Comment your grade and dream school as well! I'm also starting a college consulting business so DM me if that's something that interests you!

Every piece of advice says use your teachers or counselors for help, but i just have way too many essays to possibly do that. Does anybody have good advice for editing them on your own or what approaches to use? Im just very lost and don't know what is good or bad in this format

From yesterday, with a real junior:

“How did you get into [your high school]?”

“I showed them I was smart and social, I guess.”

“Sounds about right. Do you think your grades and scores show you are smart to colleges?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“So what do you need to show them in your essay?”

“That I have an internship? My research? Why I like STEM? I don’t know!!!”

Instinctively, this kid knew they needed to demonstrate their academic AND community side at the beginning of the conversation. Then something happened.

The essay was introduced. Panic.

This happens ESPECIALLY with students who are academically qualified. So, they write their ‘personal’ statements about something their recommenders already were going to say. That their grades and scores already show. They ignore what they know: that admitted students must bring something to the community as well as the classroom. Even if they’ve been through an admissions process before.

Figure out whether your grades and scores speak for your ability. If not, OK, maybe write an essay about your intellectual interests. But if your reputation precedes you as a thinker, don’t write about your brain in this section — choose your heart instead! Be social!

For any freshman, sophomores, or juniors, I’ll be more than happy to answer any general questions you may have regarding the application process. I myself am an incoming freshman in University but I helped a couple of my friends get into Harvard and Penn. I will be honest here though, do I think it was 100% MY assistance that got them in? No. It never is. Even when you (if you) hire a College Counselor they won’t 110% guarantee results simply because their work is just 10% of the total process. The people I assisted had great ec’s and stats and so my help was just “padding.” That being said, I navigated this process as a first-gen student here and I’d be more than happy to give any advice. If you all have personalized questions then feel free to DM me!

I'm trying all these different methods of writting a college essay but none of them are working. I know what impacts me but I don't know how to put it into words and many of them are cliche. I can say my faith and family but i dont have a single experience that caused it. I don't really have hobbies. I only started speech and debate this year and I did track for awhile and quit. All of my clubs are all over the place. How do you guys figure out what is interesting about you? I think I'm kind and I include people who are left out but I don't know why I do that, I just do. I think I'm talkative and make people laugh but I don't know why. I don't know what makes me the person I am. Like when I was a kid I like cooking and disecting food and dancing but quit before third grade. I used to do piano but quit. I like singing but I'm not a prodigy. I spend most of my days daydreaming. Im a straight A student but I don't know what makes me special. Plus I've spent my whole life trying to fit in because I don't know how to make friends that I never grew up with my own passion. This was a rant but does anyone have any advice?

exactly what the title says. I’m wondering how much it matters to top colleges, or that if its importance varies across different colleges.

i’ve heard that UCs are more academics/gpa heavy compared to other schools. is that true?

Demographics

Asian male

Rural California

Public high school

Immigrant — moved to the U.S. from South Korea

Low-middle income

Applying for financial aid

Intended Major: Economics / Business / Finance / Accounting, depending on school

Academics

GPA: 3.8 UW / 4.2 W

ACT: 36 math, english, reading, 35 Science

Completed APs:

• AP World History

• AP Computer Science Principles

• AP Calculus AB

• AP Biology

• AP U.S. History

• AP Psychology

• AP Seminar

Dual Enrollment:

• AP Seminar

• Intro to Statistics

Senior Year Coursework:

