Say someone doesn't have exceptional ecs/story/essay/awards; however, they simply have like 1580+ SAT and 4.0 gpa. What level college would be willing to accept them?

Say would T20 schools admit this type of student just to pad out their admit stats? SAT and gpa seem to be important stats for colleges, and say the student is paying full tuition, would that boost their chances even more?

I'm very curious since it would make sense on a college standpoint.

Hi everyone!

I was worried that since I had many "traditional" stats that are similar to non QB-applicants that it would hurt my application.

What I mean by "traditional" stats includes high standarized scores, high gpa, rigorous coursework, several national/international level awards, research, and community service.

This is due to living in an urban area with many free opportunities and attending a competitive highschool even though low-income and having many family/outside responsibilities.

Has anyone had a similar experience or advice regarding how to approach such a scenario?
Should I just not list some of my activities?

Thanks!

Academic Stats

• GPA: 3.89 UW / ~4.5 W (College: 4.0)
• Degree: Tracked for dual Associate Degrees (Computer Science & Liberal Arts) by high school graduation
• Standardized Testing: 1440 SAT (790 Math, 650 EBRW) (Working on it!)
• Coursework Rigor: 14 Dual Enrollment, 11 APs, 13 Honors
• AP Scores: 4s on APUSH, AP Lang, AP Precalc
• School Info: About 40% low-income, from suburbs of MA
• Relevant Coursework
• Math & CS: AP Calculus AB, AP CSA, AP Precalc, AP CSP, AP Stats, DE Intro to CS, DE Intro to Data Science, DE Data Science Programming, DE Intro to Java, DE Advanced Java, DE Computer Architecture, DE Discrete Math, DE Calc II.
• Other Advanced Coursework: AP Physics 2, AP Micro/Macro, AP Lang, AP Lit, APUSH, DE General Biology, DE Human Genetics, DE Health Sciences, DE Medical Terminology.

Intended Major Focus: Data Science + Public Health / Health Economics / Quantitative Social Science

College List:

Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, UPenn, Brown, Dartmouth (ED), Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, UChicago (EA), UVA(EA), Wake Forest, NYU, Georgetown (EA), Tufts, Vanderbilt, UNC Chapel Hill (EA), Colgate, UIUC(EA), Boston University, Northeastern University(EA), UMass Amherst(EA), Stony Brook University(EA)

Extracurriculars

1. Top Tier National Cancer Institute — Health Economics Research Intern: Gathered international cost data for a leukemia cost-effectiveness study to support sensitivity analyses on relapse prevention.
2. National Substance Abuse Prevention Initiative — Founder & Director: Authored open-access curriculum for youth/young adults; distribute resource kits monthly to 300+ student leaders across 35+ states and internationally.
3. Health Tech Company — ML & Economics Research Intern: Modeled hospital wait times vs. patient severity in Python; developed predictive triage models and co-authored a lab paper.
4. Harvard MEDscience & MEDscienceTECH — Student Intern: Built a tumor-detection AI model and voice-controlled surgical robot prototype; fine-tuned an LLM and participated in high-fidelity clinical simulations.
5. International Youth Advocacy Group — Legislative Advocate & Developer: Lobbied federal representatives on AI/deepfake safety legislation; built a free web platform connecting users to emergency support resources.
6. Town Youth & Community Mentorship — Co-Founder / Lead Designer: Co-designed interactive life-skills curricula for 300+ elementary students; expanded programming to local senior centers and community events.
7. AI Media Literacy Platform — Lead Developer: Built an AI-driven news platform that cross-references 6–10 sources per story to mitigate bias and generate automated factual summaries.
8. Data Science Club — Founder & President: Established a school club hosting monthly data challenges; authored a finance/data curriculum proposal reaching 100+ students annually.
9. EdTech Startup — Strategy & Research Intern: Conducted user research and feature brainstorming for a student portfolio platform; delivered final strategy presentation to leadership.
10. Neuroscience & Youth Psychology Org — Research Intern: Researched ties between adolescent addiction, social media usage patterns, and computational methods in drug discovery; presented independent findings.

