Alr so basically I will be applying to the uk, us and canadian schools here and my gr 9 avg was a 84 and my gr 10 was a 81 (cooked asf ik), but so far i took gr 11eng and gr 11 law (in day skl) and got a 94 and 90. (Edit) 92 is if i maintain what i have rn, im aiming for a 95 to 98 avg.

My ecs:

Brawl stars (over like 700 smth hours been playing since 2020 and almost pro😭)

President of a club with 4 satellite clubs, total member base over 400-500 idk

Hosted a national event with backing from major partners like UofT Rotman, UW, Brock, etc etc, had like 350+ participants.

Made round 2 of Hosa medical Innovation, smth about a rare condition that affects your immune system, we found a solution to tht, did not place (still doing hosa)

I do Deca

Played cricket for sm years, got my junior team to the first playoffs since the skl was built, captained it asw n mentored the backup keeper

I am currently starting my own ecom startup with a IP in the process.

Edit (awards)

Nothing to significant as of date just district level cricket awards and some others on par, chapter won a couple of national awards which ig i can put under mine. Hosa aiming for top 3 next year, since this year we did pretty well.

Taking a TMU course and a Co-op placement

Guitar, sm other irrelavent stuff

My main question is, if i focus and pull off a 92 or smth avg in gr 11 and gr 12, can i get into the top 10 business programs in the us and canada, and can i get into the top medical programs over in the eu. Yes i know only us looks at the past 4 years, yes ik canadas grades r inflated ash and u needa take the sat and ucat.

chance me for engineering

im a rising senior from spain, specifically melilla, and im really just trying to see where i stand before i hit submit on these applications. icl, i know my school list is super reach-heavy, but i just want to see if my profile holds up for engineering programs given my situation.

Demographics

• Gender: Man
• Country: Spain (Melilla)
• School: Public
• Income: <$65k/yr (need-aware applicant)

Intended Major(s)

• Mechanical Engineering

GPA and Rank

• No rank
• Bachillerato average: 9.5 (1st year) / 9.5 predicted (2nd year)
• Upward grade trend

Coursework (Rigor)

• Most rigorous available

Extracurriculars

1. Founder of city-wide engineering club: Created the first club in my school and city to promote STEM for future students.
2. STEM Racing team: Project manager and lead engineer; won award for best engineered car and qualified for world finals.
3. Maths Olympiads: National level; bronze medal recipient.
4. Judo: Training since age 6, brown belt, multiple bronze medals at national competitions.
5. AI Drone Project: Self-developed a self-driven drone with a camera arm for aerial recording.

Essays-LORs

• My personal statement centers on the time I lost during my 15th year due to Crohn's disease and how I've managed my health while pursuing engineering and athletics.

Schools

• Harvard University (EA)
• Stanford University (EA)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (EA)

edit: just realized i should mention the crohn's is still something i manage daily, so it definitely impacted my academic timeline early on. im not tryna flex with the ECs or anything, just really nervous about the international financial aid aspect. any advice or reality checks would be appreciated.

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)

Junior into senior next year, I feel lost on my chances, and I'm starting to think they'll be very low. I'm unfortunately international because of Indian citizenship even though I've lived in the US for 15 years:

Demographics:
- Male

- Indian

- Middle Income

- High School: Large Competitive Public Texas HS (United States)

- Hooks: First-Gen US college student if that counts

Stats:
- 4.87 weighted 3.9 unweighted GPA

- SAT: 1430, may be higher later but for now, 1430, 720 read 710 math

AP courses:
- AP Human Geography

- AP World History

- AP Precalculus

- AP English Language

- AP US History

- AP Government

- AP Macroeconomics

- AP Calculus AB

- AP Physics 2

- AP English Literature

- AP Music Theory

AP Scores:
- 5 on Human Geo, 4 on AP world, 5 on AP US History, 5 on AP English Language, 4 on AP Precalculus

Extracurriculars:
- Band, 4 years, 2 years varsity, 2 years leadership team

- PLTW Engineering Courses, IED, POE, Aerospace

- NOCTI Engineering Industry Certifications

- SpaceTeams in junior year, a NASA competition in my district

- Flight School, ongoing right now, will have PPL by application

- Volunteer hours with Red Cross and MapSwipe, around 200

- Got into World Class DCI Corps, The Academy Drum And Bugle Corps

Awards:
- UIL State Marching Contest 4A 2x Silver Medalist, 1x Bronze Medalist

- UIL Solo and Ensemble Contest: 1st Regional, qualified for state

- UIL State Solo And Ensemble Contest competitor

- GPA award for high GPA for 3 years so far, still unknown for senior year

- TMEA All Region Wind Ensemble Qualifier

- As mentioned before, NOCTI Engineering Certifications

planned major is Aerospace Engineering

No financial aid most likely

Colleges:
Purdue
University Of Michigan
University Of Texas, Austin
University Of Texas, Arlington
Texas A&M
Ohio State
CalTech(maybe)

