r/ApplyingIvyLeague

Harvard or yale for cs + engineering?

Let me preface this by saying the actual hate I’ve gotten is almost 99% jealousy as not a single soul of the group that has given me shit about it has ever done better than a regional school. I have to admit, it still hurts! I haven’t been braggadocios about it but when I have shared the info people will either say they don’t believe me or they don’t believe I could get in. I know it’s an enviable position to be in but it still hurts. Any other admits feel the same?

Edit: I must note that the majority of people (~70%) have been nothing but encouraging and beaming with pride and excitement for me. It’s those few outliers that Im referencing. Also, I am NOT seeking validation. I just wanted to make this post so that other people experiencing similar reactions know that they’re not alone.

Title says it all. Here y’all go! (English is not my first language. From Sweden. Pls excuse any grammar mistakes!)

PERSONAL ESSAY:

My plonker pole had a flib that gronked on the skrizzle grout every few glips — a small, dry stuttle — and I had learned, by Sploober, to lean into it just sloombly to keep the crindle from splecking.

After the sixth glomping, I spribbled one afternoon as a flurp, eight floors down, crissed a parking splot with two plapper bags and a blorple pressed to her greeb. She was noffled about thimp or thamp. I wanted badly to be noffled about thimp or thamp, too.

Gleebwomp put zibbers on my plonkers the last time I was wiglebbed. Gripple, plubber-treaded, pritchy. I didn't gronk until the third dindle, when I floobed at the get-glabber cards scrobbled quamp to the flim beside the blinkdow: eight of them, snorfelopes fliskarded on the skrill, far out of plinch. One from my criss-crossle team had a stickle-figge runner drampled inside, mid-stromp, optimizzle: sniggles scrawlbeld throughout, each with glosber handwriting than the last. Zlorp wrote: "Grib me fribberty or grib me plorf!" I sloogled, which flurt.

Another dindle, I snerked the specific glumtony of Grazzleday morning pluzzuclus. If my Glooble Classroom "To-gloob" section were of any quampsequence, I was supplesed to be squambling myself Pibble's snorp.

The blundle stain above the sploxit's plorframe had sprangled into the flump shape of something quambling an upside-gown Florple or the Snrinch. A night shizzle murn agreebled, and from then on, around 5:00 a.flib., she'd pribble in the doorframe on her way splout to skrib how Jim Sporbley was snolding gulp.

Two grumbles down was a floy named Zimble. He'd splost both glabbers a few moomphs before I arrimp. We gabbled about floofball during phizzical blerapy — sometimes mid-snorfle, he'd go quipple and gringe, and I'd recognizzle it and flay northing. One splinternoon, the anesthizzoliogist who'd glomped on both of us cleebed by and plapped Slorpio Klorp with two kribs in blangchairs for an hour. After thrimp, when he adjimmled my floppofol glip, I didn't snip the gribble rail.

In Grumpril, a glorker and four blubber tips met the parking splot tarplack for the first toime, plonkers bare beneath the gripple blubber-snolled zibbers I plonked on myself that morning. Across the stroop, a flurp strode with her plimpers full and a blorple pressed to her greeb, noffled about thimp or thamp. The glorker's blubber tips caught breephly on a snidge in the tarplack — a small, dry skuttle — and I leaned into it.

I'm a high school junior and my dream is to go to a T20 school. However, it feels more impossible than it ever has before.

I'm in four clubs and actively participate. When club elections came out, I applied, and didn't make it all four times. And you know the reason why? It's not that I'm not qualified. It's not because of my personality or anything. It's because of popularity and bias.

In two clubs, the chosen people were all very close to and in the same friend circle as the current president and vice president. In another, the popular kid, who did a horrible speech and made a bunch of brainrot jokes instead of talking about important issues or plans for the future of the club, was chosen. And in another, they didn't even have an application. They straight up just chose a sophomore for president since they are the president's close friend.

These seniors just trust their junior friends to run the club next year and then leave. It's not fair. I am more than qualified for these roles and I actually care about these clubs. I always participate and show up to meetings, and what's funny is that the people chosen for leadership roles literally never attend. And now, when I apply to college in the fall, admission officers are gonna look down at my application and be like, "How come you never even had a leadership role in any of these clubs you claim to be a huge part of?"

Why is everything centered around popularity and nepotism? I would understand if I got turned down if I were a lousy candidate, but losing because I'm not besties with the president is not fair. I literally see my dreams at a T20 slipping. My application right now is kinda subpar compared to other insane applicants, so these leadership roles were supposed to help bolster it.

Is all hope lost?

I got into an Ivy RD (and have enrolled, etc etc), HOWEVER, I've had an unfortunate case of senioritis this spring.

I am near the top of my class and have maintained straight A's and A+'s throughout high school. I have a near-perfect SAT. This spring, after getting into one of my dream schools, I slacked off a bit. I'm taking 5 classes, and this semester I've gotten an A-, a B+, and a C.

I'm not too worried about the A- and B+, since I was told A's and B's are fine, and also when averaged with first semester my final grades are an A and an A-, respectively.