Honors & Awards

• National: United Nations Association Community Service Award
• International: Harvard Medical School Pitch Competition Winner
• National: College Board National Recognition Award
• Regional: Bentley University - Pitch Competition Winner
• National: Research Intern of the Year Award

Additional Context

• College Credits: Will complete 44 college credits across local community colleges and online programs by graduation.
• GPA / Grading Policy: High school does not weight Dual Enrollment courses on the internal GPA scale (unlike APs), which slightly suppressed total weighted GPA despite maximum course rigor.
• School Baseline: Average SAT at high school is ~1120.
• Scheduling: Doubled up on math courses sophomore/junior years to accelerate into advanced calculus/CS tracks, causing scheduling overlaps with electives/foreign language.

Hi everyone! I'm an international applicant from The Bahamas applying to several Ivy League schools, and I'd really appreciate an honest assessment of my profile. I want to apply REA to Yale and RD to Columbia and NYU

Academically, I'm ranked #1 in my grade with an overall average around 91-93%. I scored a 1520 SAT and attend a private secondary school following the Bahamian BGCSE curriculum.

My main honors include 2nd place nationally out of 2,000+ in the Laws of Life Essay Competition, John Locke Science Division semifinalist, 3rd place in a national Ministry of Health & Wellness speech competition, Principal's Award for highest average, Honor Roll, proficiency awards, and Head Girl.
For extracurriculars, I founded and lead my school's Speech & Debate Club, compete in 5+ competitions, captain volleyball, serve as Key Club VP and Interact Secretary, 1 am a dance captain, and tutor students individually.

I'm very interested in neuroscience and medicine. I've conducted independent research on brain health, sleep/memory, and Al & human memory, and created a website to publish my findings. I was also selected for Yale Young Global Scholars with a full scholarship, where I conducted research and presented projects.

Coming from a small Caribbean country, I'm curious how much geographic context matters. I've had fewer resources/opportunities than many U.S. applicants, but I've tried to make the most of what I have.
Do I have a realistic shot at an Ivy? What are the biggest strengths/weaknesses you see in my profile?
Please be honest.

Hi all! I attended 2 Ivy League schools (undergrad and grad school) but because I was a 15 year old freshman, companies would find me on LinkedIn and offer me contractor jobs. I’ve worked for every company you can think of in the 2026 college consulting industry. It’s dirty and it’s horrible. I’m still in an NDA so this being anonymous helps, but I’ve been coming across students posts on being let down by services they paid thousands of dollars for. And I feel horrible. I want to help. Ask me anything. And tell me how I can help you.

Bro I've been part of Elise Pham's Ultimate Ivy League for a year and a half now. The NDA doesn't let me reveal any information about how mid the program actually is, but currently my experience is so poor.

I might genuinely be cooked in college apps now and I had to find help elsewhere.

Thousands down the drain as welll. It doesn't really matter to me that much, but I imagine the other students must be devastated.

i'm curious about the boost for ED vs REA. i know what both of them are and how they work, but i don't understand why people say only ED gives you a boost and REA doesn't, even when a school's ED acceptance rate is extremely similar to another school's REA acceptance rate (and both are far higher than the RD one).

i know that the acceptance rate for both is greatly inflated because of legacy students and recruited athletes, but what i don't get is why only ED is still considered to have a boost for non-hooked applicants while REA doesn't.

for instance, yale's REA acceptance rate is ~11% and columbia's ED acceptance rate is about 10-14%. using specific data for the class of 2024 (7 years ago because this is the last time princeton released REA data and a lot of other schools also stopped publishing), princeton had an REA acceptance rate of 15.6% and brown an ED acceptance rate of 16.7%. i know a lot has changed in the last 7 years, but i'm just confused as to why ED would give you more of a boost beyond REA when comparing direct acceptance rates.

i also know that ED is binding so it's protecting colleges's yield rate, but once again, the similar acceptance rates should still indicate similar chances and boosts, if any, right?

please help!! i'm so confused

Where to apply early?

