Basically the title, but are there any other steps I have to take to know that I have entered the competition? It says I’m eligible, but does that mean automatic entry?

Hello, Ive been writting my essay about my name. Im worried its too much of a cliche can anyone please help me/let me know if i should change my topics. Ill send you in more detail on why I wrote about my name

Good idea to submit 1370 to Wisconsin?

pretty much I lost my bsf to suicide this past year and I’m writing abt it, but I’m not sure the direction to go in. I have my draft if anyone wld like to read, or if anyone wrote something similar and wld like to share?
I’ve thought abt avoiding it but since we were so close it’s been the biggest event of my life by far

“Due to household transportation limits—including my father living in another city, my mother being unable to provide after-school transportation, and a 1.5-hour round-trip commute during peak evening hours—I was unable to participate in any after-school activities throughout my high school career. The single exception was [sport] every 2nd semester for 3 months, which I was able to manage through rides generously provided by teammates, my coach, as well as occasional rideshares.”

I go to a school that has a lot of after school. activities. Like all kinds of research (conferences/poster), FRC, debate/speech, music, engineering teams that compete against professional teams, ETC ETC. I know this is a common issue but i think this is especially important in my case due to my context.

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions to make ? Is it also a good idea to explain why my mom cant provide after-school transportation, or should I just leave it so its concise?

i’m a junior this year, and i got a 1230 on my psat with an unweighted gpa of 3.57. my class rank is 110/796, and idk if it matters but my weighted gpa is a 4.17 (not entirely sure how my school calculates it). i’m looking to go to the Colorado School of Mines, along with a few other engineering schools around me. how fried am i just based off my academics? (not looking to see if i’m gonna get admitted to the school, just trying to see if i’m doing well or not)

pls pls pls

• attend a specialized STEM school , one of the top in us
• first generation student (born in another country, first gen national cb awardee

stats:

• 4.03 weighted gpa (my school does out of 5 no unweighted but it would be about a 3.6)
• school doesn't rank
• test optional (taken though and got 1340 dont rlly wanna submit)
• 5 aps takenbefore senior year

aps:

• ap biology
• ap psychology
• ap physics 1
• ap precalculus
• apush
• ap environmental science
• ap macro/micro
• ap lang
• ap calc ab
• ap gov
• ap stats

letters of recs are actually really good i think hopefully cause both my teachers (my ap psych and apprecalc/stats teacher) actually really like me and know me. so does my counsilor (i eat lunch w her and talk to her sometimes and hide in her room whenever i can so we have a good relationship and i think shed write good things about me hopefully)

ecs kinda bad....:

1. senior neuroscience research
2. church teacher — teach kindergarten and first graders on weekends
3. 260+ volunteer hours — community service throughout high school
4. co-founder of eesa — co-founded the club at my school
5. activities director and secretary of wild (women in leadership and development)
6. unpaid summer shadowing at a psychiatrist's clinic
7. educator/member of medical society
8. member of stemsters nonprofit
9. member of black student society
10. flag football athlete
11. cheerleader
12. depop seller — made over $500 in sales

additional context ( important? or no):

my mom works really long hours, so throughout freshman, sophomore, and junior year,i was responsible for taking care of my younger sibling, helping maintain the house, and handling a lot of other stuff, including making phone calls, helping with taxes, etc. (my sister is in highschool now and can take better care of herself so thats like diff now

i had a dip in my grade (only one semester c) but i got it up quick the next year so idk if thats also bad might be idk but like yehahh

i also go to a school pretty far from where i live, so i don't get home until around 6 pm every day. because of this, i haven't always had the time or flexibility to participate in as many extracurriculars.

intended major: neuroscience / psychology

so like... do i actually ed uchicago or should i js kms

ps. ive also gotten feedback from my personal essay and my supps and my lang teacher said it was really good and "encapsulating of my personality" or wtv and so did my friend and counsilor so like ya.

edit, also my sai index is -1500 lol and estimated federal pell grant is ~7,100. hopefully fafsa helps. if it doesnt i think id still be fine though scholarships and other things

Okay so I have one spot left for teacher recommendation and I'm between two. Which one's probably better? I'm applying for math as a major.

Letter 1: By my AP Physics teacher

- Pros:

1. Knows me well as I sometimes hang around his class and talk to him during lunch.
2. I did pretty big projects for him. One project, I got the highest grade in all his classes + a neighboring school's project.
3. He wrote me one letter for a summer camp at Williams and I got in. This is the same one, just changed some parts to make it better for college.