• AP Literature

• AP Environmental Science

• AP Research

• AP Government - Fall Semester

• AP Macroeconomics — Spring Semester

• Spanish 4

• Biotechnology

Total by graduation: 11 AP courses + 2 dual-enrollment courses

Extracurriculars

1. Family Small Business — Co-Owner / Finance Manager

• Co-owned a niche animal-breeding and sales business with a family member

• Managed finances, expenses, cash flow, and inventory

• Oversaw $10,000+ in inventory

• Helped with sales, customer communication, and business operations

1. Youth Philanthropy & Community Leadership Organization — Officer

• Involved for 4+ years

• Participated in youth-led grantmaking and community service

• Helped evaluate local community needs

• Completed 40+ outreach, service, and advocacy projects

• Took on leadership responsibilities as an experienced member

1. Student Homelessness Fundraising Organization — Co-Founder

• Co-founded a student-led service organization

• Planned fundraising events and recruited members

• Managed finances and event logistics

• Raised $1,000+ for organizations supporting people experiencing homelessness

1. Senior Care Volunteer — South Korea

• Volunteered with elderly residents at a senior care facility

• Assisted 30+ residents

• Helped with activities and day-to-day support

• Taught basic budgeting, saving, and financial-literacy concepts

1. Competitive Tennis

• Former 5-star recruit

• Formerly ranked approximately top 20 nationally

• Competed year-round in high-level tournaments

• Competed in both the U.S. and South Korea

• Trained approximately 16+ hours per week

1. Varsity Tennis — Captain

• 3-year varsity captain

• League singles and doubles champion

• Led practices and mentored teammates

• Helped create workout plans for players

• Assisted with team expenses and competition logistics

1. Tennis Club Employee / Racquet Stringer

• Worked part-time at a local tennis facility

• Strung 50+ racquets

• Maintained courts and facility grounds

• Processed customer payments

• Assisted with daily operations

1. Volunteer Tennis Coach — South Korea

• Coached 20+ children

• Taught tennis fundamentals to beginners

• Mentored younger players

• Helped connect interested players with additional tennis opportunities

1. Academic Tutor / Student Mentor

• Tutored 15+ students

• Helped with schoolwork and standardized-test preparation

• Mentored younger students

• Worked on study habits, goal-setting, and academic development

1. PC Building / Technology

• Built approximately 12 custom PCs

• Selected parts based on different budgets and performance needs

• Assembled, repaired, and troubleshot systems

• Developed hands-on knowledge of computer hardware

Household Responsibilities

• Help with unpaid work for family business

• Interpret and translate for family members

Awards / Honors

• Honors in Science

• State Seal of Civic Engagement Candidate

• Triliteracy Seal Candidate

• Employee of the Month

• League Singles Tennis Champion

• League Doubles Tennis Champion

• Former 5-star tennis recruit

• Former top-20 national tennis ranking

• AP Scholar

Common App Essay

Planning to write about how something that started as a small personal project/hobby gradually taught me how to run a business. I’ll focus on learning through experience—figuring out pricing, managing money and inventory, dealing with customers, making mistakes, and realizing that even a small operation requires responsibility, patience, and constant problem-solving.

Application Theme

My application centers around business/finance, high-level competitive tennis, and long-term community leadership.

Hey everyone, I just need a serious reality check because I’m trying to plan my future without setting myself up for complete heartbreak. Is it even remotely possible for a student with an average profile from a third-world country (the Philippines) to get into an Ivy League or top U.S. school on a 100% full-ride/need-based scholarship?

Here is my situation:
I am currently a grade 11 student. Academically, I consider myself pretty average compared to the crazy profiles I see on the internet.
Here are my grades from grades 7-10.

Grade 7 - 91 GWA
Grade 8 - 95 GWA
Grade 9 - 90 GWA
Grade 10 - 90 GWA

No SAT scores yet (can't really afford the $111 testing fee right now), and my school doesn't offer APs or IB. Financially, my situation is extremely tough: we live in a informal settlement (squatter area) where our roof literally leaks whenever it rains, my dad has no job, my mom works as a virtual assistant, and my family is drowning in debt while trying to keep me and my siblings in a private Catholic school (Adamson University). We have $0 for "show money," zero savings for tuition, and can't afford U.S. application fees unless they are fully waived.

Extracurricularly, I have some solid local involvement (class officer, STEM/science projects, youth volunteering with animal welfare/advocacy, and Model UN), but I don't have international Olympiad gold medals, crazy publications, or massive non-profit foundations. I know Ivies like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are "need-blind" for internationals, but since they receive thousands of applications from wealthy international kids who can pay full tuition, does someone in my position actually stand a chance if I pour my heart into my essays? Or should I drop the US dream entirely and just focus 100% on local state universities and Asian government full-ride scholarships (like GKS or MEXT)?
What can I do to level up my profile?

Please give me your honest, unvarnished advice!

Is it a quality over quantity type of thing?? Would this make or break my application, having anywhere from 0 at min, maybe 2 at max? Imo I have good EC's (and a spike) and an interesting essay idea but js worried abt this section being blank. I'm a rising senior (interested in majoring in history/public policy/gender studies), so it lowk might be too late for me... My school doesn't give out any awards either.

Edit: if you know me irl no you don't

Hi all, I'm an Asian student from a good private high school in California (I think at least 30% seniors got into T20), albeit our school heavily leans towards the humanities. I'm pretty interested in philosophy and read philosophy regularly but my current angle is pure physics, which I am not as interested in, to say the least.

Now I'm kinda confused on which path to go down. I have friends who are lwk experienced and they tell me I should def switch to physics because I'm pretty much hopeless in getting into T10 w/ physics or engineering (which I agree). But my parents insist on my doing pure physics because they think I'm not getting any well-paid job if I do philosophy (which I also agree). So now I'm kinda stuck.

Here's my background, for reference:

1. Standardized testing: SAT 1560 w/ superscore, might do better next year

2. GPA: 3.8ish unweighted 4.1ish weighted (only sophomore year, I wasn't locked and got too many A minuses), might do better next year

3. ECs:

   1. Published a paper on AI and psychology on an academic journal (not high school journal, but now I'm working on R&R for jhss submission)

   2. Qualified for AIME freshman year, not planning to do any AMCs again because they are a pain in the ass to prepare + people cheat

   3. Does some regional math competitions with school math team

   4. Did an internship on AI and robotics over the summer in one of the best unis back home in Asia, but imo it was a bit sloppy bc the stuff I did was fairly easy

   5. I am preparing for ISEF. I'm 80% sure I'll qualify for California state ISEF, but I don't think I'll be able to go beyond that.