A. Brown ED + MIT EA

B. Yale REA

C. MIT EA + NotreDame REA

D. Stanford REA

E. Cornell ED + MIT EA

High stats FGLI international student

Perhaps I don't want a clear cut answer but an approach to find the solution.

PS: I think in the back of my mind, ik what should I do but I'm just super prestige-driven right now....

3.85 UW / 1520. V Strong ECs - President of student body, Top 25 for debate and top 50 for ISEF. Strong research in competitive settings. Got 2 B+ in core classes (2 APs - 4s and 1 5). Not URM.

Is ED-ing to IVY (D or Col) a fool's errand?

Hi, guys
Pls be honest, i wanna apply for EA

From Moscow, Russia
Low-income, full time job as manicurist since 9 grade
Gpa - my school doesn’t provide, I calculated 4.5 over the last school year
SAT haven’t handed yet, AP my school doesn’t provide
Major - economics

1. Founder ⁠of the nonprofit project. The project is aimed to solve case championships (exactly economics, gender inequality, quality education)
2. ⁠Developer of a board game for preparing for the Unified State Exam in social studies (at the time of development in 2024, it was unique in Russia).
3. ⁠Internship at a PR agency as an analyst. Conducted an in-depth analysis, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of their profile packaging, and developed promotion strategies.
4. ⁠Marketing & CRM manager at a beauty salon.
5. ⁠Team leader of a business camp from Plekhanov University.
6. ⁠Winner of the business championship from Plekhanov University.
7. ⁠Manicure and eyebrow volunteer instructor. Taught over 15 students basic manicure and eyebrow shaping courses, helped them find employment at partner salons.
8. ⁠Volunteer teaching English to Afghan girls.
9. Independent research in economics
10. ⁠Hobby tennis (still in the rookie league)

Right now I have a 740 ERW and 760 M (composite and super) score. I'm planning to take the August SAT, but with where my score is at right now, should I be submitting it to schools like Princeton, Yale, etc.? I'm applying as a MechE major, so I'm scared my math score is low. I also have 5s on all of my 9 aps so far, including chem, bio, and precalc. I'm taking calc and physics c this year.

I'm just worried that with my A+ average and AP scores, this SAT score brings my profile down. Would AOs wonder why I got a 1500 if I'm doing okay in other aspects of my academics? Or is this score good enough that it would put me at an advantage? I do know it's the 25th percentile at Princeton, but I'm nervous especially bc I'm applying engineering. I'm seeing SO many mixed responses online, and it's definitely a little stress-inducing. If anyone has any advice, I'd really appreciate it!

hello! I'm a current senior who's trying to figure out where she wants to ED for this upcoming cycle. I'm deciding between cornell and columbia; I was really set on columbia and it was a big dream since I was little BUT I did research and I am thinking that cornell might be better for what I intend to do? I would be applying something along the lines of information science / computer science (cornell a&s + Columbia College) at both.

which would be a better pick based on major? I think that I would not mind location as much as this is foremost an academic choice to me and I know they both have different environments. I'm a california resident if that helps & I can also share ecs if that would make a better picture.

keeping it vague so I don't get severely doxxed... lol

gpa & sat are well within the avg for both schools

- president of one of the largest academic teams at school (300+ members), advocated for funding at district board & brought club back to life

- internship at national stem org

- computational bio related internship at lab

- vp of another big club at school, played a big role in outreach and competition prep (got chapter a statewide award)

- paid cs internship at national lab

- ugc creator on a big gaming platform w well over 500k sales

- been on an olympiad team for the last 6+ yrs and won national medals for it, also tutored and coached local teams to their state championships

- organized misc. competitions and workshops (some stem, some business) with over 100+ attendees each and educated students on lesser known science fields

would I possibly fit of one school better than the other? thanks for any advice :)

Hello guys!