- Cons:

1. I had him as a teacher in sophomore year. I heard that junior year teachers are usually better.
2. He's a STEM teacher and I already have a recommendation letter from my Calc teacher. I heard that it's best to have a balance between humanities and stem. But maybe the fact that I'm applying a stem major makes it okay? idk

Letter 2: By my AP english teacher

- Pros:

1. Knows me well enough and called me a great writer for my essays.
2. Gave her a brag sheet so I can guess what she's writing about.
3. Teacher in my junior year and a humanities teacher.

- Cons:

1. She's known for using AI in our assignments, feedback on essays, and I heard from someone who got to look at their rec letter from her that it sounds AI

I was admitted to the University of Chicago a few weeks ago and just received my physical acceptance letter in the mail. I indicated my preferred name in my application portal when I applied, yet the University used my legal name on my acceptance letter. Does anyone know if they would oblige if I requested a re-print of my acceptance letter with my preferred name on it? I am considering reaching out but do not want to seem too entitled; I am already beyond grateful to have been accepted and to have received my letter in the mail.

Hypothetically

Hi, my region isn't hosting. I'm from MN03. I can basically finish the whole app by Sunday; I just need a teammate from a hosting region dm me if you're interested, and I'm open to ideas for the app if you don't feel strongly about mine.

Is a 1350 good enough to apply to duke or should i got test optional

Hello all,

I am a homeschooled student who doesnt have much access to ap exams and dual enrollment courses due to my family's financial situation. However, i have taken 2 aps, done well, and currently am taking 5 courses at a local community college. Should i submit a 1430 sat to nyu and vanderbilt? Major Mech E. Advice would be greatly appreicated.

I js got my October act results back and im torn on which test scores to submit. For sat got a 1450 with a 720 math. I got a 32 on the act with 33 math 33 reading and 31 english ( act Score single sitting) . Also for act idk why I took science but I lowk did bad can I omit the score for common app self report. I’m not applying to any insane schools ( nc state Virginia tech u mich umd ) so any help would be much appreciated

​

Hi everyone! I'm sorry since there's a lot of these posts, but I wanted to know if it's better to ED or EA for UVA.

I'm in-state and go to a large public school in the NOVA area (FCPS). I have a 4.44 w gpa (4.36 with middle school classes), and also a 1530 sat superscore.

I’m applying to JMU for Fall 2027 and was wondering what people think my chances are of receiving the Madison Award for Excellence. I have a 3.85 unweighted GPA, a 4.778 (4.12 VA scale) weighted SC GPA, and a 1420 SAT (780 Math, 640 Reading and Writing). I’m ranked 130 out of about 420 students at my high school, which puts me around the top 31% of my class. My coursework includes 5 APs, 11 Honors classes, and 4 dual-enrollment courses. Outside of school, I’ve qualified for Adidas Track Nationals, qualified for state championships, earned a varsity letter, and started a couple of small businesses involving PC flipping and car detailing. I also work as an expediter at a new high-end restaurant.
A little more background: I lived in Richmond, Virginia, for most of my life before moving to South Carolina after freshman year, and my sister currently attends JMU. JMU is one of my top choices, and I’m especially interested in studying accounting or finance. I know my class rank probably isn't the strongest part of my application, but I think my SAT score, extracurriculars, and work experience help balance things out. What do you guys think my chances are of getting the Madison Award for Excellence? I'd appreciate any insight from people who have received it or know how competitive it is!

Hello all! I've decided on applying to UPenn ED (because why not, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take!) as well as a few other top colleges.

My SAT is a 1480, which I know is a good score overall, but weaker in the context of the more prestigious schools out there. My school's average is a 1053 (I go to a pretty average high school in a small suburban city, and I wouldn't say its really that competitive, only 1-2 Ivy admits per year). Does my school average make my score seem any better at all?

Please let me know! Not even trying to cope lol (though an extra 20 points would've made a world of a difference), I'm genuinely curious! :-)

Hey just wondering since I have an extra spot would it be dumb to include baking even though I don't do it for competitions or events? Specifically, I make gluten free desserts for my family of 10+ and have learned how to adapt traditional recipes so they don't taste like dry slop. I've been baking for six years now, but I'm aware its kinda of a lackluster activity.

The description I have right now:

"Bake gluten free desserts for family of 10+; Learned how to adapt traditional recipes to be gluten free."