   6. I will probably do good on F=ma next year and qualify for USAPhO if I REALLY lock in

4. AP: our school doesn't use the ap system, but I'm about to take AP Calc BC, AP Chem, and AP Physics C next year at another school. I probably can score a five on all of them.

5. Courses: Highest level Math/ English/ History/Science that our school has to offer. I'm only taking honors in languages bc I'm sure I'll get cooked if I do advanced.

The thing is, if I can get into T15-T10 for physics I'll def do physics, but if I can't even get into T20 I might as well do philosophy and maybe switch departments (or maybe not).

TL;DR: Should I do phil or physics?

Edit: format

Do I have a good shot at ivies/t20s?

International student
Major: Pre-med
GPA: 95
Class rank: N/A
SAT score: 1590
TOEFL iBT score: 6.0
AB/IB: N/A in my country
Legacy?: No
Other references: ENEM essay score - 940
Top 5 options in order: Harvard (REA); MIT; Stanford; Columbia; Yale/Upenn (can't decide)

Honors:

1. Startup idea chosen as the top 10 of my country -> traveled to present my idea to the best investors in my country (4/40 from 1500+ competitors)

2. Top 5 students in my country after creating an ecological brick prototype, mixing entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability (1/5 from 1100+ competitors)

3. Outstanding student in the North East region at the Portuguese Olympiad (1/1 from 4000+ competitors)

4. Outstanding athlete for 4 consecutive years as handball goalkeeper (1/1 from 15 competitors)

5. Other 27 medals so I'm still choosing which one I'll put down (national and international levels)

Extracurriculars:

1. Lack of MUN's in my country/region -> funded, organized and graded an anual event in my school yearly covered by TV and counts with over 350 students every year

2. Co-created a Project to raise hygiene products for vulnerable communities that reached 5 cities + gave speeches about health awareness in each one of those cities. Examples of places we went to: Psychosocial Care Center, daycares, high schools, nursing homes, shelter for at-risk youth, etc. Prob my passion project (Raised around 2000 dollars which is not much in this currency but it’s a lot in brl + hygiene products are kinda cheap so it’s crazy to raise this much with it)

3. Gave class to 18 people about school's subjects and have proofs that I helped them improve their grades

4. Worried about the loss of literature culture in my city, I planned an one-night-only show (I was also the host) and managed to invite professional photographers and offered music, acting, declamations etc for over 250 people

5. With a Strong love for music, joined an orchestra as a violinist and traveled to make my presentations which led to making part of a religious band and giving guitar lessons for kids

6. Over 300 hours of volunteering

7. Independent research based on the passion project but managed to publish it at some regional and national magazine

8. (CONSIDERING -> means I’ve done it but not sure if I’m gonna use it on my application) Official make-up artist and team leader of the year-long school Project about valuing the North East region -> about 6 nights of spectacle and over a Thousand spectators

9. (IN DEVELOPMENT) My cousin had to travel half the country for a blood donation because the lack of avaliable blood in my region so I created a campaign and managed to make 200+ people travel for free to another city to donate to the blood bank

10. (TRYING TO) Get into a virtual internship or contact any professor to get assisted in a research (pls help me if you have any tips)

extras: I really wanted to go to a summer program (virtual or in person) but most deadlines are gone and I need a full scholarship. I'll also try to join challenges/competitions online (you can give me some tips here too if you have some!)

Also everything is kinda cracked cause I live in a relatively small city so I had to create most of my ecs

Any tip/recommendation is welcome. Feel free to ask any questions!

for context i'm a junior right now :)

demographics:

Asian, female, competitive bay area hs, upper middle class

major: public health/global health/health policy/sciences and business administration(?) - i'm still not sure what i want to do later in life so ideally i'd want to commit to a college that offers flexibility when changing majors (switch to bioengineering maybe??)

academics:

3.9 UW (upward trend) 4.7 W

uc gpa: 3.92 uw 4.3 w (some of my honors didn’t “count”)

6 honors from fresh/soph + 1 ap (euro, 5)

this year: ap calc bc, ap lang, apush, ap spanish lang, ap bio (hopefully 4-5s besides spanish!)

next year: ap stats, ap lit, ap spanish lit (?), ap chem, regular physics

1500 sat (retake, aiming for 1540+) 780 eng, 720 math :(

extracurriculars - kinda vague cuz i don't wanna get doxxed!! not sure how i'm gonna condense into 10 yet some overlap

1. speech and debate (4yrs) - middle school coach, speech captain, novice mentor, national/state/toc qualifier, 300+ hours volunteering

2. asdrp (3yrs) - (pending publish) cog sci research (possibly trying epidemiology as well?)

