Context: My school has no connections, programs, or prestige. The kids here are just way too smart and it makes me look bad. Everything I have done is on my own merit, but idk if it’s enough compared to kids at my school.

Demographics: Male, Asian, Southern State, Public School, No Hooks

Intended Major(s): Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering

SAT: 1560 (800M, 760R)

UW/W GPA and Rank: 3.96/4.51 (Top 6% out of 1000+ students)

Coursework: 10 APs & 4 IBs (all 5’s on APs and IB scores are yet to come)

Notable Courses: Calc III, AP Calc BC, AP Physics I & II, IB Biology, IB English (taking Linear Algebra and Discrete Math next year)

Awards:
- US Naval Award (Science)
- TSA Mathematical Modeling Nationals
- IEEE Prosthetics Research Paper
- IEEE Biosensing Research Paper
- Eagle Scout

Extracurriculars:
- Introduced science fair & research to district, growing participation by 200% and creating first district-wide symposium
- Worked with amputees at a large veteran’s clinic
- Helped medical nonprofits create cloud platforms as an intern @ Microsoft
- Built Brain Computer Interface training modules as an intern @ National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies
- Research Intern @ UTSW with upcoming research paper
- Built a platform to fix a major problem in my city (commended by mayor and platform is in use, I live in a small suburb)
- Taught communication at National Youth Leadership Training
- Built nonprofit teaching emotional intelligence and leadership through religious study and scaled to 9 cultural centers
- ASPL for Boy Scouts - Backpacked 200+ miles
- All Region Flute Player & Marching Band

Essays/LORs/Other:
- Really strong AP Calc BC rec about technical skills and intelligence
- Really strong IB Biology rec about character and leadership

Schools: UPenn ED, Princeton RD, Cornell, Gatech, UT EA, TAMU EA, idk what else to apply to

My application is really good in my opinion, but a lot of kids at my school are that much better. Our school doesn’t provide anything, so I’m not sure if I’m being compared to my peers or circumstances by colleges.

hey guys would really appreciate your help here. please dont doxx me

no financial aid required at alll

Demographics: Male, Indian, International (India), CBSE Curriculum, Rising Senior

Intended Majors: Finance, Economics, Business, Applied Mathematics

\---

Academics

Gpa : Cbse 93 ,converted to us gpa is a 3.95

Testing

SAT: 1530

Academic Interests

\* Economics

\* Finance

\* Quantitative analysis

\* Technology & AI

\* Entrepreneurship

Awards & Honors

1. State-Level Karate Gold Medalist

2. International-Level Debater

3. Silicon Valley Finalist - WhiteHat Jr National Coding Competition(26 selected out of 100k kids)

4. Multiple Olympiad distinctions and national/international ranks(top 20 in the country bois)

5. World Literacy Foundation recognition(student ambassador did fundraise money)

6. Trinity Guitar Grade 5 Certification playing guitar since 11years

7. Research papers published/submitted on SSRN

8. Debate and leadership recognitions across competitions and school activities

Extracurricular Activities

Entrepreneurship & Business

Co-Founder, SMMA

\* Co-founded and operated a social media marketing agency delivering data-driven growth strategies for businesses

\* Led 100+ outbound outreaches and managed multi-channel acquisition campaigns

\* Improved conversion metrics and optimized funnels through analytics-driven strategies

\* Tracked and analyzed CTR, CAC, ROAS, and campaign performance metrics

\* Worked on scalable client acquisition and retention systems

Internships

Investment Banking / Finance Internship

\* Gained exposure to financial analysis, valuation concepts, market research, and business strategy

\* Assisted with analytical and research-oriented tasks related to finance and investment evaluation

Technology / Startup Internship

\* Worked on technology, operations, and business development-related projects

\* Contributed to workflow optimization, digital systems, and execution across multiple functions

Research

Independent Researcher

\* Authored/co-authored 2 research papers published/submitted on SSRN

\* Research interests include economics, finance, AI, and quantitative systems

\* Conducted independent analytical research and long-form writing projects

Leadership

President, Economics Club

\* Led meetings, workshops, and discussions on economics, markets, and global finance

\* Organized educational sessions and collaborative activities for members

President, Finance Club

\* Conducted finance and investing workshops

\* Introduced students to financial markets, investing concepts, and business strategy

Debate & Public Speaking

International-Level Debater

\* Competed in high-level debate competitions

\* Taught debate and public speaking to 500+ students in person

\* Mentored 100+ students through Orbis, a debate-focused passion project

\* Helped train junior debaters in argumentation, public speaking, and policy discussion