Goal is Purdue. I have no clue of my chances. thoughts?

saudi arabia
100 scale gpa
got 100 on everything since freshmean year till now senior year
ielts 7.5 no sat
media culture and communactions
virtual work experince at a popular magazine
soccer 9-10th grade youngest player in a junior, senior dominated team
multiple certificates from luxury brands
500+ volunteer hours in media
joined multiple courses connected to my major
essay is personal
what do yall think?
im applying ED1 to NYU ny

Hi everyone, I’m an Indian high school junior looking for advice on U.S. college admissions, particularly on where I might have the strongest combination of admission chances, financial aid, and career outcomes.

Academically, I scored 97% in Class 10 and expect around 93% in Class 11. I may have a lower Class 12 result, potentially around 90%, because I will be undergoing surgery shortly before my board examinations. I’m generally a strong student academically. I have not taken the SAT yet, but I’m currently scoring 1480+ on practice tests and expect to target 1500+.

My extracurricular profile is primarily centered around finance, entrepreneurship, consulting, research, public affairs and leadership.

Some of my main activities include:

• Chief Analyst, Equinox Research India — student-run equity research organization focused on financial markets, company analysis and investment research
• Analyst, AS Finance Partners — startup consulting firm; worked with 7 clients on financial and strategic consulting projects
• Intern, Aurevian — AI-finance startup
• Co-Founder, Gem Tourism — co-founded a tourism startup and worked across strategy, finance and operations
• Founder, B2B maintenance marketplace startup connecting businesses with electricians, HVAC technicians, cleaners and other maintenance professionals
• Two internships with the Indian Air Force
• Research Fellow at one of India’s leading commerce and economics institutions
• Researcher, Army Institute of Law — conducted research related to securities law
• Vice President, Innovation Club
• Volunteer and Logistics Intern with a regional political party
• Volunteer with AFFWA, an Indian Air Force-affiliated organization
• Vice Captain of my school house, representing approximately 1,000 students
• Head of Research, MUN consulting firm, working with 15+ clients
• Executive Board member at multiple MUN conferences
• Created a free agricultural technology/tool platform for Indian farmers

For honors and competitions, some of my notable achievements include:

• Finalist, University of Waterloo International Stock Pitch Competition
• Finalist, IIT Guwahati MNAnalyze Case Competition
• Top 2% nationally, SR Consulting Olympiad
• Top performer in my state, National Mathematics Olympiad
• Finalist, National Indian Air Force Quiz
• Winner, National Heritage Quiz
• Top 5, Consult for Impact Case Competition by 180 Degrees Consulting, Hindu College
• Participated in 40+ MUNs, along with numerous quizzes and debates
• Received awards and recognition from the Chief of Air Staff and several senior Indian defence officials, including senior military officers

I also have a personal essay focused on growing up in the Indian Air Force environment and how that experience shaped my ambitions, values, interests and the opportunities I have pursued. I believe this provides a coherent personal narrative behind my extracurricular profile rather than simply presenting a list of activities.

My intended career is primarily in finance, particularly investment banking, private equity or asset management, with management consulting/MBB also being a strong possibility.

The biggest constraint for me is financial aid. I would need essentially a full ride to attend a U.S. university. My family comes from a defence background, and Indian defence officers are not particularly highly compensated relative to the cost of a U.S. undergraduate education, so paying the full cost of attendance would not be financially realistic for my family.

Given this profile, I would really appreciate advice on which U.S. universities I should target where I have the strongest combination of:

1. A realistic chance of admission
2. A realistic chance of receiving a full ride or essentially full financial aid as an international student
3. Strong undergraduate recruiting into investment banking, private equity, asset management and/or MBB
4. A strong overall fit with my academic and extracurricular profile

I’m particularly interested in understanding whether I should prioritize extremely selective universities that provide generous need-based aid to international students, universities offering major merit scholarships, or a combination of both.

I would also appreciate recommendations beyond the usual Harvard/Stanford/Wharton/MIT-type schools. I’m especially interested in universities that may be somewhat less obvious but could still provide a strong finance recruiting pipeline while giving an international student like me a realistic path to a full ride.