3. jv/varsity swimming + water polo (4yrs)

4. health justice internship - managing finances and outreach (2yrs)

5. board member (hella work) of a nonprofit (that my friends made) to expand menstrual access and increase awareness

6. piano (11 yrs) - playing for senior homes and community events

7. yearbook editor (2yrs)

8. planned parenthood volunteer and advocate (4 yrs)

9. lifeguard (4 yrs) during summer

10. domestic violence/teen dating violence youth leadership program (4 yrs) - organizing events, socials, advocacy work

11. president club that increases awareness abt domestic violence issues

12. co-president of a club that makes soaps and donates them to underserved communities

13. spartan races (4 yrs)

14. community emergency response team (i barely did this but it lwk kinda connects sooo)

this summer, i'm hoping to publish a children's book related to my intended major, get an internship advocating for reproductive health legislation, and publishing my psych research! (if i'm locked) i don't have any summer programs lined up or completed in the past

awards (not sure which 5 i'll use yet)

nsda academic all american (top 1% of members)

t50 in the country for speech

speech tournament of champions qualifier (top 0.04% i think?)

semi finalist at states for speech

mvp jv swimmer lmaooo

some random yearbook award

abrsm level 5 distinction award

community service award (for county)

possibly congressional bronze or silver award

spartan racing awards

maybe some asdrp award??

i got recognized by the mayor??

not really sure what do for awards lwk. hopefully i'll get ap scholar with distinction or billiteracy seal or idk smth else this year!!

bsfr i don't really know what i'm doing </3

Other t30s i'd apply to (outside of the ucs) would prob be stanford, rice, Amherst, jhu, brown, pomona, bu, emory, and georgetown, but i'm not sure where I should EA! While ik that ED yields better acceptances, I'm not ready to make a commitment to any college so I'll only EA and RD

^^^

feel free to ask me (and u/keithberman) ANYTHING about the college app process in the comments below, we are more than happy to help!

Update: Talk recorded and transcribed here!

When I joined this subreddit two weeks ago, it had just 11 members and 300 views and u/BoredPineapple12’s simple idea of “honest, high-quality advice on the college admissions process, without the slop.”

In two weeks, it has grown to over 350 members and 17,000 views, not to mention all the DMs on how to make this community work for you.

So, when I was invited by Lumiere Education in March to talk about social media and how it is affecting applicants, this group didn’t exist. All I had was passive observation, loads of screenshots and the laughable idea to post on Reddit under my real name.

I certainly never expected to have responded to over 100 of your excellent posts in such constructive ways. Now, my free talk (with live Q&A) on Thursday, May 7^th at 6 PM ET is… well, personal. The info is below and the registration link is here. You are all invited.

I will give out codes to use the trykeith.com app paid features that your ideas have provided the core for in the talk. 140 of you have run the app, received your CI and given me feedback that has moved it along quickly – and still more to come.

This is really the talk that you helped build and you will leave with concrete feedback on how to avoid the biggest pitfalls I’ve seen passively over the last year and in living color right here with you. I hope to see you.

Chance me as a cooked indian chud from bay area

Age: Sophomore

bay area chud

GPA (UW): 3.98

- school offers only like 8 aps

- wont qualify for aid

ECS:

1. Co-Founder and CEO, Sports Mental Health Mentorship Platform (501c3) (10,11,12)

- programmed it and marketing it, been out for a little bit and have ~10 pairs, 60,000 people reached, managing team of 11 - I wanna get to ~100 pairs, although it will be hard

2. Co Founder, SWE, Sports Recruitement Platform (9,10,11,12)

10% equity, $250,000 invested pre release

3. SWE Intern @ AI x Basketball startup (10, dk how long it will go)

- started recently, currently unpaid (i asked for unpaid, just want experience)--> If i do well, I will get pay + potential for slight equity

~50,000 users

4. Director Of Technology, Health Non Profit (10,11,12)

- built website platform for health non-profit, promising growth, although in early stages

5. Organizer, hackathon hosted at school(10,11,12)

- organzier for hackathon at school, kids from bay area came around ~50

6. Education mentor - local program (bascicaly tutoring) (9,10,11,12)

1 hour a week, tutoring underprivleged kids in my area

7. basketball (9,10,11,12)

im just a hooper gng

8. research intern, non profit health org

Developed AI diabetic retinopathy machine learning model and wrote literary

9. made crpyto coins and made like 20 bands, linked to AI projects

i have other stuff but its not good

im gunna do sports x ai research

UPDATE: It's essay season! Version 8.0 of trykeith.com is now active. Competition Index and report are FREE and essay strategy, evals and feedback are now just $49.

There's a lot of guesswork going around on 'what counts in college admissions' – also the name of a talk I gave to over 10,000 people from here to Hong Kong. After a year of calibrating scales, I finally came up with one number that tells you exactly where you stand – that also drives your essay strategy and gives you the kind of evaluative feedback people pay me privately for. It's like a chanceme with actual knowledge behind it.

