r/chanceme

hiiii, can anyone plz kindly take a look at my profile and tell me my chance of admissions 😭
(It’s a revision of my last post but yeah)

female, asian, high income

comes from a very very competitive school in asia

major: history

sat: 1550 (not super scored)

4.31/? (idk but im pretty sure it's not out of 5) took all the hardest course my school offered for 9th to 12th grade, our skl doesn’t rank students but I suppose I am at least in the top 10%

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

Pending 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)
my current school list:

Northwestern (ED 1)

1. Vanderbilt (ED2)
2. 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

, Emory

1. uk: kcl, ucl, lse, oxford

thank you guys so much

Hi everyone! I'm an international student from Bangladesh planning to apply to US universities as a freshman for Fall 2027, primarily for Computer Science.

My profile:

\- Academics: SSC 5.00/5.00, HSC 5.00/5.00 (Bangladeshi national curriculum).

\- SAT: October attempt didn't go as planned; considering a November retake.

\- Awards: Champion at BCSIR National Science & Industrial Fair 2023, Bronze Medalist at Bangladesh Robot Olympiad 2021, and 2nd Runner-Up at JRC Board Hackathon 2023.

\- Recent achievement: Ranked among the top 40 in a national Android development bootcamp organized by bdapps and Robi Axiata, among 100,000+ participants.

\- Research & projects: AI/ML and computer vision research, robotics, and several software projects.

\- Leadership & ECs: Co-founder and Design Lead of a humanitarian nonprofit, campus ambassador, and involvement in tech events and community initiatives.

\- Other: I had a business that served 500+ customers (a service based business), I have founded a gamified learning platform CholoSikhi, that helps student learn using a gamified system like duolingo (Recently I added SAT Practice Suite there, totally free)

My biggest constraint is finances. I need a full ride or financial aid covering essentially all my educational and living expenses, as I cannot afford to pay for college myself. Both of my parents are deceased, and I am unable to pay application fees too!

I'd really appreciate your suggestions on:

1. Which universities should I target, considering my profile and financial situation?

2. Which colleges offer generous need-based aid to international students?

3. Should I prioritize ED, EA, or RD given my need for full funding?

4. What can I realistically improve in my application over the next few months?

I'm open to both reaches and realistic options. Honest feedback and personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

hihihi omg ive done this before and sadly no one said anything so pls do say smth even if it is like oh ur weird like anythin cmon now

like im tellin the internet to be mean to me like cmon guys yall got this

good luck to class of 2027 (and maybe those beyond if u see dis post)

if u have any questions for me or like are curious about more lmk

im also hella procrastinating for the SAT (i really wanna get an 800 on math and I think ill feel more confident)

Demographics

• Gender: Female
• Race/Ethnicity: Asian
• Type of School: Magnet (Public I think we like to say, idk)
• Hooks: First-generation, sole-income provider (mom is undocumented, so yolo)
  • income is 0k technically, but I provide 100% for my family (earn 10k)
  • considered international by many schools

Intended Major(s):

• Biomedical Engineering (if offered)
• Mechanical Engineering (for schools with engineering but no bio-med)
• Physics (for liberal art schools)

ACT/SAT/SAT II: 1480 SAT (750 Math; 730) (rather sad but taking it again)

UW/W GPA and Rank: 94.728/99.528 (no rank) (by my info dis is a 4.0 but like who knows)

Coursework: AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes

AP Classes: AP Seminar Capstone, AP US History, AP Chemistry, AP English Language and Comp, AP Modern World History, AP PreCalculus, AP Biology, AP Physics 1, AP Capstone: Research

APs to be taken: Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP Business, AP Lit, APES, AP Gov

Dual Enrollment: ASL 1 + 2, Medical Terminology, To be taken: Calc 1/2/3 (they have smaller semesters, Chem 2/Organic Chemistry, Pharmacology

Awards (lowk ahh if u know any more awards then dropp em below ill make u art if u do):

1. Regional STEM Showcase / Science Fair
2. Research Grant Award
3. Regional Hospital Volunteer Milestone Award (500+ Hours)
4. Community Volunteer Service Award (1000+ Hours)
5. National Merit Semifinalist (just found ts out idek if Ill update QB or if u even can
   1. cant do the scholarship tho cuz not citizen (heckin rude)

Paid Work:

1. Freelance Graphic Designer ($3000)
2. Etsy & DeviantArt Platforms ($2500)
3. Digital Assets Seller ($3100) [dont have a better word so dont make fun of me]
4. Private Peer/Underclassmen Tutoring ($500)

Family Responsibilities:

