My main factor is financial aid, and then everything else, which is why you might find entirely different college environments listed here, etc etc PLEASE DO NOT FLAME ME FOR THIS.

So yeah i need to cut this list to 20 colleges, removing, replacing, adding wherever necessary

One last thing: please do note that this is the very first draft of my list, requires extreme polishing (schools like WashU, Tufts may not give enough aid, etc etc ykwim)

Also I'm a male so HWC's are off the list.
Thanks for listening.

EDIT: i just realized i might come off as an annoying kid, im sorry I've just had bad experiences with this subreddit before

EDIT 2: I am a sophomore, i posted mainly to cut some of the ones with less aid, bad for pre med etc and get more opinions on ones with high aid that i may have missed.

I live pretty close to Wesleyan, we used to do our practices there sometimes. So when I was younger I genuinely thought it was a random community college 😭 Then last year I was researching colleges and I found out it’s actually a really amazing LAC?

Has anyone experienced something similar? I feel like I JUST found out about sooo many elite schools like before this process I didn’t know some national universities like CMU, Northwestern, and Emory!!! And last week I learned about Pomona.

Anyways this is NOT Wesleyan shade at all it’s truly an amazing school and I would never get in but haha this process has really opened my eyes

(First post on this sub btw)

I have an opinion that I'm pretty sure isn't the full picture, yet I can't really find a reason not to believe it. I'm making this post to see whether my biased opinion is valid or not, as well as if there's any information that I'm not considering.

So many times, colleges ask "Why do you want to go to our college specifically?" I think I'm biased because these types of questions are easily the hardest for me, but I don't think this is a fair question to ask given how students apply to college.

Students who apply to college usually cast a wide net of colleges to apply to, based on the area of study that they're generally interested in. They don't just apply to one college. So I don't really understand why I have to say why I want to go to their college specifically. I don't. I'm casting a wide net and seeing who lets me in based on my grades, transcript and essays.

And while we're on the topic, even if I did care about which college specifically I went to, it'd be stupid. As long as I get a job in the end, I've heard that it doesn't really matter what college you went to unless you went into an Ivy League (and I don't know if I really can or want to go to an Ivy League).

So yeah. What are everyone's thoughts on my opinion?

Edit: Looking back at this post and thinking maybe I should have said "I hate it when..." instead of "It's stupid for..." in the title post, because it's a subjective opinion. I'm sorry for that.

How many people who go to college for an art major actually end up with a job related to their major? Specifically what I am thinking of is sculpting/painting, if anyone here has gone to college for this, could they tell my their experience finding a job after college? While I very much am into art, I am concerned about not being able to make a career out of it, especially after inheriting debt from going to college.

I’m applying to princeton I was wondering if i could have help with supplemental essays.

Intended major : biology
SAT: 1450 (770 math, 680 rw)
Essay: adjusting in my own ways from having nystagmus (shaky eyes)
Honors:
Awards within DECA (competed at all levels so yes international as well)
Rit math and science award
Member of music (Tri-M), science, and nation honors societies
Varsity tennis tiger award (most improved player)
High honor roll - 3 years

Activities:

- Health careers academy (only student selected from my state)
- co-prez deca
- president culinary club
- pals program (often known as best buddies?) no leadership role but helped organize + host a regional special Olympics (/volunteer?)
- varsity girls tennis all 4 years, rotating 3rd singles and 1st doubles
- science Olympiad (2 year memb, competed at states, not much progress in this but want to discuss more science oriented activities)
- community service (rise against hunger committee head, coin drive organizer, cit. prob won’t talk abt all maybe money raised, food packaged, etc.)
- band (clarinet section leader, holds a first clarinet part/pos., played at 24+ events)
- student council grade rep (or if co-rep bc I wasn’t alone, got logistics and desires from my grade to bring to the council and planned spirit weeks, hoco, and other events.)
In additional info( or I could replace an activity) holding 2 jobs for 3 years (hs assistant at elementary school and teacher assistant at a preschool/daycare)
Weighted 4.72 gpa (out of like 5? Or 5.3? Idrk)
No class rank at my school
6 APs (out of my schools 10 offered, 3 junior yr 3 senior yr)
- ap bio:5, ap lang: 4, ap macro:4, ap psych,lit,stats tbd
2 dual enrollment (Spanish and physics)
Maths taken : honors: geometry, alg2, precalc, calc ap: stats