If possible, I’d love to hear how you would categorize schools into reach / high reach / realistic / financial-aid-friendly options based on my profile.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

hiiii, can anyone plz kindly take a look at my profile and tell me my chance of admissions 😭

female, asian, mid income

comes from a very very competitive school in asia

major: history, poli-sci, pre-law, politics (?

sat: might go test optional 1470 for now 😭 (im retaking in august and sept)

4.42/? (idk but im pretty sure it's not out of 5) took all the hardest course my school offered for 9th to 12th grade
APs: macro (5), micro (5), apwh (5), apush (5), ap lit (5), ap precalc (5, our skl doesnt offer calc till 12th grade), ap physic 1 (5), ap psych (4)

pretty strong ECs: first female president in a very conservative private school, two research paper (one for STEM one for social ontology), politcal internship (campaigning and debating with legislators), women basketball player, choir (for 7 yrs), volunteer for 100+ hr and worked with ECSE, tedx vice president (curated >6 events)

weak to mediocre awards: immerse essay comp, TEDx Speak Your Mind, scholarships (like a book prize ? idk), arts comp, MUN BD, choir comp, AP awards, and merit-based awards at my skl

might do initial view

i think my essays might be decent (still working on it

my rec letter would possibly be decent (one from my G11 math teacher+G11 lit teacher)

Showed strong interest by applyign to webinar, cat chats, and chatted with graduated alumni

the thing that I'm worried about is that we have a girl in my class who has 2x legacy :(

my current school list:

1. Northwestern (ED1)
2. Vanderbilt (ED2)
3. Wellesley, Georgetown, University of California, UMich Ann Arbor, USC, NYU, Boston College, UNC Chapel Hill, Rochester, Wisconsin Madison, GWU, WashU St. Louis, UVA, UWash Seattle
4. and also for uk: kcl, ucl, lse, oxford (but niche majors)

thank you guys so much

~3.7–3.8 uw GPA
Targeting 95% in Class 12(most rigorous course)

SAT: 1520, aiming for 1550+ in sept

ECs:-
Built an app for the very local Farmers with 1000+ genuine farmer downloads helping them with crop diseases, cost cutting measures and etc with low or no network connection required

Built and deployed “School App” that is currently used by 2 schools, 1 private and 1 govt and plans to expand more

Built a Tribal Education App used by 25+ tribal students at my aunt’s tribal education initiative

Built a website that helped save my physics teacher time by organising loads of her
teaching course, easing up her schedule by almost 4 hours a week

Built 5 websites for local Instagram micro-merchants as pro-bono work

Built an independent robotics project during freshmen

Participated in multiple hackathons, including a winner and a top-3 finish

subject topper in 10th year of school

Completed a 150 hour internship experience

Built a contracts-related app that received recognition from a regional government body

all the above apps on google playstore btw

helped 5-6 juniors with SAT prep and school courses

lead almost all internal school group projects in high school years

Football:-
4+ years of continuous football training and coaching as well Competitive football experience

4+ years of piano and baking , tho no competition won, just hobbies

research:-
2 research papers, including one with a tier 1 university professor and its applied for being published

YouTube channel with 8K+ subscribers and 2M+ views

startes an additional Instagram page tho its too small for mentioning any analytics

Intended Major
Computer Science

Interested in minors like Business, Economics, and Entrepreneurship as secondary areas

recommend me some reaches, targets and safeties as an international student broskies😔😔my ahh kinda scared

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.

Demographics White male from a relatively small Eastern European country
Family income: Need significant financial aid  
Hooks: none
Intended major: History  
GPA: 4.93/5 (school does not rank)
School: The strongest and most selective public STEM high school in the country (produces the majority of the country’s science olympians).
Planning to take the SAT (aiming for 1550+)
Awards & Competitions
National competitions (organized by the Ministry of Education, several thousand applicants, three rounds, ~20 finalists):
• History :1st place nationally three times, one 2nd, one 3rd (out of five years eligible). Final-round score 97% (nexthighest outside my class: 84%). ~1,000 pages of material per competition (academic texts, scientific papers, primary source analysis).
• Physics: 4th place nationally twice + two more top-10 finishes.
• Overall: 14 national competitions in 5 subjects → 7 medals(top 3 nationally)+ 2 awards; every result top-10nationally. In high school: six nationals (history + physics), three medals + one award.