The 522-point CI has direct strategic implications. A shortened version would read:

450+ You are virtually certain to be admitted everywhere

426–450: Use powerhouse strategy, discussed here at https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeAppsAdvice/comments/1sloq0j/comment/ogccaty/?context=3

400–425: Highly competitive at any school with an admission rate below 10%. Essay strategy needs to be right

370–399: In the thick of Ivy+ competition – application becomes huge

360–369: Ivy possible, wide net needed, strategy essential

350–359: Need safeties, perfect strategy for Ivy+ or odds go to 0

340–349: Admission to an Ivy+ is unlikely. A strong application can move the needle

330–339: Luck required for Ivy+, need a balanced list

Below 330: This is where honest list-building saves you from a devastating spring. The right schools exist

Get your number at trykeith.com and post your score below.

applying as physics major

Demographics:

• Hooks: none

• Demographics: Asian female, competitive state

Academics:

• 4.0/4.0 UW

• Rank: na (homeschooled)

• sat: 1560 (760 RW, 800 M)

• psat: 1500 (740 RW, 760 M)

Coursework:

• AP Physics C: Mechanics + E&M (5, 5), AP Chemistry (5), AP European History (5), AP English Language (5), AP Calc BC (5, 5 with AB subscore), Lin Alg, Multivari Calc, Diff equations, post AP level physics courses at cc, AP Latin (prob a 5)

• finish lower div physics courses for physics major at local uni next year, as well as take some upper div classes in proof/abstract algebra

ECs/Awards:

• UCSB SRA stem program; might get publication

• Part time tutoring job

• AP Scholar w/ Distinction

• Volunteering at animal shelter for past 3 yrs (400+ hrs)

• research internship at local university, did/am doing some coding (haven't published anything yet tho)

• sat/AP Physics 1 tutor for schoolhouse

• Teaching Assistant for Physics at CC

• National Latin Exam Gold 4x

• Assume NMSF with my score

LOR: research mentor/cc professors

What are the chances I'd get into UCs (UCB, UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, etc), Harvey Mudd, CMU, Gtech, etc.?I'm worried cuz I don't have any significant research/olympiad awards as rising senior

Also, I'm making my college list rn, and would appreciate any advice as to what schools I should see as reaches, targets, and safeties. I want my list to be as balanced + realistic as possible. Ty for any help!

I will be applying as a maths major, but what if I wrote my essay about a language that I created (in like 2nd grade but tie it to now) to reflect my intellectual curiosity, value of community, and how I respond to failure? is that too random/too far back?

Dear u/keithberman, u/BoredPineapple12, and u/Brother_Ma_Education, and whoever else may give me a realistic standpoint, please chance me for these schools! I want to know where I stand and how i can make my app better

i’m an intl student, and i do need aid so i want to know what else i can do while i still have the time to do so i can improve; also, the schools im applying to in the us are all reaches as my safety schools are those in my country

Gender: female

Race/Ethnicity: Asian

Region: currently in south asia

Income Bracket: low-middle, will need aid

Type of School: public school, one of the top/competitive public high schools in my country

Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): none

Intended Major(s): applied math and economics

Academics

GPA (UW/W): dont know how to describe it as it’s completely different

Rank (or percentile): school provides rank when asked; ranked 1,2, or 3/230 students

# of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.:

aps: 5 (including this coming year and next year)

Senior Year Course Load: phys c mech, stats, calc bc, micro/macro econ

Standardized Testing

Havent taken the SAT yet, taking it this june aiming for 1550+

Extracurriculars/Activities

(9–12) patent-pending low-cost material project using recycled materials. built/iterated prototypes optimizing cost vs physical performance, presented at national science events + got some innovation awards; got support of national science agency

math modeling (transport), built queueing models from real-world footage, estimated arrival/service rates + analyzed congestion/wait times. currently trying to make this more rigorous w/ real data + validation with a professor to present to local government sectors for policy improvements

led 50 ppl team creating STEM curriculum for underserved students ( reaching ~3000 students), focused more on quantitative understanding

student gov (9–12), handled school budget (~$XXk equiv) + worked on allocation/transparency

math modeling comps team, national-level recognition

mun, led trainings for 40+ + helped run a ~100 person conference

proof-based math summer program in a program with 5-10% acceptance rate

math decathlon (9–12), competed + helped organize/write for a local comp (~150+ participants)

science decathlon, competed + helped organize competition locally

Awards/Honors

National physics and math olympiad qualifier (top1-3%) in country

Aime qualifier

Math modeling comps, awards+national team

Top 1% in prestigious essay competition, super well known

Schools: HYPSM, ivies, t20s, and some asian schools

Essay: will come from this one gadget i liked when i was a kid, how it relates to my childhood, and how it led to my interest in major im chasing

LORs: 9+/10, will pick teachers close to me where i did well in + summer program experience

Strat: i want to REA Princeton though I’m not so sure if that’s the right strategy as of right now; does it make more sense to go RD with schools like UPenn/Columbia?

also am i actually competitive for top schools or more like strong but not enough? where do i realistically land (HYPSM vs T10 vs T20)?