LOR: ap bio and macro teachers (macro teacher is the deca advisor too)

i shouldnt do this I guess but I'm curious. Just recently got rejected during the ED0 round at UChicago. stats:

• 1580 SAT 780v 800m
• 4.14/4,25 unweighted at an all IB school (Took math aahl, bio hl, film hl, English langlit sl, Spanish A langlit Sl, Psychology Sl, and TOK). I do have 2 5s on my transcript in sem2 g11 which I think is the biggest issue.
• my school doesnt list rankings or quartiles or anything.
• XCs: Organized a blood drive at my school with the american red cross (alongside a summer research internship there), worked as an intern for my film teacher and filmed/edited cumulatively 30m of promotional documentaries for diff businesses in PDC Mexico (i do not live there), served as a photographer for my school's FRC team, worked as a volunteer english teaching assistant for Spanish speaking adults, and co head of a school anti human trafficking club. Obv stuff missing but that's it in broad strokes
• Recs from my Spanish teacher and bio teacher. I have good relationships with both. My film teacher gave a recommendation in the optional slot to discuss my work as an intern. I have a great relationship with them.
• Took a summer session class at UC. philosophy of life and death, got a 100.
• Major selection: anthropology, linguistics, philosophy

My essays are obviously a volatile factor. I passed them through a long-time supplemental editor though and he unprompted added a note telling me they were the best he's ever read which surprised me.

I don't think there are any salient issues with my app and I thought I would have a particular edge with the essay, the ED0 pool, and the 1580. Stupid to say but I was honestly surprised at the rejection. Not too broken up about it, though. I feel confident that my second choices (pomona and emory) aren't much of a step down.

Actual questions:

• I would like to know if there's something I overlooked in my profile. Im also interested in knowing which circumstantial factors by you all's judgement would be the most likely to interfere with the profile for UC Ed0.
• Are there other colleges with a similar culture to UChicago's? I don't mean in terms of prestige, research, or career opportunity, more along the lines of informal literary culture and interdisciplinary study, which is where i found it to be the most idiosyncratic (in other words, please don't just throw more top 50s at me). like i said above, right now my next favorite is Pomona which I like a lot but I don't see a lot of evidence that it holds this factor.

Thanks.

I want something that gives a level of job security and makes good amount of money cuz this economy is trash. I just have no idea what to major in and I'm applying this year. I don't want to go in undecided or do engineering or nursing. I love science but ppl say u can't get a job w those degrees soo any advice is appreciated

okay does anyone else think the new umich "challenging the present and enriching the future" prompt is really weird and vague. i've been working on it for literally hours and hours and i'm still not done because i keep accidentally not answering the prompt, but idk what the prompt is even supposed to be

how good is yale scea? is there anything specific they look for? i know they reject a lot scea instead of deferring which is kind of scaring me but im just wondering how to improve my app for it in the next 2 weeks lol. thank you!

Hi, i'm a junior in high school and i've always wanted to major in clinical psychology until recently I was wondering if it is worth it. My heart wants to help people who experienced the same or similar paths i went though, but my brain isn't sure if its worth it. I wanted to major in psychology to help others who also have my conditions or related conditions (i am autistic with depression and anxiety). Apparently psychology is a really regretted major so this is why I am asking. I have also heard that the US hospitals are shit, so i was deciding of being a psychologist somewhere else, despite English being my only language. I am not fluent in my parents language, and I dont plan on living there. Unfortunately this shortens to English speaking countries since I only speak English, and I am terrible at languages. (I barely passed spanish 2 and had a speech delay as a kid)

I have thought about majoring on neuroscience which is kinda close to psychology, but i wanted to more talk therapy and diagnose psychological conditions. I could major in music, but i do not want the stress to perfect a lot and I dont want that to be my full career.

I've thought about doing private practice, but it can be harder for me to earn money and making it affordable.

Thanks for reading this.

Thanks for anyone reading this.

I'm applying ed1 at uchicago and I don't really want to apply for aid. I'm a US citizen living abroad, and my family is pretty well off. But with a combination of my countries low cost of living and an amount of assets that we wouldn't include due to them technically being under my grandparents name, we might actually qualify for aid. Uchicago says its need blind for US citizens, but I'm not sure how true that really is (especially with the school apparently being in massive debt and trying to admit more students because of it). Will my chances be hurt because I'm applying for aid?