I am in 11th grade, and in the future, I want to study aerospace engineering at MIT, Caltech, or Imperial College London.

That's why I want to build a passion project that will not only demonstrate my academic skills but also my ability to collaborate! However, there are no students at my school who are also interested in studying engineering. So, I am here to find like-minded students.

If you are interested in any type of engineering and want to work on a project together, let me know! Girls are preferred, since I’m planning to apply for Technovation Girls! This isn’t meant to exclude anyone, I’m specifically looking for girls because of the competition’s requirements.

I'm trying to figure out if I want to ED to UChicago or UPenn. Both are really good schools, and I thought I wanted to ED0 UChicago, but they don't have the engineering majors I was thinking of pursuing (electrical or mechanical), and I'm worried this is going to affect my future career if I want to go into engineering (the only careers I've been interested in are biomedical engineering or a biomedical sales rep, mostly because I don't know a lot of people in other careers).

UPenn, on the other hand, has these engineering majors, but I'd be stuck in the engineering school, which I'm not completely sure I want to do either. I was also thinking of majoring in economics, business, or applied maths (no matter what college I'm in).

I'm worried about wasting UChicago ED0 since my chances of getting into UPenn are definitely lower. Should I...

1. ED0 UChicago and ED1 UPenn

2. ED1 UPenn and ED2 UChicago

3. None of the above??

I have ZERO clue what I should do, so any advice is much appreciated!

Please DM or post here if you have any recommendations for admissions advisors, I know that the big firms can be fishy, overpriced, and overall useless, so I’m looking for 1 on 1 help as a rising senior with the process as I’m looking at T20s and Ivies. Want help getting into those types of schools; any recommendations would be great. I have the stats to back it up. Thanks!

ALL THINGS THE SAME, (affordability, etc), the comparison is: Better School(yale) v.s. Better Odds(brown)

in pure strategic choice, which one would you choose? Yale is genueinly the better school, but brown has better odds.

I know some may say "pick the school you want to genuienly attend!" - while true, and it is important - I am asking in terms of career wise, with big picture in mind - in pure strategic setting.

And for your selected choice, at what percentage discrepancy would sway your vote for the other? 10% difference? 5%? 7%?

Hi everyone. I’m an international student and I’m feeling pretty lost about what the smartest path forward is, so I’d really appreciate honest advice from people who understand MIT admissions.

I recently finished high school and will be starting university in January. Because of the timing, if I apply to MIT as a first-year applicant, I would have to wait until the next admission cycle, rather than starting university this January and immediately moving on to MIT. You can dm me if you want to.

Here’s my situation:

• I have essentially perfect grades in my national high-school/board examinations.
• However, I was not the #1 student in my class.
• I currently have almost no extracurriculars.
• I have an IELTS score of 7.5 overall.
• I’m taking the SAT in October and am aiming for 1550+.
• I’ve started working through Harvard CS50x, but I haven’t completed it yet.
• Other than that, I honestly don't have much of a portfolio right now.

This is where I'm confused.

Option 1: Apply to MIT as a first-year applicant

I could spend the next few months preparing my application and apply normally.

My concern is that my academic grades/test scores might be strong, but my extracurricular profile is extremely weak compared with many MIT applicants. I also don't want to spend the next few months desperately trying to manufacture random extracurriculars just to make my application look better.

Would applying anyway be worthwhile, or would I essentially be wasting an application?

Option 2: Start university and try to transfer to MIT

I could enroll in a university in January, work extremely hard for a year, get a very high GPA, complete meaningful CS projects, find research opportunities, participate in competitions/activities, etc., and then apply as a transfer student.

Option 3: Forget about transferring and build toward a top PhD program

Another thought I've had is to attend a decent/mid-tier American university, try to become one of the strongest students there, get involved in serious research, build relationships with professors, publish/work on substantial projects, and eventually apply for a top PhD program.

In other words, rather than obsessing over getting into MIT as an undergraduate, I could use the next four years to build an exceptional research profile and try for MIT/Stanford/etc. for graduate school.