\* Participated extensively in MUNs and competitive debate environments

Technology

Programming & Development

\* Coding since elementary school

\* Built websites, applications, and digital systems

\* Interested in fintech, AI, and scalable technology-driven ventures

Music

Guitarist

\* Playing guitar since age 6

\* Trinity Grade 5 guitarist

\* Performed in large-scale 1000 plus people concerts and music events

Athletics

Karate & Combat Sports

\* State-level karate gold medalist

\* Multi-year athletic training and competition experience

Community Service

Animal Welfare Volunteer

\* Completed 200+ hours of community service at a dog NGO

\* Assisted with animal care, volunteering initiatives, and support activities

Community & Mentorship

\* Mentored peers academically and in debate/public speaking

\* Organized workshops, discussions, and student-led initiatives

\* Involved in leadership and collaborative community projects

Im pretty sure my essays are going to be phenomenal.

Letters of Recommendation

Physics Teacher 10/10

\* Focus on leadership, analytical thinking, and intellectual curiosity. Absolutely Amazing

Debate Mentor/Teacher 100/10 he was a Stanford alumnus and i interned for him tok

\* Focus on communication, initiative, and public speaking ability and tournaments and shi

Math/CS Teacher 8/10 kinda mid

\* Focus on quantitative reasoning and long-term academic consistency

Reaches (7)

University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)

Harvard University

Princeton University

Columbia University

Yale University

Stanford University

University of Chicago

Targets (5)

New York University (Stern)

University of Michigan (Ross)

University of California, Berkeley (Haas)

University of California, Los Angeles

University of Virginia (McIntire)

Safeties (5)

Indiana University Bloomington (Kelley)

Pennsylvania State University (Smeal)

Arizona State University

University of Texas at Dallas

Ohio State Universityent)

hey guys would really appreciate your help here. please dont doxx me

no financial aid required at alll

Demographics: Male, Indian, International (India), CBSE Curriculum, Rising Senior

Intended Majors: Finance, Economics, Business, Applied Mathematics

Academics

Gpa : Cbse 93 ,converted to us gpa is a 3.95

Testing

SAT: 1530

Academic Interests

\* Economics

\* Finance

\* Quantitative analysis

\* Technology & AI

\* Entrepreneurship

Awards & Honors

1. State-Level Karate Gold Medalist

2. International-Level Debater

3. Silicon Valley Finalist - WhiteHat Jr National Coding Competition(26 selected out of 100k kids)

4. Multiple Olympiad distinctions and national/international ranks(top 20 in the country bois)

5. World Literacy Foundation recognition(student ambassador did fundraise money)

6. Trinity Guitar Grade 5 Certification playing guitar since 11years

7. Research papers published/submitted on SSRN

8. Debate and leadership recognitions across competitions and school activities

Extracurricular Activities

Entrepreneurship & Business

Co-Founder, SMMA

\* Co-founded and operated a social media marketing agency delivering data-driven growth strategies for businesses

\* Led 100+ outbound outreaches and managed multi-channel acquisition campaigns

\* Improved conversion metrics and optimized funnels through analytics-driven strategies

\* Tracked and analyzed CTR, CAC, ROAS, and campaign performance metrics

\* Worked on scalable client acquisition and retention systems

Internships

Investment Banking / Finance Internship

\* Gained exposure to financial analysis, valuation concepts, market research, and business strategy

\* Assisted with analytical and research-oriented tasks related to finance and investment evaluation

Technology / Startup Internship

\* Worked on technology, operations, and business development-related projects

\* Contributed to workflow optimization, digital systems, and execution across multiple functions

Research

Independent Researcher

\* Authored/co-authored 2 research papers published/submitted on SSRN

\* Research interests include economics, finance, AI, and quantitative systems

\* Conducted independent analytical research and long-form writing projects

Leadership

President, Economics Club

\* Led meetings, workshops, and discussions on economics, markets, and global finance

\* Organized educational sessions and collaborative activities for members

President, Finance Club

\* Conducted finance and investing workshops

\* Introduced students to financial markets, investing concepts, and business strategy

Debate & Public Speaking

International-Level Debater

\* Competed in high-level debate competitions

\* Taught debate and public speaking to 500+ students in person

\* Mentored 100+ students through Orbis, a debate-focused passion project

\* Helped train junior debaters in argumentation, public speaking, and policy discussion