I want to get into Penn State/UMD, I have a really good essay, pretty high SAT score but the grades don’t reflect them at all.

in my earlier years of high school I barely did any work averaging C-D grades, however in my senior year I’m getting all A’s. Hopefully they focus more on the change in my senior year. Please let me know if it’s over

I'm an international student with a 3.62 GPA and 1400 SAT, planning to major in Finance/FinTech/Economics, with Neuroscience as a minor if possible.

What universities would you recommend that are generous with need-based financial aid for international students?

I've considered St Olaf, UTA, UT Austin, UT Dallas, and Augustana University. I do have a list of many other universities but I keep second guessing and would really appreciate some advice on these.

I'd also appreciate any other university suggestions.

Thank you.

Hello everyone! I am a domestic applicant and I would like some advice on where to apply for school. I am looking to double major in biochemistry and mathematics on a track to go to medical or pharmacy school (the prerequisite courses are nearly identical so I think that it is okay that I have not decided yet). My safeties are UK and Mizzou.
In a university, I would prefer a campus on the suburbs of a major city, then a campus in a major city, then a rural campus. I want the campus to be walkable, and I would prefer a college that is in EST, so I don’t need to schedule calls with friends and family. I want to be able to work on research with a professor as soon as possible, and I would like to be able to stay in the city over the summer for internships. Money is not too much of an issue.
My stats are probably pretty mediocre for this sub. 4.0UW and 4.45W GPA for a full IB Diploma student (HL Biology, Math A&A, and English A Lit; SL French, Chemistry, and Economics). I scored a 7 on IB Chem and a 6 on IB Economics (the rest of the courses I am still taking). I have a 34 ACT (33E, 33M, 35R, and 34S) and a 1470 SAT (700R/770M). I took 4 AP courses freshman and sophomore yea: Human Geography (4), US History (4), Comp Sci Principals (4), and Pre Calculus (5). I have won 3 school awards (2 math/1 chem). My ECs are pretty bad (sports and volunteering mostly). My essay is okay (extended metaphor comparing chemistry to magic).
Where do you think that I should apply as a reach? Thank you for all advice!

This is my 3rd SAT attempt and last. I got a 1480 (780 Math, 700 English). Previous scores were 1270 and 1310. I know it’s below the lower quartile but I have good grades, AP scores, and some solid EC’s I think could make me stand out. Even though I know a lower SAT score doesn’t automatically exclude me it can be pretty discouraging. Is there any statistic on ppl who get in on SAT scores under the lower 25 percent ? Thanks 🙏

EDIT: sorry I meant whether I should bother applying to Stanford, cause of my lower SAT score, mb.

I'm an Indian citizen who completed grades 9 and 10 in India at a feeder school. Due to my parents' work, I had to move to Nepal for grades 11 and 12. As a result, we were quite late in finding a suitable school, but I ended up attending a school that follows the Cambridge curriculum.

As far as I know, my school hasn't sent many, if any, students to the US for undergraduate studies, and it doesn't have a CEEB code either. I've got a 1560 SAT score and 5s on a few AP exams, which are so uncommon in Nepal.

I'm wondering how much my school's lack of experience with US college admissions, particularly for international applicants, would affect my application. Would admissions officers take my circumstances into account, especially given that APs and the US college application process aren't very common at my school? Would not having a CEEB code or a track record of sending students abroad put me at a disadvantage, and is there anything I should do to address this in my application?

Thanks!

I'm going to participate in the FRC competition in 2027—what are the benefits?

Hi everyone, im having a bit of a hard time finding info on what social life is like at the University of Rochester. I am aware that greek life is not very prominent but other than that, what is the balance between academics and social life like? how often do people usually go out and what do people typically do on the weekends? If any current students or alumns could share their thoughts and experiences i would be very grateful!!!