• IJSO: Bronze (national quals: 1st physics, 2nd biology).
• Qualified for International History Olympiad 2027.
• Highest national academic award for high-school students(only for national champions / international medalists): four times.
• Scholarship from the largest corporate foundation in the region (only 3–4 high-school scholarships per year): twoyears.
• City excellence awards + scholarship (4th out of ~500).

Research Independent research with a mentor from the country’s central historical institute on the repression of participants in social life in the capital during WWII and the post-war period (liquidations, trials, censorship, and forced retirements as tools for creating fear and ideological uniformity). Large primary-source base (trial documents, internal correspondence of the authorities, army andintelligence services, personal biographies). To be completedby the deadline.
Planning a follow-up project on the construction of post-WWII historical narratives in the region . Will be in progress(possibly with some output) by application time.

Extracurriculars & Leadership
• Selected (with one classmate) to teach competition physicsto 9th graders as part of the official school schedule. Designed curriculum for 35+ students → 7 nationalfinalists (out of 20 total) and one national champion.
• Club: 9 years, 3,000+ hours, 4 years in leadership of a 150+ member organization focused on personal development, virtue, mentoring, leadership... Part of thethree-person committee that led the club through reconstruction; expanded activities. Participated in ~10 camps (most focused on post-earthquake recovery work). Multi-year van trips across Europe staying in affiliatedclubs. Co-organized three one-week camps for youngerchildren. Currently ~10 hours/week with youngermembers.
• University-level lectures + experimental practice inphysics (some biology/chemistry) (~200 hours). One of~10 selected students in the generation. Bi-weekly 20–30 page experimental reports in high school.
• Studying family history since 5th grade (archival materials, family tree back to the 18th century, site visits).
• Journalism: main editor of the club newspaper (9th grade), commentary aired on a major national radio station, interview with a Member of the European Parliament.
• Long-term collaboration with two classmates: swept thenational History podium (1st–3rd) in one year (first time ever) + multiple other medals. Covered in the press.
• Alumnus work at primary school (private primary school — the first in the country focused on whole-person development) (100+ hours physical work) + usedmedia exposure to promote the school.
• Family contribution: regular work on the house construction site and garden.
• Sports: consistent training (track & field 7 years, currently fitness 4–5×/week).

Languages studied at school: native language, English, German, Latin

Essay angle Strong Catholic upbringing with family stories ofresilience under communism → crisis of faith at age 10 whenscience/positivism clashed with it → years of studying European philosophy, mythology, Jung, Dostoevsky, Lennox, etc. → reconciliation through a better understanding of therole of mythology and the underlying presumptions that make science possible. This enables rigorous, non-ideological historical research on contested topics.

Where should I apply? Is my profile realistic for significant financial aid in the US? Please be honest.

Demographics White male from a relatively small Eastern European country
Family income: Need significant financial aid  
Hooks: none
Intended major: History  
GPA: 4.93/5 (school does not rank)
School: The strongest and most selective public STEM high school in the country (produces the majority of the country’s science olympians).
Planning to take the SAT (aiming for 1550+)
Awards & Competitions
National competitions (organized by the Ministry of Education, several thousand applicants, three rounds, ~20 finalists):
• History :1st place nationally three times, one 2nd, one 3rd (out of five years eligible). Final-round score 97% (nexthighest outside my class: 84%). ~1,000 pages of material per competition (academic texts, scientific papers, primary source analysis).
• Physics: 4th place nationally twice + two more top-10 finishes.
• Overall: 14 national competitions in 5 subjects → 7 medals(top 3 nationally)+ 2 awards; every result top-10nationally. In high school: six nationals (history + physics), three medals + one award.

• IJSO: Bronze (national quals: 1st physics, 2nd biology).
• Qualified for International History Olympiad 2027.
• Highest national academic award for high-school students(only for national champions / international medalists): four times.
• Scholarship from the largest corporate foundation in the region (only 3–4 high-school scholarships per year): twoyears.
• City excellence awards + scholarship (4th out of ~500).

Research Independent research with a mentor from the country’s central historical institute on the repression of participants in social life in the capital during WWII and the post-war period (liquidations, trials, censorship, and forced retirements as tools for creating fear and ideological uniformity). Large primary-source base (trial documents, internal correspondence of the authorities, army andintelligence services, personal biographies). To be completedby the deadline.
Planning a follow-up project on the construction of post-WWII historical narratives in the region . Will be in progress(possibly with some output) by application time.