\* Participated extensively in MUNs and competitive debate environments

Technology

Programming & Development

\* Coding since elementary school

\* Built websites, applications, and digital systems

\* Interested in fintech, AI, and scalable technology-driven ventures

Music

Guitarist

\* Playing guitar since age 6

\* Trinity Grade 5 guitarist

\* Performed in large-scale 1000 plus people concerts and music events

Athletics

Karate & Combat Sports

\* State-level karate gold medalist

\* Multi-year athletic training and competition experience

Community Service

Animal Welfare Volunteer

\* Completed 200+ hours of community service at a dog NGO

\* Assisted with animal care, volunteering initiatives, and support activities

Community & Mentorship

\* Mentored peers academically and in debate/public speaking

\* Organized workshops, discussions, and student-led initiatives

\* Involved in leadership and collaborative community projects

Im pretty sure my essays are going to be phenomenal.

Letters of Recommendation

Physics Teacher 10/10

\* Focus on leadership, analytical thinking, and intellectual curiosity. Absolutely Amazing

Debate Mentor/Teacher 100/10 he was a Stanford alumnus and i interned for him tok

\* Focus on communication, initiative, and public speaking ability and tournaments and shi

Math/CS Teacher 8/10 kinda mid

\* Focus on quantitative reasoning and long-term academic consistency

Reaches (7)

University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)

Harvard University

Princeton University

Columbia University

Yale University

Stanford University

University of Chicago

prolly cornell too

New York University (Stern)

University of Michigan (Ross)

University of California, Berkeley (Haas)

University of California, Los Angeles

University of Virginia (McIntire)

Safeties (5)

Indiana University Bloomington (Kelley)

Pennsylvania State University (Smeal)

Arizona State University

University of Texas at Dallas

Ohio State University

Chance Me - UT (Informatics) EA

Hii! I'm a current junior wondering if I should even hope about getting into UT Ischool for informatics. The biggest issue is my rank is around 12 ish percent but any guidance would be helpful! (Yes, I did use AI)

Background: - Upper income, mixed (Mexican and Indian) from a competitive public high school in Texas

**Academic Summary**

**GPA:** 101.5 (Weighted)

**SAT** 1530

**Rigorous Coursework:** 10 AP Courses, 2 Dual Credit Courses

Rank -12 ish percent, planning to not report though

**Honors & Awards**

* **NCWIT National Honorable Mention**, and regional winner
* **CyberPatriot National Semifinalist**
* **3x TFA State Qualifier**
* **HAMUN ECOFIN Best Research Winner (State)**
* **CS State Winner**, 4th state and 1st regional
* **Ap scholar, NHS, Local Cs and debate comps**

**Extracurricular Activities- Not ordered in any way**

(I spent 2 summers in India for context)

**1. Computer Science Team – Officer & Lead Instructor**

* Designed and taught a CS curriculum for 20+ freshmen, mentored junior members in competitive programming.
* Selected as a state-level representative; led team to multiple local first-place wins.
* **Commitment:** 4 hrs/week, 40 weeks/year.

**2. Speech & Debate Team – Officer & Congress Lead**

* Revived the dormant Congressional Debate program, increasing active membership by 30% and leading the team to state qualification.
* Competed in TFA and NSDA circuits with multiple local championship titles.
* **Commitment:** 10 hrs/week, 35 weeks/year.

**3. Districts Advisory Board Member**

* One of sub 50 students nominated by the Superintendent to advise on district-wide policy and student equity.
* Represented over 3000 campus students, providing a direct link between the student body of 80K and district leadership.

**4. National CS org (not mine)– Chapter and regional Lead**

* Founded/Led a chapter that provided Python programming foundations to 50+ underprivileged students.
* Managed a team of volunteer instructors and oversaw long-term student retention and curriculum development.

**5. App Development – Social Impact Project (India)**

* Engineered a custom grading and reporting app for rural schools in India to streamline administrative workflows.
* Successfully deployed the app to 100+ active users, improving grading efficiency for local educators.

**6. University Research Internship – Lab Assistant (India)**

* Secured a paid internship under a University Professor; performed data analysis and visualization for research.
* Authored technical summaries and generated complex graphs used in the lab’s ongoing projects.

**7. UT Austin Summer Academies – Participant (2x)**

* Selected for the highly competitive **Academy for All Machine Learning** and **Academy for Women in PC**.
* Completed intensive coursework in ML algorithms and advanced computing principles.

I do have some other ECs, but I don't think they are as important.