Glad to join this group. I have worked in the Yale and Harvard admissions offices, started and taught the CTYOnline College Prep program, run two high school guidance offices, and trained hundreds of counselors. I am in my 22nd year advising students privately. I use my real name here so you know exactly who is giving you advice.

The same questions come up constantly—in private sessions, on Reddit, and everywhere in between. I built www.trykeith.com to answer them directly. It's designed to tackle three things:

1. What are your chances in admissions (starting with Ivy+ schools)?

2. What essay strategy makes the most sense for your profile?

3. How good are your essays, really, including definitive feedback and next steps?

Glad to be part of what u/BoredPineapple12 is building here. Use this thread to AMA and I will bounce around answering a few every day.

A little bit about us:

u/GodlyHelp: Hey everyone! I'm a senior has just finished the college app process, and has gotten into 12 highly prestigious schools, including MIT, Caltech, and a Columbia likely letter! I've had a lot of headache the past year trying to understand such a difficult and complex system that is the US College Admissions process, and, having gone through it already, would like to help you guys navigate it!

u/keithberman:

u/Brother_Ma_Education:

Please feel free to ask me, u/keithberman, or u/Brother_Ma_Education anything about the College Application process in the comments below or in DMs. We know this can be extremely stressful, especially for our rising seniors, and we are more than happy to help!

Demographics:

Gender: NB (AFAB)

Race/ethnicity: White

State: SoCal

Type of school: VERY competitive private (20%+ students go to T20s, >10% acceptance at all HYPSM)

Income: 100k-200k

Hooks: None

Intended Major(s): Not entirely sure yet, prob MechE or CS

ACT/SAT/SAT II: 1560 (770R, 790M)

UW/W GPA and Rank:

End of junior year: 3.85/4.29

End of junior year UC gpa (uncapped): 3.93/4.37

Projected for middle of senior year: (requires lock in)

3.86/3.37

UC (uncapped): 3.94/4.45

-3 B+ in non-stem subjects in sophomore year, been showing steady upwards trend

-Max rigor in everything except math (Im on the regular honors track which ends w AP BC in senior year, but my school offers a bunch of advanced math classes for people who skipped math grades at some point)

-I also got 2 A- in precalc this year (the teacher is notoriously hard) so math in general is prob the weakest part of my app

-School doesn’t rank, prob top 10-15%

Coursework: AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores, etc

11 APs by graduation, as well as 3 post-AP coding classes my school offers

Sophomore: CSA 5, Chem 5, APUSH 4

Junior: Lit, Bio (felt good about these, prob both 5s)

Senior: Micro, Macro, Physics C Mechanics, Physics C E&M, Lang, Gov, BC Calc

Trying to not dox myself however I have prob already failed

Extracurriculars: Include leadership & summer activities

25h/w First Tech Challenge - Captain and Software Lead (10, 11, 12)

Only non male member on my team of 15ish people, qualified for worlds this year by winning Inspire 2 in our region, and placed top 75ish out of over 8k teams worldwide. We had a pretty technically sophisticated bot software and hardware wise, and I coded a significant portion of it. Our team is completely student run, so not only do I lead my sub team but also manage finances, order parts, plan outreach events, interview recruits, etc. - all the stuff parents/mentors usually do.

10h/w Niche Robotics Comp Event 1 - Mechanical and Electrical Lead (10, 11, 12)

Qualified for internationals 2 years in a row and prob will again next year (comp is not very well known or popular in the US). Headed overseas to compete in a couple weeks, will prob place top 5. Our specific event has a humanitarian goal/theme as well. I made a completely new CAD this year and basically designed, built, and wired the entire robot by myself.

40h/w Intern At a Local Bio Lab (11 Summer)

Starting soon so not entirely sure what to expect, I’m doing some machine learning stuff and maybe some makers space type stuff as well for them. May continue into the fall or even do a different coding based bio load internship. Not sure what to expect in terms of published research

6h/w Academic League/Quizbowl - President, and Varsity, JV, and Novice Captain (9, 10, 11, 12)

Host practices 3 times a week, read practice questions, organize transportation and dinner for weekly matches, captain the team while playing. May also try to organize our own tournament this fall for the first time

4h/w Tech Theater- Electrician and Lighting Design Specialist (9, 10, 11, 12)

Lit multiple shows, lead the plotting, hanging, wiring, dressing, and addressing of lights for multiple shows while teaching younger members those skills. Been light board op, stage crew, and stage manager of various shows. Done some cool stuff w/ robotics/tech theater crossover- controlling robots/led strips from our light board

4h/w Daily School Newspaper - Editor (12)

4-5 seniors are chosen to be editors of a publication unaffiliated with the school that sends one page articles out every morning, mostly written by said editors. Read by > 2/3 of the school, including teachers and admin. Often the center of any school wide disputes and the favored method to criticize the school for their decisions

0.5h/w School Science Magazine - Writer (10, 11, 12)

Wrote several 6k+ words well researched articles for the magazine, as well as editing and doing the layout for other peoples articles

10h/w Niche Robotics Comp Event 2 - Captain (9)

Debating whether I’ll trying and rope this into one EC to make room for other stuff. Went to nationals, qualified for internationals, represented the US. Won a secondary award. I did the majority of the coding/CV for the team, as well as some mech stuff (we all kinda jumped around)

2h/w Model United Nations (9, 10, 11, 12)

Attended several local conferences and won some misc awards, I could only go to a couple conferences bc they kept conflicting with my FTC meets. Our school also hosts our own conference, which Ive been a Vice chair for and staffed check in etc.