1. Taking care of Mom after divorce (father leaving) and miscarriage
2. Made food, paid medical bills,
3. Take care of the dog we adopted (for Mom's mental health)
   1. He was going to be put down due to being a bit aggressive (but he's okay now!).
4. Handle immigration problems and issues: handle fees, processing, and ensuring we all good

Extracurricular Activity (5 QB ones):

1. Board Member of Nonprofit (Grant Worker/Event Planner): NOT RUN BY HIGH SCHOOLERS I SWEAR
   1. this one has an actual adult board and stuff and we just do there bidding basically
   2. I like got hired and stuff and I get paid sometimes (when we have money 😢 )
2. CPR Initiative: focused on teaching kids heart health and CPR
3. Crochet App (passion project): App made to visualize crochet patterns (maybe ill release it tell me if ur interested :3)
4. Shadowing Role: small clinic I walked in and begged them to let me shadow
   1. I do desk work and help make a better booking system
5. Worked at a pharmaceutical company
   1. I applied for shi and giggles and they accepted me
   2. I did there slide decks and stuff for them (since I do graphic design)

(Im a QB applicant hopefully a finalist 🙏 and match 🙏🙏 but we will see)

Essays/LORs/Other:

Research Teacher (9/10): She loves me. She's new to our school, and no one except me really talked to her (so sad). Won a research grant and a regional key at the science fair with the project I did under her.

APUSH/Student Council Teacher (8/10): Trusts me a lot. A fun story was I walked into class, and he gave me the duty to plan our school's annual Christmas event that was happening on the day of. He also went to Harvard, which is cool. He's a hard teacher but fair.

External (10/10): She loves me. I've helped her with grants for funding and event planning, and we text about everything. She hopes I go to my dream school. Also, she will be showing me it, so I think it'll be okay.

Essays (8/10): The person helping me says they are very strong. They are hella interconnected, so stuff I mention in my personal statement, like crochet, for example, is like expanded upon in my QB short. I love it, lowk. Hopefully QB does as well. So anything I mention is oftentimes brought back in another part of my writing (hopefully that makes sense).

Portfolios: My person said to do 3 (lowk crazy): Research, Art, and Maker (if u interested in what I'm doing for each lmk and Ill add it here).

Schools (based on major + how much aid + in general how much I liked)

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (lowk they hate me they rejected me for MITES and MIT WISE) (and its my dream school like damm atp idek)
• Yale University
• Stanford University
• Duke University
• Brown University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Tufts University
• Swarthmore College
• Wellesley
• University of Pennsylvania
• Harvard University
• Princeton University
• Rutgers
• Haverford College
• Pomona College
• Smith College
• Amherst College
• Vassar College
• Harvey Mudd College
• Carnegie Mellon University

btw I may just rank MIT for QB (crazy I know but I've taken even bigger risks so whats 1 more to end off my childhood).

thank u so so much! i hope you all get into your dream schools, and even if the path changes, you'll just paint an even better masterpiece for yourselves and your future :D

I know my activities are super scattered.

Demographics
Gender/Ethnicity: Female, White / Ukrainian
School type: Specialized public STEM high school (highly competitive regional lyceum, 30% acceptance rate, 1:5 ratio)
Background: Single-parent household; income/family contribution ~$5,000–$10,000/year; seeking full financial aid
First Gen: Not first-gen
Intended Major(s): Chem Engineering, Physics, Material Science, but still not sure

SAT / English Proficiency
SAT: 1560
IELTS: 8.0
Languages: Ukrainian (fluent), English (advanced), Russian (fluent), Turkish (B1), Hebrew (B1), Italian (B1), Ancient Greek (academic)

GPA and Rank
GPA: 4.0 / 4.0 unweighted (11.3 / 12 on Ukrainian scale)
Rank: Valedictorian (Rank 1)
Coursework: Most rigorous available curriculum in STEM high school