**Rec Letters**

I asked my CS and Debate teacher already. I think the debate one will be good as I'm an officer and one of 3 from the whole team to qualify for state. CS I'm not so sure about but her rec did help me win NCWIT.

Any guidance will be helpful! Thanks!

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

so about me: i’m a rising senior. i’m a biracial (black and white) female from a very low income household in the south. my unweighted GPA is 3.5. my school doesn’t do weighted so i’m not exactly sure what that would be. i’ve shown an upward trend each year. i take AP, honors, and DE courses. no regular classes. i’m a strong essay writer.
i also score very well with testing and i’m scheduled to take the June ACT and SAT. practice ACT, 34. i’m predicting a high score.
ecs:

* varsity volleyball player, all 4 years
* basketball player Fr. year, manager for Jr. and Sr. year
* photography and film
* clarinet and acoustic guitar
* creative writing, songwriting and poetry
* singing + chorus sr. year
* acting and modeling
* NSHSS

extras:

* part-time babysitting
* caring for siblings

SCHOOLS

this is where it gets a little questionable for most people i talk to this about. STAY WITH ME PLS

* NYU Steinhardt (ED) or NYU Tisch (ED)
* UCLA
* Fordham University

for reference, i do have safeties. i just want to go to these schools the most, especially NYU. it’s my dream school and i genuinely feel a pulling at my soul to attend.

please give me advice in regards to extracurriculars, essays, and just any ways to strengthen my application

chance bee swarm addict for UCs + T20s

Demographics: Male, Indian, California, Public High, Rising Senior, Hooks: None

Intended Major(s): Comp Sci

Standardized Testing:

• SAT: 1490 (750RW, 740 M), 1540 Superscore (750RW, 790M)

GPA and Rank:

• GPA (4.0 scale): 3.8-9 UW/ 4.3-4 W (est)
• Class Rank: School does not rank but at least top 9%

Coursework Rigor:

• Total Advanced Classes: 10 AP / 3 Dual Enrollment (2 CS classes)
• Exam Scores: AP CSA 5, AP WH 5, rest unscored (likely 5)
• Senior Year Courseload: AP Chem, AP Lit, AP Gov/Macro (one class at our school), AP Stats

Awards and Honors:

1. 6 awards from MUN, 2-1st place, 2-2nd place
2. Probably AP scholar w distinction
3. NMSQT likely semi (220 index, not finalist tho)
4. lwk fried got none else besides above, lmk if I need more/any opportunity to get more

Extracurriculars:

• ML Research w/ Prof - Presented research x2, in person event and online to 300+ people, working on publishing research
• ML Research in a Team (Company-backed, preprints, medical/science applications)
• Cybersecurity Secretary + Captain (State qualifier, led team of people)
• Cyber Apprentice (cybersec for local businesses, website editing and programming)
• Model UN Treasurer (Officer) & Mentor (Many awards, set up conferences, trained people)
• Startup Marketing Intern (thousands of entreprenuers outreach)
• E-Commerce Website Editor (j*b 2+ years)
• E-Commerce Office Assistant (j*b)
• STEM NPO Head of AI & Lead Web Dev (made website)
• Independent App/Game Dev + Hackathons (Top finishes, not winners)
• Science Olympiad (Robot Tour-developed competition robot, regional competitor)
• Robotics- CAD and building competition bot (2x conferences)
• Local health charity volunteer
• 800+ hours bee swarm blue hive lvl 17 (don't get mad I macroed most of it)

Letter of Recs:

• Letter of Rec 1: Comp Sci - teacher for 3 years knows me well
• Letter of Rec 2: Physics - only this year
• Letter of Rec 3: AP Lang - only this year

Schools List:

• REA: Stanford or Caltech (deciding)
• Early Action T20s: UIUC, UT Austin, Georgia Tech, UDub-Seattle (more but these are my main)
• UC Campuses: UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Los Angeles, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara
• Safety Schools: UIowa, Virginia Tech, Rutgers

Extenuating Circumstances: None

Am I aiming too high or too low for some, which are my best chance colleges, and what should I try to do now? Is spike enough or need more?

Demographics

Asian Female

NJ

Income: 30k (I think)-- I qualify for the free lunch program and SAT Waivers

Degree: I dont know. whatever gets me in.

I am gonna do QuestBridge NCM

Academics

GPA: 3.8 UW No weighted. Downward trend... I have a C+ in CC Biology this year (In sem 1 though, see 2 I have an A), and 4 Bs (2 from Anatomy & Physiology I & 2, and Chem 1 and 2)

SAT: 1500 (770 math, 730 English) Thinking of retaking?