Extracurriculars & Leadership
• Selected (with one classmate) to teach competition physicsto 9th graders as part of the official school schedule. Designed curriculum for 35+ students → 7 nationalfinalists (out of 20 total) and one national champion.
• Club: 9 years, 3,000+ hours, 4 years in leadership of a 150+ member organization focused on personal development, virtue, mentoring, leadership... Part of thethree-person committee that led the club through reconstruction; expanded activities. Participated in ~10 camps (most focused on post-earthquake recovery work). Multi-year van trips across Europe staying in affiliatedclubs. Co-organized three one-week camps for youngerchildren. Currently ~10 hours/week with youngermembers.
• University-level lectures + experimental practice inphysics (some biology/chemistry) (~200 hours). One of~10 selected students in the generation. Bi-weekly 20–30 page experimental reports in high school.
• Studying family history since 5th grade (archival materials, family tree back to the 18th century, site visits).
• Journalism: main editor of the club newspaper (9th grade), commentary aired on a major national radio station, interview with a Member of the European Parliament.
• Long-term collaboration with two classmates: swept thenational History podium (1st–3rd) in one year (first time ever) + multiple other medals. Covered in the press.
• Alumnus work at primary school (private primary school — the first in the country focused on whole-person development) (100+ hours physical work) + usedmedia exposure to promote the school.
• Family contribution: regular work on the house construction site and garden.
• Sports: consistent training (track & field 7 years, currently fitness 4–5×/week).

Languages studied at school: native language, English, German, Latin

Essay angle Strong Catholic upbringing with family stories ofresilience under communism → crisis of faith at age 10 whenscience/positivism clashed with it → years of studying European philosophy, mythology, Jung, Dostoevsky, Lennox, etc. → reconciliation through a better understanding of therole of mythology and the underlying presumptions that make science possible. This enables rigorous, non-ideological historical research on contested topics.

Where should I apply? Is my profile realistic for significant financial aid in the US? Please be honest.

**Demographics**
Vietnamese, senior at a public high school with pretty limited resources (most of my experiences came from cold emailing / reaching out myself)
Very high financial need for the US; budget around **$20k/year**

**Academics**
GPA: **9.3/10 (Grade 10), 9.6/10 (Grade 11)**, rank 1/844
**SAT 1520** (retaking in Sept), IELTS 7.5
No AP/IB offered at my school; chose the hardest courses available
Named one of my school’s most well-rounded students

**Intended major**
Flexible: **Cognitive Science, Psychology, HCI, or Psych paired with CS/Data Science.** I care about the combination more than the label.
Broadly interested in how environments shape what people feel, and how we can actually build spaces where people feel they belong. I like research, but I don’t want to stay on a purely academic track. I want to research + design + build.

**Research and work**
\- Long-term internship at the biggest neuroscience startup in my country working with **brain-mapping/EEG research**. Trained in the underlying science and worked with research data + student participants.
\-Independent mixed-methods study on different - ways young people process emotion, combining behavioral research with data analysis and advised by a professional in the field.
\-Two summers as an **R&D intern at a youth mental-fitness startup**. Did user research that helped shape the company’s product direction; later designed and tested a web product end-to-end based on usability findings.

**ECs (condensed)**
**- Founder & director of a youth-led platform** helping underserved children and teenagers discover their strengths, express themselves, and find belonging through creative, social, and community experiences. It runs on **two branches:**
**- Shelters:** recurring creative/storytelling programs reaching **300+ children across multiple shelters/care facilities**. I developed and iterated the program with some grounding in psychology and behavioral research, then expanded it into projects where different generations (elders) can create and exhibit work alongside one another.
**- Open community:** bringing the work to the wider student population through **large public events, charity sports tournaments, art/photography activities, exhibitions, and an online gallery/community.** Larger events have reached **hundreds of attendees.**
Lead a **20+ person cross-functional team** across R&D, tech, events, and communications. We’ve kept the project running for several seasons largely through our own fundraising, events, and sponsorships rather than outside grants.
**- Academic lead of my school’s psychology club:** peer-support programming reaching hundreds of students, a large school-wide event, and an educational content platform that grew to a few thousand followers
**- Built and shipped a study web app** used by hundreds of students, with strong repeat usage during peak test-prep season
**- Led a team to create an emotional-education program with a professional center** for younger children, and helped lead a hospital creative/play program reaching children across multiple hospitals
**- Event production:**
\+ Produced a student charity concert whose proceeds funded long-term hospital programming, and a **school-wide concert for 2,000+ students**
\+ Co-founded an amateur football league with **200+ players**; class president throughout high school
\+ Artist and photographer, submitting an arts portfolio
\+ Organized sketching events across my city that attracted 60+ participants