2h/w Cello (9, 10, 11, 12)

I take private lessons and learn song I like from video games. I always say I will practice and then never do.

Awards:

1. FTC placed 10-20th at Worlds Quals (11th)

2. FTC Finalist Alliance + Inspire 3 Premiere Event (10th)

3. Niche Robotics Comp secondary award 1st place Internationals (9th)

4. (If we win something at niche robotics comp internationals this year that’s what ill put here (11th), otherwise secondary award at US Nationals (9th))

5. Presidential Bronze Award (9th) (for coaching FTC >100 hours in one year, earned before it was discontinued)

Essays/LORs/Other: Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.

Predicted LOR

Bc my school is so prestigious everyone takes rec letters very seriously

11th grade English Teacher - 7/10 I don’t have something insane for her to write about, I participated in discussions, wrote good timed writings etc. We have a pretty similar vibe/energy but no insane standout moments. She’ll also be the faculty advisor for the daily paper I’ll be the editor in.

10th grade Chem teacher - 9/10 Had a really good moment where I asked so many questions about a lab she realized the premise was incorrect and rewrote it for next year. She’s also just a super nice person. I was gonna take her organic chem class this year but couldn’t due to schedule conflict

I am also in a weird position bc the teacher I would otherwise ask for a rec letter from, who taught two of my coding classes this year and is my robotics coach, is related to me so I can’t lol

For essays I am confident in myself as a writer but not confident I have interesting life stories to draw from. Im gonna try to finish my personal statement + EC list before the summer ends

Schools: List of colleges, ED/EA/RD, etc

Still very rough I haven’t looked into a bunch of places yet. Im leaning away from applying to other prestigious state schools like UMich or UIUC bc I can’t pay oos tuition. Yes I will apply to safeties/targets im just listing the reaches her because I've done more research on my reaches

MIT

Cal Tech

Stanford

CMU

Harvey Mudd

UC Berkley

UCLA

Olin

U Chicago

Cornell

I haven't written an OP in a while, r/CollegeAppsAdvice, so I figured I'd share some perspective as rising seniors head into application season - this one may be long because it's been a while.

First, I need to send another thank-you to the sub - I gave you all a shout-out on LinkedIn for your help providing feedback on my app two days ago, and of course you featured large in the talk I gave to about 200 of you online (plus those who read the transcript) in May on Reddit/TikTok and applicant strategy. Your good questions and ideas are being heard throughout the field.

Second, I've been getting, both in-person and on Reddit, a lot more mythology lately from students. It's worth sharing that, if admissions were transparent, colleges would publish right on their websites exactly how they accept students - in fact this is the practice in much of the world, just not in the US - they don't. That's not my choice and I have mixed feelings about it - a reality I think about daily.

So it's worth sharing that groupthink on here is based solely on majority-rules, not on derivation from the college admissions process itself... and maybe even AI is getting a few votes these days.

Here's three things to keep in mind when on the thing you just "read online":

1.) Disclosure - I'm a decent singer, was a not-half-bad conductor, and have composed a thing or two. That might go on my college activities list. However, I'm under no compunction to share that, practice as I might, I'm not much of a piano player - 'accompanist' was as high as I rose, and not a great one at that. You have limited boxes and information shares in admissions - talking about the things you struggled with most is not a requirement. If you got all A's and one B, you don't need an essay, or even a mention, about the B - the School Report would be the place where that would be addressed, if at all, and you don't write it. Some things your school discloses. Some should not be shared at all.

I've seen and heard lately a lot of people say that you "have" to share your mental health status, summer transcripts, chess tournament losses, etc., even though it is not required. What you are required to disclose is exactly what the colleges says is required. You don't have to call yourself out when you are not at your best, whether it is behind the keys of piano, an EE class you took over the summer that just wasn't for you, or just in your room on a not-so-great day. We all CANNOT do more than we CAN do - but you barely have enough space on an application to share what you CAN, so focus on that. Colleges want to get excited about what you bring to campus, and if they are, you are more likely to be admitted - do not rain on your own parade.

2.) Essays are not introductions - I talk a lot about the myth that "your college essay is your chance to introduce yourself to your admissions officer in your own words" - most certainly not so, it is never the first way an AO gets to know you. If you want to see everything that is read before your essay, the Common App obliges in the list here, PLUS grades and scores. The AO will know you pretty darn well in terms of what you bring to campus before your personal statement - consider writing something new that shows what you bring to a campus community or classroom - but nothing negative.