No APs, will graduate with an associates degree in science from CC.

EC's

1. Internship at pharmaceutical small company doing research on cleaning innovation, possible publication but not sure (11, 12)
2. All state Orchestra Principal (11) Cellist (9, 10)
3. Chamber music- performances at Carnegie hall, competitions winner 3x
4. Local Youth Orchestra (9, 10, 11, 12) principal (10, 12)
5. Solo cello stuff idk if ima add this. Won 8 national/international awards, practice around 10+ hours per week
6. Work at family owned photography business (9, 10, 11, 12) Will be getting my drone license
7. Nonprofit Organization that teaches refugee children music (Recruitment Manager/Social Media Manager) (11) Future president I think (12)
8. Philharmonic Orchestra webmaster, Poster creator, control flow of 30,000+ dollars (10, 11, 12)
9. Music Club co-president (12), secretary (11) Music Manager (10) Member (9)
10. Meadowmount music program (11)
11. UNICEF (Secretary) (10, 11, 12) member (9)

Extra stuff: I went to a 1 week biomed program at Drexel uni, Heifetz in 9th grade, 2 week music program in 10th grade

Awards

PVSA Gold - 4 years, 800 volunteer hours (Won an orchestra award for being the no. 1 volunteer. btw I get my volunteer hours from EC #7

Concerto competition winner, $500 prize (9th)

All eastern 1/14 cellists chose out of 13 states (11th)

Questbridge College Prep Scholar (11th)

A bunch of national/international competitions.

I need more academic award mans I dont have anything. I dont even qualify for any national awards by college board.

Let me know please!! and if u have any suggestions on any ecs I can begin right now (since im not doing much) please let me know or any tips to improve my chances!

I really want to get into T30s like Emory, Rice, Vanderbilt, Duke (thats a rly long shot), but idk with my GPA especially.

thanks guys!!!!!

So…I just completed my junior year of Highschool and my grades so far are rocky, but not TOO terrible. Here’s some info about me so please let me know if I have a good enough chance at Fordham, Howard, Pace, and UTK(in state)

I’m not sure what my GPA is as of right now. Overall year wise (so not quarter or semester grades) I had all B’s and one D freshman year, 3 A’s, 2 B’s and 1 D sophomore year, and 4 A’s, 1 B, and 1 C junior year. My A’s mainly but not primarily, stem from my 5 AP courses, and I feel pretty good about the exams I’ve taken. I know one of my AP’s(euro) is a 4. ALL my D’s come from math subjects, and my C also comes from math. I know it’s bad. I ended my second semester of junior year with a C in Spanish 3 honors. I am certain my GPA is at least a 3.3 unweighted, though. My ACT score is a 23, but I am studying extremely hard for the June one and October one for at least a 32. Here’s some s yrs stuff about me below…

Demographic:
I’m an African American woman, HIGH income family, so not seeking any financial aid within the schools(probably outward scholarships).

Was diagnosed with major depressive disorder in the 9th grade and had an attempt. Recorded by my therapist, and have a 504 plan within my school. I want to make sure the colleges know I do not pity myself, and that I am ready for college.

My extra curricular’s include:

a job at my local thrift store

An internship at my cities bar association (highly selective)

Attended the School of New York Times for two consecutive years (not very competitive, but demonstrates my interest in writing and law)

Over 50 volunteer hours (in my schools Honor Academy, NOT nhs, but values volunteer work, and I have to do a capstone)

My two friends and I package ziplock bags full of amenities for homeless people around our city and pass them out. We take donations of blankets, deodorants(new), toothbrushes/toothpaste, and more. We also include a card full of local places for them to help get back on their feet with addresses included.

Application starters:
I’m getting three letters of recommendation. One from my standard environmental science teacher, one from my AP English language and composition teacher, and one from my AP us history teacher. Ended all these classes with a mid to high 90 average. I’m most confident in the environmental science and AP Lang recommendation letters as I do exceptionally well in those classes.

I am talking to my local admissions counselor at Fordham University on Thursday about the school and my grades, and hopefully will be able to get around to explaining my freshman and sophomore year D’s. The C in Spanish 3 honors this year has no valid excuse, though, and the C in pre-cal just comes from me being terrible at math. I’m hoping that talking to him shows my interest and also gives me a little leeway to still having a shot. Even though small, I have had growth.