However, that C does worry me - my final grade for that class will be a B or a B+. And also just the fact that I got a C second semester is kinda chopped. Moreover, this class happens to be an AP class that is closely related to my prospective major.

What are the likely consequences of this? Is there a risk of getting rescinded?

Ok so we are ending my sophomore year at HS, maxed rigor, about a 3.5 UW both school years (mostly due to procrastination and not really caring) but Im planning to take it seriously these next 2 years. Realistically without knowing anything about my APs, Test Scores (not done any yet), ECs, Awards and looking at it GPA wise that if I get a 3.9-4.0 (UW) for the next 2 years do I have a chance GPA wise at fitting in with other top applicants?

Has anybody heard anything from Harvard regarding their waitlist? I was waitlisted back on Ivy Day, and I heard of some people getting rejected or accepted last Thursday (May 14th), but I'm also aware that a handful of people, such as myself, did not receive any updates in their portal. Does anybody know when the waitlist might move again?

Hey, I'm an incoming senior, who is applying for a Political Science/Public Policy Major.

I got a B in 8th grade from Geometry(2nd Semaster), a B in English 2 (Second Semaster), and AP Calculus BC (2nd Semaster)

Overall, my unweighted (after grade calculatiosn) will be around a 3.95, and my weighted will be a 4.80 Weighted.

Am I fried??

Hello! Should i mention my business and financial gains in my common app... im lost.

Here are my Stats: 3.89~3.9... 1440 SAT. Went from all standard normal classes freshmen, to some honors sophomore, and then junior year mostly all honors and then senior year rigor includes: Honors Calc, Ap Bio, Ap Econ, Ap Psych, Ap Lit, Dual Enrollment Religion Ethics...

College Resume/Accomplishments: 

Academic & Professional Experience 

• Conducted cancer and disease research at the Big 10 state college under Dr. XXXX. Supported literature review and clinical research observation... only one selected.
• Part-time employee (2024–Present) for a legal nurse consultant (W-2); organized case files and supported medical-legal documentation. 
• Completed 50+ hours shadowing medical professionals at the University of XXXXXX Medical Center, including the Chief of Anesthesia, CRNAs, anesthesiologists, surgeons, and gastroenterologists, gaining direct exposure to operating room procedures and patient care. 
• Designed and distributed 200+ illustrated anesthesia education pamphlets to underserved Baltimore populations, improving patient understanding of surgical procedures, anesthesia risks, and informed consent. 
• Founder & Co-Owner of MS Property Services, managing a landscaping and property improvement business serving 25+ recurring clients while overseeing scheduling, customer communication, pricing, and marketing.
• Founded XXXXXX Gemstone Supply, establishing international relationships with gem mining companies in Sri Lanka and generating $15,000+ in profit through gemstone sales to local jewelry stores and designers.
• Independently studied investing strategies, RSI indicators, SEC 13F filings, market trends, and economic reports while growing a personal investment portfolio from approximately $5,000 to over $50,000 in three years.

Leadership, Activities & Athletics: 

• 3-Year Captain, ECNL Club Soccer Team; led team to 2023 ECNL Regional Championship; 8-year athlete demonstrating leadership, discipline, and team coordination.  
• Varsity Soccer (1 year); Junior Varsity Soccer (2 years).  
• Tutored multiple students for the SAT, creating a structured study guide that improved scores from ~1090 to 1250+  
• Member, Italian Club (4 years).  
• Member, Future Business Leaders of America.

 

Service: 

• Supported sustainable agriculture and food access initiatives through 45+ hours of livestock care and production work benefiting local communities.  
• Contributed 20+ hours to environmental conservation through ongoing Gunpowder River cleanup and ecosystem restoration efforts.  
• Harvested and distributed fresh produce with XXXXXX Farm, aiding food security efforts for underserved populations.  
• Assisted in food pantry operations, organizing and distributing essential resources to families experiencing food insecurity.  
• Volunteered with the The XXX Foundation to prepare and deliver holiday gifts to underserved children.  
• Participated in a Catholic service mission at XXXXX Ranch, completing community-focused outreach and service projects.  
• Supported fundraising efforts for a local lacrosse organization to expand youth access to athletics. 
• Honor Roll

 

Hey everyone!

As summer is getting close, I wanted to ask advice you guys!

My message is kinda long to give you a full context.

I am a junior student from Uzbekistan.

The thing I am lacking now is preparedness for my major (MechE). I am looking for opportunities in my area for internships, but couldn't find any good ones. Most of them are just factories that assemble stuff.

I study at a boarding school which is away from my hometown (in the same region). I can stay at school and try to do independent learning and some projects in my school robotics lab, but it's only Arduino (so, it won't really show my preparedness) + can't buy other expensive components.

So, first option:

- Staying at school

- Independent learning

- Maybe, doing video editing as a job and buying some hardware components

Second option is:

- Going to the capital

- Interning at a place full of mentors & mentees or other nuclear labs/power plants

- Doing SMM/video editing work to cover my living expenses

So, the main take is:

- If I stay here in my region, I can't be involved in good opportunities. Can you recommend some alternative options that is both useful to me and my application?