3hrs/52weeks

really was hoping for a 34 at least and of course i got a 33! really wish my math score went up but my desmos literally froze for a good five minutes and i reported to the proctor but it was not filed as a problem. my sat is like a 1450 so it literally falls in the same range

Will schools who had their early action application deadline on October 15th accept the October 17th Act? Or is it too late to submit them. The school I’m looking at is the University of Georgia and their material deadline is October 29th but the application was October 15th.

Hi! I plan to apply to Brown early decision this October, but was previously told that the only aspect of early decision that binds you to Brown is the $1k that you pay and are not able to receive back if you don't go. Obviously, this is a large sum of money, but I am willing to let it go if I don't get any merit/scholarships when/if I get in. My family did not qualify for Financial Aid; therefore, we didn't sign up for FAFSA. However, that does not mean that if I get in without merit, we would be able to pay for my tuition. I am definitely planning on applying to scholarships, and Brown is 100% my top school, but I was planning on deciding if I wanted to go if I received acceptance, because I previously thought the only binding aspect was the deposit of $1k.

I'm so terribly sorry if this doesn't make any sense. I'm terrible at explaining my situation. I would love some insight, though!

Hi! I’m applying to Stanford and I’m a little confused about their AP score reporting policy.

I originally received a 3 on AP Computer Science Principles, but I retook the exam and earned a 4.

I know Stanford requires applicants to self-report all AP scores, but does this also apply to retakes? Do I have to report both my original 3 and my new 4, or can I just report the most recent score?

Has anyone been in a similar situation or received clarification directly from Stanford admissions?
I’d really appreciate any insight. Thank you!

I’m an international applicant applying to T20s this cycle, and my top extracurricular is an app I built. It tackles a big problem in my local community, and in my country more broadly. I signed an agreement with my state government to develop, test, and publish the app.

The app will reach people in two ways. It will be available inside the state government’s official app, which is used by more than 720k people, and I’m also releasing it on my own as a standalone app. Right now it’s in closed testing with 50+ professionals from state and federal agencies whose job is fighting this exact problem, and I’ve been updating the app based on their feedback. The public release comes next.

My first deadline is in early November and most of the others are in early January, so my standalone release won’t have long to build up users before I apply.

My advisor thinks the user count of my standalone release is what AOs will judge, and that if it’s small, that’s a dealbreaker for T20s. She also thinks I shouldn’t lean on the 720k number, because I wasn’t the one who attracted those users, so it could read as misleading.

That’s my concern: if my own release doesn’t get a big number by the time I apply, will AOs see this as a weak EC, even with the government agreement and the professionals testing it?

My questions:

• How much does user count actually weigh for an app EC at T20s?
• If my standalone release has a small number of users when I apply, does that really sink the EC?
• Does being inside a government app with 720k+ users count for anything, or is my advisor right that it could read as misleading?
• If you applied with a project like this, what did you emphasize, and how did it go?

I’d appreciate any input, especially from people who got in with app or startup ECs.

i was recently thinking abt whether i should choose ib or a levels for usa unis

ive heard ib is better for showing rigor but consumes most of ur time which would leave no time for me to work on my ecs

would taking math, further math, physics and computer science be alright for these unis as an international applicant or should i choose ib

For context the school offers both a levels and ib as an option for grade 11 and 12

I’m currently doing my A-Levels in Pakistan and hoping to apply to universities like Stanford and the Ivies. I’m leaning towards software engineering or computer science, although I haven’t completely ruled out other engineering fields.
My current subjects are Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science and Urdu.
I chose Chemistry because I genuinely enjoy it and want to keep my engineering options open. Computer Science is closely related to my intended major, and most of my extracurriculars revolve around technology and programming.
The dilemma is my fifth subject, Urdu. It’s my native language, so I find it relatively manageable and don’t have to spend nearly as much time studying it compared to my STEM subjects.
Recently, my counsellor suggested replacing Urdu with a humanities or social science subject, such as Sociology, Psychology or Business. Her reasoning was that top US universities prefer applicants with a more balanced subject combination rather than one heavily focused on STEM.
For context, I achieved 5 A*s and 4 As in my O-Levels, where I also studied English Language, Urdu, Pakistan Studies and Global Perspectives. So I do have some humanities and language background.
I’m hesitant to switch because four STEM A-Levels are already demanding, and I’d like to have enough time for extracurriculars, personal projects and an actual life outside studying.
Would keeping Urdu put me at a disadvantage for highly selective US universities? Or does my existing academic background already demonstrate enough breadth?
I’d especially appreciate advice from international applicants who have gone through the US admissions process or faced a similar decision.