My essay is going to be about my mom and our relationship and how she’s instilled foundations in me that told me I’m ready for bigger things, further pushing me to do my best.

I’ve visited the Howard, UTK, and Fordham Campuses and loved them both, but Fordham was not an official tour. I stayed on the campus for two weeks for my New York Times program.

Yeah…so basically I’m not looking for any financial aid within the schools nor am I applying for a FASFA. I’m most worried about Fordham and Howard, but I’d love if you guys could help me out!

Demographics: White female, TX, public school Extremely low income less than 25,000 a year Indented major: Law

Haven't taken the SAT or ACT, but have plans to

GPA: 5.055 class rank 27/3801

Coursework: 8 dual credit courses, 5 honors courses

EC's

Volunteer at the local library for about a year

National Honors Society

Have had a part-time job for about a year and work about 30 hours a week

Certifications

Non-Commissioned Security Officer

Community Healthcare worker

Will graduate with an Arts and Humanities social studies endorsement

Top 10 percent in school

Schools:

Barnard college

Columbia

University of North Texas

Texas tech

NYU

University of Texas

Current Junior
Major: CS/CE

Demographic:
Asian
Competitive High School

Academics:
3.98 Unweighted GPA
SAT: 1540
Full Time Dual Enrollment at CC so only 4 APs. Heavy coursework in math and cs.

ECs:
Co Founder and Co President of STEM Center: 300k revenue, secured 150k lease, manage 100k budget

Robotics Programmer: Placed top 20 out of 20,000 at Worlds, ranked #1, and have over 30 regional awards, won states multiple times

Co Founder of Nonprofit: Hosted lots of competitions and gave out over 100k in prizes.

Worked with Morgan Stanley Employee: Created a tool that allows him to find leads and sort them from high probability to low probability of connecting. Increased client outreach by 32%. Focuses on multimillion-dollar net worth clients.

Research at a robotics lab at a top 20 university.

AI Marketing Internship at Local Company: Made AI agents that drove a 200% increase in webinar attendance for PhD-led sessions. Deployed an LLM-based support agent that successfully resolved 3,000+ consumer inquiries.

Founder of Reselling Business: Generated $10k in revenue and $3k in profit. Managed end-to-end supply chain logistics, refurbishing, and negotiation for 1,000+ potential leads.

Robotics Coach: Coached 4 teams and got 1 qualified to the state championship

Lead Designer for Racing Competition: Made nationals

Awards:
Bunch of robotics stuff (international, national, and states)
Some other national level awards in business + engineering comp
PVSA Gold

Hi - I’m the mom of a boy finishing his freshman year of high school. He’s a good (not great) student and is still figuring out what he’s interested in. Meaning, he doesn’t really have a clue where he wants to go to college, where he could get in, or what he wants to major in (maybe engineering?). And I think that’s okay!

My question is this…he has accumulated a number of baseball cards over the years and has started a small biz with them. He tracks them, watches their value, attends card shows and shops, etc.

Is there anything about this that could potentially help boost a college application. And, if so, what guidance do you have for him? Does he need to start some sort of social media page to garner followers (I hate SM for kids 😂)? Does he need to carefully track every transaction to know his profit over the years? Anything else I’m not thinking about?

This is a fun hobby for him, but I want to make sure we leverage it (if helpful) when the time comes.

Any feedback is appreciated!

PS. Any book recommendations to help with building something like this?

Thank you!!

i'm so nervous about college admissions next year and i just wanted some advice on whether EDing to columbia (which is my dream school) would be reasonable for me.

Profile:

• Gender: Male
• Race: East Asian
• High school: large semi-competitive public high school in texas
• income: 150k-200kish
• hooks: none
• intended major: computational biology

Stats:

• uw/w gpa: 3.90/4.73 (4 b+ sophomore year; all As junior year minus 1 B+ second semester of ap calc), rank 40/900 ish
• psat: 1490
• sat: 1590 superscore (800 rw 790 math)

Awards:

• USABO top 225/6000
• science olympiad state & regs medals
• AIME qualifier (did bad on aime)
• US medicine and disease olympiad silver medal (top 20%? 10%? forgot)
• scholastic writing regional silver key 2x
• texas state ensemble contest finalist, other state-level competition awards for violin
• texas all state and all region violinist (3 years)

ECs:

