u/Objective-Steak-4681

I heard that only around 30% of people match during the NCM and 40% during RD, is it because the pool is insanely competitive? Or is it more of a financial thing where a lot of applicants somehow become finalists despite not being at or below the poverty line? I'm not too sure about the first because ive seen a lot of people get accepted into very selective schools with a below average SAT and stuff, and the 2nd wouldnt make sense, so im just confused atp. Do most people who get accepted choose not to go or som?

This is not like a pretentious post typa thing where I think I have a high chance of getting into an ivy, I just think strategically, if the match is binding, the only schools I would pack my bags and leave for without hesitation would be HYPSM + Columbia. Is this a very bad strategy and does not ranking schools in the NCM mean you have less of a chance at RD? (I plan to apply for reaches, targets, and safeties through RD so I can actually weigh my options and theres a lot of schools I wanna apply to that are not qb partner schools)

I desperately NEED someone to read my essay, I just finished the draft and really want to know if it is smooth/meaningful/competitive for top colleges. I would be eternally grateful if you could take some time reading it and letting me know what you think of it 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 (Just dm me if u can)

This might be a dumb question but I was wondering if SSP carves out any time on Sundays for religious practices such as attending Church/Mosque/Temples or even praying 5 times a day as I know Muslims usually do.

This is mostly just curiosity but I also would like to know how much of an impact SSP has in college applications (if you believe it was strong enough to become a deciding factor). And if you applied through QuestBridge, pls lmk how that went as well!

I am applying through QuestBridge and my dream is to go to Columbia, I would've been trying for NYU but unfortunately it isn't a QB partner school. I just really need advice on if I have a realistic shot in getting into Columbia (although they are usually unpredictable) and what I should improve on/withold/focus on.

Here are my stats:

SAT/ACT: I currently have a 1460 SAT and 32 ACT but I hope to retake and get higher scores, otherwise im unsure if I should go test optional

Rank: 1st out of 645 students but class rank was removed so unfortunately cannot report this

Essay: Will be about taking care of my sick, disabled baby brother and how I learned patience, maturity, empathy, and responsibility from it and from my mother

GPA: 4.00 uw/4.77 w

ECs: Will be doing biochemistry research in SSP over the summer, captain of speech and debate (state finalist sophmore year), math tutor all 4 years (300+ hours), vp of science national honors society, secretary of MSA, vp of Youth Ending Hunger, member of multiple clubs

APs: Will have completed 11 by the time I apply, my current scores are AP Physics 1 (4) AP Computer Science Principles (5) AP Human Geography (5) AP US Government and Politics (5)

Background: First-gen, born in the Middle East but left due to religious persecution, ~26k income for a household of 5 but maybe have been negative this year (unsure of assets), sick brother that is dependent on TPN and requires full-time care, dad got stage 4 lymphoma the summer leading into junior year, from the midwest in an average/diverse school

Intended major: Neuroscience

Also I would love any advice on the QB process in general! Thank you!

I was wondering at what point does your SAT/ACT score hurt more than help you for T10s? Ignoring other contexts