What would you do in my position?

If you were an international student with:

• excellent national exam grades,
• potentially a 1550+ SAT,
• IELTS 7.5,
• essentially no extracurricular profile,
• and a genuine interest in CS,

would you:

A) apply to MIT as a first-year student anyway,
B) start university and seriously pursue an MIT transfer, or
C) forget about MIT undergraduate admissions and focus on becoming an exceptional undergraduate/researcher and eventually applying for a top PhD?

I'm especially interested in hearing from people who have actually gone through MIT admissions or transferred to highly selective US universities.

Also, if you think I'm approaching this completely wrong, please tell me. I'm looking for honest advice rather than reassurance.

Thanks!

I’ve done 30k+profit and just under 70k revenue

Numbers will probably be higher when applications are due but it’s my #1 EC and I didn’t know if it’s like a spike I don’t really know what a spike is tbh

Wanted some bloody honest opinions. I know the chances are extremely low, but is it worth it? I'd like to apply Harvard REA, but I've heard horror stories of the high deferral rates and (of course) rejections. Honestly, H is the most interesting US uni I want to apply to though, which is why I'm so keen on doing so; but would still like a reality check. BTW I want to do international relations.

Demographics

Asian male (US citizen) but applying from another country (idk if that changes things), mid-income, no hooks, second-generation

Stats

GPA: IBDP 44/45 predicted

SAT: 1520, however H accepts separate math & r&w test scores making it (760 + 780)

ECs: 

Order is not set but its like:

Service/research- led a team of 6 in financial literacy sessions in 3 rural schools (~300 students). also did a mini-research project, and recorded an average ~40% increase on student testing metrics.

Service/internship- Did fieldwork and research promoting factory-labour rights as an intern with an NGO; I authored a policy brief on silicosis/injury compensation gaps & it's used as NGO internal document

Politics symposium organiser- Organised 6 human rights symposiums for student exposure (experts eg. consul Generals, High Court lawyer, etc); Hosted guests+Facilitated talks

eco-ambassador-  Selected for and participated in Columbia University Eco Ambassadors Lab on Plastic Pollution; engaged with top marine experts and created/published an interactive webpage on microplastics in a river near my hometown

debate competition founder- Organised first-ever Debate Competition in school on Human Rights (32 members); Trained junior debaters in 4 prep sessions; Co-Adjudicated the competition

service- Taught investment basics to underprivileged undergraduate students; Created investment presentations+games; Facilitated setup+management of ~15 demat accounts

sports- Competed Football+Volleyball+Basketball; Played football Varsity quarterfinals (2025) & semifinals (2026); Captain of basketball team

Leaf "Power,Policy & Progress" program participant- selected 600/3600+; did 5 weeks of activities and learnt about effective altruism; currently working on another project

internship- worked with my school's Dean of Admissions; Organised 5 schoolwide cultural events; Invited + Hosted new parents+guests; Emceed 2 events

MUN- Delegated 11 interschool MUNs (6 awards); Chaired 3 MUNs as Executive Board; Served Finance Head for 3 conferences (~350 participants) –Managed school+sponsor money

Honours: Honestly nothing too special, but I have like Very High Comm in JLI essay (twice), Cambridge Re:think Honourable mention, state debate bronze, student government (3 years), won an investment comp

So yeah, do I even have a chance? Should I even consider applying REA? Is there anything I should do rn (cuz i do have a bit of free time)? Pls be honest.

Will ED
11 APs, 1 Advanced, 5 honors
1510 SAT
Extracurricular of Research internship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in Neurosurgery with actual Research done (literally right next to UPenn and so closely tied that people have to explain that the two have no legal affiliation)
Summer job + normal job
JV Captain / Coach's Award
Design award for Scholastic Art
All the college board honors
Make music as a hobby (grown a fanbase)

(also side note:
i dont know whether to write my essay on my personal experience or my internship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia or on my own growth overtime as a person idk how to do both help🙏)