• computational biology research (virtual) at a university medical center, paper in progress, publication highly likely
• ssp - i got accepted and am attending this summer
• independent research - first and sole author on computational biology paper, accepted and presented in ieee conference
• coauthor of like 2 other independent research papers that are under review at conferences (not first author, more like third-fourth author in each)
• science olympiad (4 years)
• varsity orchestra (4 years)
• founded a nonprofit where me and other violinists perform for children at daycares. 20+ daycares reached, 1000+ students performed for, taught 50-60 kids over summer
• senior editor of a high school poetry magazine, submitted my poems to a few small, local journals (not prestigious at all i just do this for fun)
• biology club vp
• volunteering at asian culture organization

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

demographics: black girl in a major city in CA! i attend a large title i public hs that has around 20 berkeley admits this yr and a couple ivies as well. income is ~300k

intended major: double in american studies and english

SAT: 1360 no studying but retaking in june with studying and hoping for a 1450+.

APs: HUG (5), World (5), and this yr predictions: Lang ( 4 or 5), Precalc (3 or 4), Af Am (4 or 5), and APUSH (4 or 5). next yr APs are Lit, Gov, and Stats + 2 DE classes

GPA: 4.0/4.9 (taken 4 dual enrollment classes)

Ecs:

1. feminist civic engagement nonprofit work (not doxxing): lead workshops, work on curriculum, and speak at events for the cause/org. i. i do a lot of stuff for this but dont want to go into crazy specifics for privacy reasons
2. ymca youth and gov: small leadership position in my delegation where i taught bill writing (2yrs) , also a statewide position where i taught others about a specific process and led a program area.. again being super vague but i did a decent amount!
3. 2x class president
4. feminist writing club co president
5. school poetry slam team member (+ we won)
6. 2 sport varsity athlete, a couple medals w/one
7. school ambassador
8. student canvassing club co founder
9. ncl (national charity league)- various leadership positions within my local chapter, lots of volunteer hours, and some national leadership as well
10. jr lifeguard program in the summer

awards:

1. scholastic national gold medal and american voices award for a personal essay
2. john locke shortlist (hopefully another one this yr)
3. girls state delegate this summer (thinking abt running for some positions so this might become an EC if i get them)
4. program area youth and gov award
5. publication + editor's choice in lit mag

also got a local scholarship and some smaller awards. i also run a substack with ~30 subscribers that i hope to grow. let a girl know!

hiii i’m REALLY stressed because my HS wants us to have a college list down by the end of the month and im scared that im too ambitious because all of the schools i have marked as safeties/targets have higher average SATs than i have

major: political science and english(double major) pre-law. if i can’t double major, then ill minor in english

93.3 gpa

1150 sat no study (retaking: looking at a 1250+)

6 aps (all my school offers. 2 junior year, 4 senior year. only offered in that order), 4 DE, 9 honors

i go to a small underfunded public school in a state with a relatively low education level. i have very limited extracurricular opportunities, as my school doesn’t offer many clubs (no debate, mun, etc.), and i live in a relatively isolated place.

first gen, low income

ecs:

national history academy summer program

started an online debate club for students all over the world

video editor for 8+ years

articles published in my state newspaper

student council

track manager

shift leader & training manager at my job

library volunteer

part-time babysitter

ANTICIPATED ecs (might not happen)go

shadowed at my county court house

congressional internship

intern at state & county courthouse

civil rights club

publication in the new york times (??? english teacher told me to try)

volunteer at retirement home

awards:

college board school recognition award

college board small town award

college board first gen award

library intellectual scholars award

already wrote one draft for my personal statement (school requires us to), got graded a 94 on lumispace

recommendations will be great since i go to a small school.

SCHOOL LIST:

REACH: NYU (ed), BU (ed2 if rejected from nyu), fordham (ea), mount holyoke, uconn, gwu, american (ea), bryn mawr, syracuse

TARGETS: UVM (ea), simmons, pace

SAFETIES: usm, umaine, suffolk

originally i had a lot of the reach schools with mid acceptance rates (45-60) as targets, due to my gpa, but i recently moved them to reaches because of my SAT and im genuinely so stressed now because i have no true targets or safeties (they all have higher SATs than me) and im just so scared that im gonna get rejected everywhere. and like ik a lot of these schools are test optional but idk

I'm a junior in hs and i've taken 6 SATs so far (starting from winter of 10th grade to the 11th grade school SAT) and the highest score I've ever gotten was a 1430, and my superscore is a 1470 (710 eng & 760 math). Should I retake it during the summer or focus on making my ECs/essays stronger?