Extracurriculars

1. Independent Researcher | Environmental Engineering
   Designed a $5 circular-economy human-hair biofilter removing up to 50% of water pollutants; implemented locally in rural villages with limited access to clean water. Patent pending; first-author papers published in Q1 peer-reviewed science journals; received feedback from leading domain experts.
2. Founder & Full-Stack Developer | NeuroPredict ML Platform
   Built a Python ML platform using speech, MRI, and sleep biomarkers to predict Alzheimer’s risk 10–20 years pre-symptoms. Published in a Q1 medical journal and a premier international conference.
3. Independent Researcher | Quantum Chemistry & Physics
   Built Python/QuTiP Lindblad-Floquet simulations of metastable quantum dynamics under the mentorship of an Ivy League professor. Published as first author in a Q1 peer-reviewed physics journal.
4. Founder & Editor-in-Chief | International Young Scientists Journal
   Led 60+ researchers globally, developed an automated AI review bot, streamlined editorial workflow for 50+ editors, secured $1K+ in grants and local funding.
5. Independent Researcher | Computational Materials Science
   Developed automated DFT screening pipeline for h-BN point defects; modeled 100+ dopant/vacancy configurations to evaluate quantum memory candidates for room-temperature applications.
6. Founder & Lead Developer | NeuroHub
   Built a neuroscience platform reaching 10,000+ readers; mentored 15 national Olympiad participants and 3 international STEM competitors.
7. Co-Founder | Lectorium for Young Scientists
   Directing STEM initiatives for 150+ students. Boosted average chemistry marks significantly and mentored 40+ students to top national exam percentiles.
8. Laboratory Intern | Regional University & AgTech Corporation
   Assisted university professors with physics/chemistry lab experiments, equipment setups, and seed germination/sustainability assays for applied agriscience.
9. Family Responsibilities

Honors & Awards
Presidential Scholarship of Ukraine: Highest national academic honor awarded by the President; 1 of ~270 recipients nationwide (~0.008% of eligible students).
1st Place & National Finalist, Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine: Represented region in National Scientific Fair with biofiltration research; invited to 35th International Conference on Resource Conservation.
Paris Collaborative Fellowship 2026
Genius Olympiad and ISEF, but only national level

Abt LORs
School Principal (10/10): Extremely strong letter highlighting leadership, academic impact, national awards, and contributions to the school community.
Biology Teacher (10/10): Very detailed and strong letter emphasizing research initiative, advanced scientific knowledge, and problem-solving skills.
History Teacher (9.5/10): Glowing recommendation focusing on analytical thinking, humanities excellence, and regional Olympiad success.
Research Mentor / Lab Supervisor (10/10): Exceptionally strong letter attesting to high-level research capabilities, work ethic, and ability to conduct independent university-level research.

Common App essay: The essay uses the setting of a school play and an alien helmet as a lens to reflect on a personal turning point in science, shifting from the shame of a chemistry teacher's harsh critique to viewing uncertainty as a dynamic landscape for curiosity. By drawing parallels to oscillating chemical reactions and natural systems, it redefines science not as a search for immediate answers, but as the discipline to remain comfortably curious within the unknown, highlighting deep intellectual maturity and a genuine research mindset that seamlessly ties together the entire profile.

Hi,

This is mainly to see whether I should apply to UPenn early decision or if I even have a chance at getting in if I only apply regular decision (obviously I know it's much much lower but if there is still a sliver of hope for me then I might not ED. It depends). I'm still on the fence about making such a big commitment but if there is no way in hell I'd get in regular decision then I might as well just apply ED. There are some personal reasons behind me potentially EDing but I'm not going to get into that.

Since this is mainly for UPenn I don't think my full list is necessary but I'll list some other colleges just to see if I have a shot there or not: UMich, Berkeley, Brown, WashU, UNC Chapel Hill

I feel like statistically I could be ok but I don't really think my extracurriculars and stuff are good enough tbh...

Demographics:

• Gender: Female
• Race: White/Latina
• Type of School: public (not magnet), East Coast

Stats:

• 4.8 W/ 3.9 UW (Semester B in BC Calc)
• 1580 SAT (780 RW/800 Math)
• No class rank
• Full IB but I did 4 APs
  • 5: APUSH (10th), AP Gov (9th), AP BC Calc (11th)
  • IB Chemistry SL: 6
  • IB Spanish SL: 7
  • Taking 4 HLs (Bio, Math AA, History, English)
  • Also taking AP Spanish Lit

ECs (sorry there isn't a whole lot of context for these, if you want specifics I'm happy to give them):

• Head of costumes (3/4 years) crew
• XC (4 yrs)
• Lab Internship @ university (summer)
• Math Honors Society/Science Honor Society (2 yrs)
• Petsitting/Babysitting (since 6 and 8th grade, respectively)
• PSA Volunteer thing - like a video contest (4yrs) <- sry I didn't give a whole lot of info
• Volunteer for elections (3 yrs)
• Volunteer at book fair (2yrs)

Awards:

• National Commended Scholar
• Math + Science Honor Society
• National Honors Society
• AP Scholar
• Service award (don't want to give exact name but I got a lot of volunteer hours)
• Seal of Biliteracy

I'm an Omani Arab, Public high school student and a First-generation researcher.