Basically I'm an 11th grader just done with my IGCSE'S and currently doing AS and A level and I also plan on doing SAT

BUT IMM SOOO CLUELESS LIKE WHAT IS THAT MOSTT UNIVERSITIES REQUIRE AND HOW DO I DO THE RESEARCH AND WHAT SHOULD I BE PREPARED FOR LIKE IDK WHAT TO DO I WANNA GET INTO A GOOD UNI BUT IF ITS NOT GOOD ATLEST I CAN GET A SCHOLARSHIP

I HAVE 2 YEARS I NEED TO PLANN EVERYTHINGGSKJSNCBS

i know that's probably not the place to ask this but it is about my application kinda

I'm gonna change my last name in dec and I'm gonna apply to 2 colleges by then (i wanted to do it this week but I'm going abroad in dec so my parents were scared the passport and all that won't be here on time)

will it affect anything? do i need to need to email the unis about it or something?

also I'm not from the us idk if that's important

Over the past 6 months, I've became incredibly enthusiastic about learning anything I can in Mathematics and Computer Science (specifically AI and algorithms), and this has inspired me into looking towards US colleges, of which have a great research faculty and, obviously, overall top teaching quality. I'm interested in specialising in AI or Quantitative Research when i'm older (no, not for the money, at least not wholly). My question at least is what are some opportunities offer holders from MIT, Harvard, etc. that have boosted their application, especially if you're from the UK? My stats are below.

A-Levels: Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics (predicted all A*s)

GCSEs: 6A*s, 3As

Supercurriculars: Founder of the school Maths Society, Participated in the Senior Maths Challenge (results haven't come out yet but im fairly certain Ive qualified for round 1 of British Mathematical Olympiad), doing a lot of MOOCs if that actually means anything to admissions

Extracurriculars: Debate Society, Varsity Basketball Team, Leadership role in chess club

Hobbies outside of this: I like dragon ball z and im learning 3d modelling and animation

Projects I'm currently undertaking: VR (using 1 pound cardboard headsets where you put your phone in) 3D game-like environment for secondary chemistry education where they can make their own chemicals (Sort of like those molymod kits), and then click on the bonds and atoms and learn about their real world applications and some chemistry info like bond angles, a plugin for vs code to help new coders with their terminal understanding (e.g. what the errors mean, something I continue to struggle with)

The reason I'm posting this is that a lot of applicants I've seen have done this crazy stuff like IMO and ofc they deserve to get in more than me, but I also have a passion that makes me want to hold a competitive position in the application process. Thank you for reading.

So I didn’t realize up until today that you should ask wayyyy in advance for a letter of recommendation from a teacher (ik I probably should’ve reasoned that one out earlier but here we are).

I’m going to ask two teachers for letters tomorrow but the issue is that ive got a lot of college deadlines coming up on November 1st (& a few on the 2nd). I was thinking of pushing these back to a regular decision but feel I might be risking my application by not applying early action even though I’ve heard it doesn’t affect your application.

So I feel I have 2 options: Apply to the colleges that don’t need rec letters on the 1st and push back the ones that do to a regular decision OR push them all back to a regular decision so I can include my recommendations on all of them.

My question is this: would it be better to apply regular decision with recommendations on all of my applications or should I just submit what’s due on the 1st and add my recommendation letters to any later dates? Or if I should do something else please lmk I’m not Joe College Application or anything idk what I’m doing.

I would like some insight on whether I should apply REA or RD to Stanford. It is my number 1 pick and would love to get a decision early in mid December so I can put my mind at ease. However, my stats are average for Stanford applicants — WHICH I am very proud and grateful for. My current stats are a 1550 superscore, yellowstone ycc summer program member, rank 1/470, state and regional champ team air rifle member, few leadership positions regarding church and JROTC in a pretty noncompetitive school (avg SAT ~950).

I am not outstanding like many national OLYMPIAD champs and genius athletes in the majority of the REA pool. I have also EXTREMELY procrastinated on the essays and have virtually not touched them yet. I am very ashamed tbh… 1 thing to note though, I have gotten a city internship starting this week that may improve my application if I let it maturate into January to become a somewhat strong extracurricular.

In conclusion, I am conflicted on whether to apply REA with the hopes of receiving an early decision to relieve stress, to continue to improve my application for RD, or apply to another top20 ED. My current list of universities I would like to apply to for chemical engineering is

Stanford University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Yale University
Princeton University
Cornell University
Northwestern University
Rice University
Carnegie Mellon University
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Purdue University
The University of Texas at Austin
University of Delaware
Colorado School of Mines

I would be very thankful for some advice.

P.S The essays are most likely going to be mediocre as I am not a strong writer.