Does a near perfect SAT (1550-1600) matter more to colleges than a 4.0 UW GPA? Which matters more? Is a 3.7 UW, 4.2 W GPA competitive at ivy league schools if you have a 1600 SAT?

i’m a first time poster so not super sure on how this works lol but Im an asian american female in sophomore year and i’m really worried about my gpa for college apps. i have pretty strong ecs compared to others in my school/city and have a good stance at school as for leadership positions. my current gpa for last semester was 3.5 uw and 3.75 w. this semester ive missed a LOT of school. i’m talking like 60+ total absences…. 😣 i lost my dad at the start of the semester which was in january, and have had a bunch of trouble with a certain teacher and i have gotten extremely behind in classes. ive missed majority of this semester and am slowly catching up on work but i have absolutely no motivation. im starting to begin college searches this summer and don’t know what to do as for reaches and meets at this point. how bad do we think my gpa will mess up my future college apps?? and will my ap classes next year make up for my bad gpa this semester??

for reference here are my ecs

-communications chair for speech and debate-> co-debate captain for next year.

-2 years currently for varsity girls golf (also the founder of the girls team since we hadnt had one since 2014 lol if that does anything)

2 years currently in student government

went to a 4 week debate camp at harvard last summer fully covered (some of my research/cards got used and published in a debate file used by high schoolers)

did the international internship program for leadership initiatives

youth advisory council member for a congresswomen

DECA SCDC 5th place this year and then qualifed dor ICDC

work at a local golf shop

280+ volunteer hours

online tutor for students k-12 as well as college students

this is like all i can really remember as of right now. of course im hoping to increase/improve my ecs later on, but right now all i can think about is how cooked my gpa will be this semester. 😣 am i deep fried?

I worked for months for my SAT, and after getting a perfect score, I see a lot of people say that it is the "bare minimum" or a check-the-box type of thing.

I can give some more info about my profile here

Context: Junior, Asian, Male, Middle Class

Regarding my living situation, I am an American citizen, but an expat living abroad in Africa right now, and I will be applying from here.

School: Also a bit complicated. I did school in Canada, where 10,11,12 are considered highschool, and for those 3 years, I was at 3 different schools (financial/commute difficulties). I am currently living in Africa as I mentioned above, and am finishing my Junior year with my school in Canada online, but I will enroll in the international school here for Gr.12. Idk if this matters, but I was undoubtedly rank 1 at the school I attended for Junior Year.

Even more context--i have been in hybrid/online schooling since Gr.3, idk if this matters a lot tho lol

Intended major: Applied Math, minor in Music or Neuroscience--still deciding

GPA: 95/100--no AP/IB offered, but this could even be considered deflated, as I lived in the province with the most challenging curriculum in the country (other provinces boost our averages)

Course Rigor (APs): I self studied AP Calc BC and am expecting a 5, will also take Linear Algebra online somewhere,

taking hardest classes available--tho i did need to drop a few classes that couldn't be done online since I moved mid junior year

Test Score: 1600-- two tests. (1. 1570 with 800M, 2. 1590 with 800RW)

Major ECs:

1. Travel/high-level soccer--10 years. By far my most time-consuming extracurricular, and I have played at the highest levels internationally equivalent to MLS next in the US. Hoping to walk on in college. (20-30hrs/wk)

2. SAT tutor--> improved 15+ students' scores by 200+ points. Looking to expand over summer

3. Highest in school for Fermat math contest

4. Soccer coach--fairly new, but I spend a few hours a week playing with kids here that cannot afford formal coaching

5. Guitarist--honestly, this is just a passion, no real impact, but gosh do i love it. (hope to teach soon)

Plans for Summer:

1. looking to do neuro/computational related research

2. Gonna create a YT channel for SAT, expanding the business

3. Preparing for Math comps (AMC, COMC)

4. Continuing soccer and stuff obv

5. personal statement

Awards:

Fermat Math contest highest distinction (top 2% rank)

Expected National Merit Semifinalist at least

College List: This is pretty tentative and subject to change (not to mention highly underdeveloped), so feel free to drop recs!

Dream Schools: Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Columbia

Reaches: USC, NYU, Brown, Cornell

Realistic Dream Schools:

Safety: I haven't really considered these yet--state schools are pricy because I don't really live in a US state rn.

I know that this is a pretty weak profile because I honestly focused fully on my sport and nothing else until Junior year. Any thoughts, comments, or tips are absolutely welcome.

I would say that I am a very strong writer, I love literature, and given the appropriate time, I can make strong essays. I will see if I can make a metaphorical essay because of how much I enjoy such things.