GPA: 3.7 UW

Class Rank: 5/150

English: IELTS 8.0

Honors

ISEF 2026 Finalist (Oman participates with 2/3 teams every year)

Nominated for Sigma Xi Associate Membership

Oman Scholar 2025: Selected as 1 of 157 scholars from 5,000+ applicants (\~3.1% acceptance rate). Led/co-authored proposal for a national port company to reduce lighting costs, CO2 emissions, and light pollution. Featured on Deputy Chairman of the State Financial and Administrative Audit Institution page.

Best Presenter Award - Regional Science Challenge (Arab World level)

2x National Runner-Up - National Olympiad for Scientific Innovation

2025: 2nd Place - Biology & Environmental Science

2024: 2nd Place - Information Technology

Lead Researcher - Neurotech and Behavioral Sciences Project (2025-2026)

Built a low-cost closed-loop neurobehavioral system for childhood ADHD. Developed ML pipeline using Contrastive Feature Alignment to reduce neural signal bias and overfitting. Achieved: AUC: 0.913, Macro-F1: 0.857. ran 4-week randomized controlled trial with d = 1.41 effect size for attentional retention.

Lead Developer - Assistive Technology Project (2024-2025)

Developed Generative AI-powered navigation and computer vision system for deaf-blind individuals Used Raspberry Pi 5 and custom 3D-printed haptic Braille communication device

Was chosen to exhibit at COMEX (the National exhibition for Science and Technology)

Selected to represent Oman for MILEST ESI 2025

2nd - National NASA Space Apps Challenge

2nd Place - National Cybersecurity CTF Competition

1st Place - National Autonomous Wireless Car Racing Competition

3rd - National Robotics Olympiad

2nd Place at Web development category - National Digital Festival

Rank 8 - National Informatics Olympiad

Rank 9/75 teams - Arab-world Informatics Olympiad

Software Volunteer - Regional Science Center

(bunch of other ranks in other national competitions)

Designed, programmed, and deployed event management dashboard and mobile application for an Ministry of Education innovation center

Letters of Recommendation

Supplemental LOR from Head of Robotics and AI, Ministry of Education

Hi. Feedback appreciated. Extenuating circumstances explained below

Demographics: Female; white/Hispanic (🇨🇺); FL

School information: public charter (IB); class of 80

Hooks: low income (50k, single parent, other parent incarcerated/house arrest)? I actually wouldn't consider that an advantage whatsoever LMFAO 💀

Intended major(s): Poli Sci/Government, minor in Spanish

Academics:

• ACT: N/A
• SAT: 1500 (760 RW/740 M) (retook it today...)
• Class rank: Top 10%, possibly top 5% (not published)
• UW/W GPA: 104.5 (school doesn't do UW)
• Coursework: Max course rigor. 11 APs taken. 7 5s, 2 4s (only reporting 5s) (school is very affluent but has limited APs because it's an IB school)
• Awards: Not stellar
  • Several school awards (inc. Spanish Student of the Year & Book Award for Civic Engagement)
  • V NSLI-Y '25

(a really cool language program via the Department of State)

• Personal Project Distinction (IB award for an academic project & research paper I did in the realm of women's history/sexual violence)

Extracurriculars:

• Employee of Planned Parenthood (3 years). Focused on community outreach and helping the underserved
• Prison outreach program. A unique opportunity to have conversations with the incarcerated population inside prisons. Hits home for me, which I've described in my personal statement
• Paid, self-taught Spanish tutor (4 years). Part-time, low-commitment, but a huge passion of mine
• Freelance journalism w/ local org. Contributing to public record, increasing access to information
• Legal internship (1 year). Involves research, digitization of media. At the firm of a state representative
• Estimator for local landscaping company (2 years)
• Restaurant work (6 months). 20 hrs summer, 12 hrs/wk now
• Ballotpedia Election Researcher. Worked with a national cohort to provide information on local elections. Very cool experience, and BP does very important work
• Citizen archivist (2 years). 300+ hours of research and archival work, both independent and with the Smithsonian. Focused on women's history
• Rape crisis advocacy (2 years). Work w/ local orgs. to create pre-forensic exam kits & distribute them to PDs. Very meaningful work to me
• Not an EC I explicitly listed, but I love and actively study language. I talked about this in an essay

Schools: Not a complete list... and it's very clear that I love the East Coast!

• State school (possibly auto admit)
• Yale (I look pretty good in blue.........)
• Princeton
• Harvard
• Columbia

• ⁠Brown

• Georgetown
• Vassar
• Stanford
• Brandeis
• Smith
• Bard (any other Steely Dan fans?)

Questions/Comments:

I mentioned it above briefly, but one of my parents went to prison a few years ago. Definitely an extenuating circumstance. My life changed in every single way, but I think it gave me a sense of direction

Thank you so much!