**Awards (kept general on purpose):**
**-Top placement** in an international psychology competition
**-City-level prize** for a designed emotional-learning product for children
**-Silver medal** in a team STEM water rocket competition -(team lead)
\- Regional biology award
\- City-level sports medal

**Languages:**
Vietnamese native, English advanced, some
Cantonese and Mandarin (open to learning another language)

**Long-term goal:**
I want to design and build **“third places,” physical and digital**, where young people gather, feel like they belong, and come to understand themselves through being there. Research matters to me, but I don’t want to be only a researcher on a purely academic track.

**Current US list:**
Mostly need-meeting LACs plus a few mid-size privates, spread across ED/EA/RD. My ED1 is Pomona (I HOPE I MAKE IT 😭).

**What I’m asking:**
\- Universities in **Asia** with strong Psych/CogSci/HCI and real scholarship money for international students. **Full-ride or near-full-ride tiers specifically**, not partial merit.
**- US university campuses in Asia, or joint/hybrid programs**, worth applying to with this profile.
\- US schools I might be missing that **meet full demonstrated need for internationals** and lean applied/building-oriented rather than heavily theoretical.
\- An honest read: **does a profile like this actually reach the major scholarship tiers in category 1, or am I aiming at the wrong bracket?**
**One thing I know I don’t want:** programs that are purely theoretical with no making or building involved.
Thanks to anyone who takes the time. Happy to answer questions in the comments :)

Please help me out. I really wanna go to Brown, and I am planning to apply to Brown and all other Ivies. My Background: first-gen international student, comes from a city in the Middle East with not many opportunities

Here are my stats: 11 APs total; 5 5s ( Chem, Calc BC, Macro, Micro, World History); 1 4 (Psych), all taken in junior year. 1530 SAT score and my school does not report our class rankings.

My extracurriculars: 2 outstanding awards from a local universties class designed for high school students

Theaching assistant in law classes in my local university

A volunteer who helped organise film festivals and workshops for women immigrants in my local NGO

a published research written with the help of my mentor

a multidisciplinary research written with my friend about AI Ethics

found a high school law review club in my school and organized debates

took further mathematics class in a pragram named Euler circle for 9 months

wrote essays about chemistry and law and published them

50+ plus volunteer hours at a charity

wrote an essay about the local politic problems in my city about contruction workers right in a competition ( still waiting for results),

What do you think, guys? I always see these crazy applications on TikTok, and I feel like I haven't done anything.

Demographics: Asia Pacific

Intended Major(s): Economics

IB: predicted 42/42, core 3 marks not out yet (Math AA HL, Physics HL, Economics HL, English A LangLit SL, Second Language B SL, History SL)

IGCSE: 9A*2A

SAT: 1560 (760 EBRW, 800 Math)

TMUA: Quite confident it will be at least 7-7.5

Awards:

- International Economics Olympiad Silver Medallist

- Harvard Crimson Quiz Bowl (Econ & Business) - Best in Asia Pacific

- British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1 Distinction (UKMT SMC 3x gold, 3x BMO qualifier, 4x IMC Gold)

Extracurriculars (deliberately vague, doesnt matter too much for UK?):

• Executive board of a large regional MUN conference (500+ attendees), Founder of school MUN conference
• Economics research for 2 years at a local university (will focus on this in Personal Statement)
• Paid internship at large VC
• Duke of Edinburgh Bronze & Silver

Applying:

Cambridge Econ

Imperial Econ, Finance & Data Science

LSE Econ

Warwick Econ

UCL Econ

Any tips/recommendations for essays? Thanks guys

Demographics: Male, Indian, Low-Income (<$8k/yr), From a Semi-Rural City, Attend an eh Private CBSE School. First Generation.

Intended Major(s): Computer Science / Applied Mathematics

ACT/SAT/SAT II: Not taken yet, but I consistently get a 32-33 in the ACT mocks now. [Don't like the SAT much]

UW/W GPA and Rank: 93-95% typically in every exam; No weighted system in CBSE; Ranked 1 out of 160 kids. [I'm Sophomore year right now.]

Coursework: No APs/IBs/DEs.

Awards:

1. State Arybhatta Ganit Challenge Winner (State Maths Competition)
2. 2x TALLENTEX Rank 100 (National)
3. 3x School Academic Excellence (School)
4. State Physics Olympiad Rank 3
5. Zonal Excellence for Entrepreneurship.