- If I go to the capital, get a job and be involved in an internship, would it be worth it and how can I utilize all the resources and opportunities there?

I am doing research with a professor remotely regardless of the place

Thank you all for your advice!

Hey yall, I’m a junior and freshman year I really struggled with the classes I took. I ended up getting a c in math and 2 Bs… Ever since then I’ve taken 6 aps, 2 dual enrollment classes, and 7 next year all A’s. I have very strong extracurriculars and experience. Do I still have a shot?

how is it? Im def going there for the amazing research opportunity, but just wondering what its college matriculation is like in terms of T20s, T50s?

thx guys

I feel absolutely terrible asking this but I don’t want to waste another summer before entering my sophomore year I just don’t know what’s to do. I think u want l do pre med. wrote doing anesthesiology but haven’t done anything

i actually want real tips and guide from you not an advice to do on repeat questions and so!!

Hi everyone!!!!

I’m a grade 10 student (16F) from ON, Canada (first-generation immigrant from Pakistan), and I’ve been going back and forth on whether I realistically have a chance at Ivy League and/or top US schools. I know nobody can give a guaranteed answer but I’d really appreciate some honest perspectives.

Right now I don’t really feel like a “spike” student, and I’m not even sure I want to be boxed into one category. I genuinely love a lot of different areas. I’m into math, science, building and making things, tech, arts + media, writing, business, and econ. I feel like I’m kind of everywhere, but the one consistent thing is that I care a lot about impact. I want to use whatever skills I build to actually help people in a real way.

A bit about my ECs and experiences so far:
- Raised $3000 for the Halton Learning Foundation by selling ice cream sandwiches at my school (supports underprivileged students in my school board)
- Selected for the Sprout Fellowship (top ~100 students across Canada for social innovation projects, I’m the youngest in my cohort this year)
- Attended the Forum for Young Canadians on a bursary in Ottawa (gov sponsored program, ~300 students selected nationally to learn about politics + policy)
- Raised $500+ through handmade bracelet sales focused on metastatic cancer awareness and calling out corporate pink washing + greed in healthcare marketing
- DECA member (went to Provincials + served as DECA exec)
- Run the female business mentorship program at my school
- Have a personal blog where I write about ideas I care about, nothing super formal, I post just because I like writing
- Top 10 in Ontario on a University of Waterloo math contest
- Awards: Student of Excellence (school board award), Youth Change Maker of the Year (town award)

Academics:
- In pre-AP program in Grade 9 and 10
- Current GPA is ~3.9

I’ve been debating whether to continue AP in Gr. 11/12 because my school environment has been pretty toxic at times, and not all AP teachers are properly qualified. I’m honestly not sure if pushing through that stress is worth it or if it would hurt my wellbeing too much.

My biggest question is that I don’t really have a single defined passion. I’m very interdisciplinary, and I’m not sure how that fits into US admissions vs Canadian universities, where I’ve heard grades matter more heavily (with some exceptions). I also know ECs matter a lot more in the US, which is why I’m wondering if I even have a shot, but I also worry that not doing AP might hurt my chances too.

I guess I’m just trying to figure out:
- Do Ivies / top US schools actually take those “multi-interest” students without a clear spike?
- How important is it to stick with the most rigorous course load if it’s affecting your wellbeing?
- Based on what I shared, am I even in the range of being a competitive applicant, or am I thinking too far ahead?
- Do I take the SAT/ACT? If so, when???

literally ANY honest advice is appreciated. I’m still figuring things out and trying to figure out what direction makes sense!!!

I’ve noticed a trend where Reddit users massively upvote and congratulate people who post that they got into Harvard but don’t share any proof. It seems to happen weekly. Is there some Reddit culture of believing fellow Redditors or giving them the benefit of the doubt in situations like this?

the official site for checking gate cutoff is https://admissions.nic.in/admiss/admissions/orcrjacd/105012521

But it had problem that you can't sort the data according to score. without it you can't use it.

So i extracted the data and created a site where I can easily check cutoffs and find the best for me.

Sharing here so everyone can use it for free 😄.

Link : https://gate-cutoff-2025-dashboard.vercel.app/

I am planning to apply to the Ivy League and Top 20 universities to major in neuroscience. My extracurriculars are solid, and my grades are generally very strong. I usually maintain a 99–100 average in my AP classes (I've taken a total of 9 so far). However, I had a very strict AP Biology teacher and ended up with a 97 in the class. Given my intended major of neuroscience, will this grade negatively impact my chances at these top-tier schools? I'm a rising junior.

Edit: I know this sounds stupid, but I promise this is not ragebait. This is the lowest grade on my transcript, so I am actually concerned about it since it's within my intended major.

Got a call from admissions is morning saying I've been admitted off the waitlist- a little surprising since I didn't even send an LOCI since I thought I had no chance. Any advice from current students/students like me, since this whole thing is happening so quick? Anything I need to hurry up and do? I am in shock