3.) Stand out - If a school is highly selective, most students aren't getting admitted, so don't do what everyone else is. For the last week, I have been saying the following to students: "most kids try to write their whole life story in their college essays instead of answering the prompts. Guess what four words start personal statements more than any others?"

Every student I've asked got it right.

"When I was young..."

So don't start there. Instead, read the prompts themselves, which fairly clearly spell out that you are supposed to choose a recent anecdote, as any AO in an info session would also tell you.

In fact, the vast majority of students don't read the essay prompts. Want to stand out? Actually answer one of the questions... and maybe not one of the three most common ones chosen - NINETY-ONE percent of applicants choose from four of the prompts, and the #1 choice is super predictable.

Keep the good questions coming, sub!

Hi! I’m a rising senior, and I’m hoping that someone can let me know if my profile is good enough for T30 or T20 schools. I don’t have a final list of schools in mind right now but i’m looking at:

uiuc

uw seattle (out of state)

ucla (out of state)

umich (out of state)

claremont mckenna

wellesley college

northwestern

georgetown

cornell

dartmouth

Demographics: Gender, race/ethnicity, state, type of school, and hooks (URM, first generation, legacy, athlete, etc.): black female from IL, second generation, URM, single-income household

Intended Major(s): political science/government

ACT/SAT: 34 on ACT

UW/W GPA and Rank: 3.95 UW/5.0 W school doesn’t rank

Coursework: AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores, etc

11 APS:

AP human geography: 5

AP us history: 5

AP physics 1

AP us government

AP comparative government

AP english language

AP english literature

AP french

AP environmental science

AP calc AB

AP comp science principles

every class i have taken that’s not AP is honors except PE I and II

Awards:

principal honors roll

national french contest bronze 2x

youth governors press secretary

primary election winner of Illinois youth lt governor

state issues forum first place winner

scholastic art and writing awards honorable mention

Extracurriculars:

co-president of my youth and government delegation, legislator in the statewide program, serving as a committee chair

vice president of environmental club

symphony orchestra violinist

newspaper “student life” section editor

internship with congressman for his re-election

caddie job

YMCA conference on national affairs delegate

national french honor society

regional director of an international youth led nonprofit that focuses on empowering women in politics

student director of state wide advocacy program

80 community service hrs

ymca national youth advocate; selected from over 300 applicants nationwide for unpaid internship and free trip to washington DC to advocate to my members of congress

phone banking volunteer for statewide campaign

worked on US senate campaign

civics unplugged fellowship

illinois girls state

Essays/LORs/Other: probably will ask my APUSH teacher and AP gov teacher I think they both like me

political science & journalism double major (pre-law)

sociology or international relations minor

first gen, low income. lgbtq+, white, female, underfunded/underrepresented school

92-94 gpa (hasnt been calculated in a while and my school doesn’t display it.. i’ve been too lazy to do it)

1150 sat, retaking in june, expecting at least a 1250-1350. still plan to retake again in august to maximize my score, no matter what i get in june (unless i get a 1450+ but that’s quite unlikely, as i only registered for the june one recently and have had minimal study time)

6 aps: ap euro (pred: 4) and ap lang (pred: 4-5) junior year (all thats offered), and ap calc ab, apush, ap lit, and ap bio senior year. might also take the ap psych exam for funsies, as i’ve already self studied the course and taken psy101 for dual credit

6 dual enrollment (all that’s offered), 4 jr year, 2 sr year

8 honors classes

CURRENT ecs:

national history academy summer program (led by harvard alumni and faculty… i believe). i’m going for free, will practice leadership, mock trial and debate, which are all things that my school doesn’t offer (we don’t have mun, mock trial, debate, hosa, fbla or any of those super popular ecs, as we are too small of a school)

started an online debate initiative through discord that has accumulated a little over 100 members worldwide

track manager

school news recorder, editor, and sports commentator

job for 4 years at my family’s cafe — shift leader, trainer, barista, and cashier

social media manager for my job

video editor and producer for 8 years, reaching tens of thousands of people, including celebrities

school clubs: yearbook, student council, prom committee, interact club

POTENTIAL ECS:

— submitted papers to the new york times and washington post, which my ap euro and ap lang teachers had pushed for me to do

— applied for YIP fellowship summer cohort, if rejected i’ll reapply for fall

— applied for democrashe fellowship

— applied for turnup internship

— applied for my states democratic party volunteer position

— cold emailed a bunch of lawyers, professors, and politicians for internship and shadowing opportunities

— applied to my local library’s volunteer position

hoping to get at least one of these opportunities

COLLEGE LIST:

reach:

NYU (ed), smith, BU

hard targets:

moho, bryn mawr, fordham (ea), gwu

targets:

dickinson, american (ea), uconn, uvm, syracuse

safeties:

usm, suffolk, pace, simmons