Extracurriculars: 

1. Founded a Software Agency; Served 40+ clients; Helped businesses scale and go online; Recurring Revenue of $3XX/month.
2. Freelance Developer; More than 65 orders completed and average rating of 4.9 stars.
3. Non Profit; Builds, Hosts Websites for Small Businesses; 9 businesses impacted; Proven growth of upward of 22% in sales over a 3 month Analysis Period.
4. Peer Tutoring; Help my friends understand hard topics with fun explainations to help them with scoring higher in exams.
5. Care Taker for Both Parents suffering with Major Health Issues.
6. Independent Learner at ModernStates; Seeking Math rigor outside school.
7. Local Software Internship at a Small Datacenter; Managed all of their infrastructure: 3 nodes, 20GbE internet, Hosted Containers; Helped monitor uptime, install packages, update software, technically assist users.
8. Hosted 2 Hackathons; had 70+ people attending; raised $300 in prize money to give to winners; mentored the winners with a roadmap to start on what they should do (as a suggestion).

Essays/LORs/Other: My Personal Statement would be around showing that the truest reflection of my life can be found in the folders on my laptop, not my photo gallery. LORs would be decent ish - probably from my Maths Teacher (7-8/10), English Teacher (5-6/10), Datacenter Owner (10/10).

Schools: (not guaranteed yet, I'm still a Sophomore but yeah)

ED UPenn (prolly)

Rest RD:

MIT, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Caltech [Very high reaches but I think it's worth taking the shot]

Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Duke [Most of them have high full-aid packages]

Then, there's Liberal Arts Colleges: Grinnell, Williams, Bowdoin, Reed, Denison, Whitman, Swarthmore, University of Richmond, Amherst.

Outside US: [NUS, NTU @ Singapore], [HKU, HKUST @ Hong Kong], [KAIST, POSTECH @ South Korea]

Note: I do have a small sponsor for some stuff. She can do $10-20k/yr and I can do $2-3k/yr from my side. Expected EFC is around $15-20k/yr. Still need huge aid for $70-80k/yr schools but yeah its still something.

International student low income

First generation

Major: CS/AI

1510 SAT(800M,710RW) (going to retake again)

Took 5 A-levels. Physics-A*, Maths-A*, Chemistry-A*, Computer Science-A*, EGP-A

School does not rank.

International AI Olympiad(IOAI) bronze. First ever medalist from my country in IOAI.

Published a research paper on a q1 peer reviewed journal( Impact factor of around 5.0)where i did almost all the work + lor from my professor on it.

Will submit another paper as first author to IEEE JSTARS this week( idk if accept or reject) + lor from my proff on it.

Outstanding Cambridge learners award- World top in mathematics( Intl award)

Outstanding Cambridge learners award-Country topper in Chemistry and Computer Science

Around 100+ hours of community service in an orphanage where i tutored orphan kids to help them raise their grades.

Took 2 classes per week for a whole year to tutor underprivileged kids for free. Taught a class of around 40 students as a proper teacher.

Academic mentorship where I have guided around 1000+ students about AI, Olympiads in AI and stuff. It is like a leadership role.

Internship at company where i helped promote AI across nepal and helped design platforms for conducting AI olympiad rounds.

Technical lead at my schools computer club where i led building of projects for the school and other external projects.

I am ranked in top 3 in codeforces from my country. But rating is only 1600+

I have some stuff in github idk if that helps.

Lors

Counsellor ( mid), professor with whom i did research( may be good), the team leader with whom i went to IOAI (maybe good)

The thing is people who have received international olympiad medals from my country almost all went to MIT. There are people with almost no EC but only olympiad medals who got accepted into MIT. But AI olympiad is a new olympiad so idk if it has the same prestigue. So, I am very worried if MIT officers would like that.

I will try to write the best essays I can. Apart from that do you guys think i am fit for top colleges? Like ivys, T20 or am i just delulu ?

I want to ED to Cornell(maybe) but idk if that is a good decision. What uni would be the best fit for me for ED, can you guys suggest some. I am so confused please enlighten me guys.

Chance me for Princeton SCEA / Brown ED / Dartmouth ED?

​Demographics: Indian male, international, tier-4 city in India, applying for full financial aid. Limited local research/EC opportunities.

​Intended Major: Computer Science | Academic Interest: Astronomy/Astrophysics

​Academics:

​Class 9: 77% | Class 10 (CBSE): 91.4%

​Class 11: 97% (Valedictorian / #1 Rank)

​Class 12: 95% pre-board (HSC, final pending)

​SAT: TBD (preparing)

​ECs:

​Cultural Head: 2nd highest leadership position at 1000+ student school; managed events with 1000+ audience.

​Exoplanet Research: Independent research guided by university professor studying provided papers & research topics.

​Astronomy: Independent stargazing, tracking celestial events, eclipses, space missions from home.

​Chess Community Founder/Admin: Built & managed online chess community around a Grandmaster.

​Community Volunteering: Student volunteer in 12-hr Miyawaki drive; planted 500+ saplings (Guinness World Record attempt).

​NGO Work: Volunteer with 2 local community service organizations.

​School Sports: Core team member for both school Cricket & Badminton teams.

​Music: 3 levels cleared in Indian classical singing examinations; self-taught guitar.

​Gourmet Club: Event coordinator for school culinary club.

​Honors:

​Class 11 Valedictorian / Highest Academic Standing

​3D Printing Competition — Advanced to State Level

​IGKO Olympiad — School Gold Medal

​Gem of the Class (Grades 9 & 10)

​Questions:

​How competitive is this profile for Princeton SCEA, Brown ED, and Dartmouth ED with full aid?

​How bad is the Class 9 77% given my 97% upward trend in Class 11?

​Does independent exoplanet research carry weight without a national award/paper?

​How much does a Tier-4 city context matter in review?

​Which early option makes the most strategic sense?

​What are my biggest weaknesses and what should I improve before applying?

Region : South east asia

Curriculum : A-level Caie (A* Math , A* Further Math , A* Physics , A Chemistry )

Sat : 1580

Major : Bsc Computer engineering , Electrical Engineering

dream uni : upenn

Awards weak part : Best Panelist ( International ) 1st in Hackathon (National) , 3rd Robotics competition (National) , Best intern in national bank , National Award for teaching solar panel and local machinery to rural part of country , inter school level swimming champion

Ecs : Comfortable in Python , Java DSA, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, SQL, Git, GitHub, Full Stack Development, Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Generative AI

intern at it hub , national bank , uncle's glass factory , insurance company

Research at nation's best engineering uni and polygence Scholar Pathway

i love cooking and have taken bakery and pastery courses were i had best final dish

Worked in technical ngo's , have taught python in 500k Subs Yt channel of my country , Have conducted ai bootcamps in insurance company

swimming

Financial Aid : Full ride needed

Colleges : Mit , Stanford ,Upenn , Carnigie Mellon , Princton , Cornell , Caltech , Harvard , Yale , Columbia , Gergia Tech , Local engineering colleges

I am just throwing a shot , NO Good Research , No olympiad , No Nasa intern , No school goverment , No 250 hr community work , i know i am cooked but i just thought to let these colleges reject me , not myself.

Hello! I am currently going into Grade 12 in the states, and am pretty set on going to an Ontario or Quebec Uni. I have a couple questions: 1. Considering the stats I have (see ** below), do I have a good chance of being accepted to Western Ivey, Queens, and Rodman? 2. If I theoretically got accepted to all three, which is the best option overall in terms of academic rigor, career opportunities/resources, and social life? 3. I got a 27 on my ACT and I plan to take it one more time, but don’t have very high hopes for myself. Would you guys recommend submitting applications without my score, or is it important to submit it even to unis that are test optional? 4. If there is any crucial advice you can think of for an applicant in my position, please feel free to let me know! I can use and help I can get, and any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

** Currently 4th in graduating class with a 4.3 weighted and 4.0 unweighted GPA. Passed AP Seminar, AP Physics 1, AP European History, AP U.S. Gov and Politics, and am taking AP Calculus AB, and AP Physics II this year (I’m in an engineering technical school as that was what I initially wanted to study going into grade 11, but have since changed my mind and have altered my EC descriptions to be more suited to an accounting major). I’ve also taken other advanced and college credit classes not through AP. Placed Top Ten in grade 10 for FCCLA Interior Design at Nationals, and just placed 2nd in the same category at Nationals in grade 11 (this project consisted of me creating a project for a client following their guidelines and requests. I used CAD to develop the project, and also developed a 15 minute speech and invoice, which I think relate well to a business major). FCCLA Vice President, National Honor Society President, and working a part-time job as desk-clerk at a tennis center (I’ve also played tennis for four years, but wasn’t planning to make that a focal point of my application). With these extra-curriculars, I’ve found ways to make them properly centered around marketing, communication, finance, and professional presentation skills.