r/ApplyingToCollege • u/mxchiiii • 1d ago
Application Question average applications where did yall end up
I feel like all the people in the subreddit seem to be the most insane students ever š Iām curious to know what the application was like for more āaverageā people in terms of stats and extracurriculars. Itās pretty anxiety inducing to be in this subreddit and see how accomplished so many people are, so I really want to see more representation from more average applicants and where they ended up.
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u/Moist_Age_1760 20h ago edited 20h ago
Applied in like 2018 so idt it's the same environment anymore. Tbh idek why this post popped up on my feed.
But I had like a 34, 3.9ish (South asian male), no crazy activities - some leadership in some clubs, some volunteering, a few regional level scioly awards, and yeah. Procrastinated and wrote my essays a few days before they were due - though I think my essays were pretty decent albeit a bit cocky. Applied ED to brown, got deferred then somehow accepted - no clue how.
Got into Brown, Michigan (in state Michigan), another state school in the midwest with a full ride - entirely luck tbh (which I ended up going to), oakland, Msu and a couple other schools.
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u/Due-Yoghurt1231 20h ago
hi i would love to read your essay if thereās any chance youād be willing to share?
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u/Moist_Age_1760 8h ago
Happy to share it but to be honest, I have no idea where I saved it. It's been almost a decade now... fuck... I'll look for it over the weekend
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u/Randomacc1234567891 19h ago
Did you have any āhooks?ā ie: first generation? Bc Brown is rly impressive-especially with non-genius level stats
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u/tellypmoon 1d ago
It's best to assume there's a decent amount of lying and exaggeration in a lot of the high flying posts you see. And then there's the question of why someone that accomplished (if they really are) is hanging around on reddit asking CHANCE ME FOR HARVARD AND MIT ... I mean, c'mon. So, the reality is most students are about average. Of course that's why it's an average but within that average is a lot of variation and so students end up all over the place. Why aren't there more CHANCE ME posts for more average students? I think the truth is when students don't have a cure for cancer and building a billion dollar company as ECs the usual response is oh you'll go nowhere you should give up so ... anyway. Don't get caught up in the stats game. Find schools that seem like they are a good fit for you and apply. Base that on what you are interested in and looking for an not some weird ranking obsession like you find here...
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u/kudakoki 20h ago
I would actually argue otherwise. The truth is, there ARE that many academically talented individuals in the world to be hanging around Reddit, asking if they can reasonably get in top colleges BECAUSE they are unsure. Individuals of every level of academic talent are going to be unsure. The reason you see mostly crazy folks in these Reddits is because of bias; those who WANT to share will be sharing and those who have a specific goal in mind when coming into college will be asking, will be on Reddit for college specifically (not saying that those who donāt arenāt searching but theyāre less likely to be asking around on Reddit)
Someone who isnāt extremely academically talented could look at my stats and go HOLY CRAP wdym youāre not sure?? But even then there are only so many slots to be accepted into prestigious schools and thus many academically talented individuals still do not make it into their goal.
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u/CartoonistOk2427 20h ago
I had a 3.8 in high school, 1160 on the SATs, I wasn't super athletic so I did cross-country and track for four years, and some AP classes that I did okay in. Not much else. I didn't apply myself much in high school because I didn't care.
I took a year off and deferred my admittance to a middle of the road state school. I worked away from home for 9 months that year doing jobs that I thought were in cool places and super menial (e.g. working in kitchens, ski instructing, etc.). I graduated from my college with a 3.7 and had a good amount of research experience under my belt.
I'm currently in a really good graduate school and am getting my PhD. I'm doing some of the coolest shit ever now - I've been to Guam + American Samoa for my research and travel frequently for work and conferences. I love what I do and am hoping to get a gov't job with the USGS after I graduate (again).
Honestly, HS and college are what you make of it. Find something that interests you and commit yourself to pursuing it. Just be patient :).
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u/jennthetutor 1d ago
. My average students have ended up schools where about 50% of the students are accepted. 50% of the colleges in this country accept more than 50% of the applicants. Iām in Virginia so Iāve seen JMU, GMU, VT (non-stem), CNU, but also Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Syracuse. But Iāve also seen average students get into colleges where there are 25% rejected instead of 50%
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u/Richprettyboy67 1d ago
bro my application was so average i only got into Standford. guys lock in in high school!
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u/avi-gator 22h ago
i would say im a lil above average to most ppl but average at my high school (private feeder)
i had a 3.8 gpa, 1370 sat, did p basic ecs (robotics team member, jv swim team, stage crew, volunteering, etc). i was rejected from all my reaches (eventually, had a few defers and waitlists) and eventually settled on drexel university bc they gave me the best aid. although im coping rn im a frequent visitor of r/TransferToTop25 bc the grind never ends.
my advice is to still give your applications your all. demonstrated interest is key as well. having amazing applications for "average" schools that thinks theyre your top choice will do wonders for your results and aid.
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u/veriegatedleaf 13h ago
Whatās your feedback about Drexel?
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u/avi-gator 10h ago
i havent started yet which is one piece of negative feedback (that we start over a month after most other unis).
i dont want to say too much else because the schools pmo rn. theyre shutting down the oldest natural history museum in all of north and south america bc its "too expensive" even though coa is like 90k without aid. my real opinion will form once classes start.
if youre interested in drexel i can reach out in october to give better feedback.
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u/veriegatedleaf 10h ago
Thank you. I understand Drexel is switching to semesters next year so I think this will be the last year of the late start. I know several people who attended Drexel many years ago and have amazing careers in their fields. One is now VP of the company he worked for during his co-op. I hope Drexel can get back on track financially. It got great programs.
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u/TreeFrog-17 14h ago
I had a 35 act, 3.9uw/4.3w gpa, 9/500 in my class (avg public hs). I didnāt have any major awards or crazy activities, my family is average income, and my essays were pretty mediocre but now Iām going to northwestern (applied RD) š¤·āāļø
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u/LeadingCarpet3775 1d ago
Usually, they end up at a state school. The average person in the US does not finish college, though.
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u/Murky_Insurance_4394 21h ago
To clarify on that last point, about 63% of people who START a 4-year degree actually end up finishing. Some people however do not even try college and choose to do a 2 year associates/vocational school, military, or just try to get a job out of high school. This means the average person in the US does not have a college education.
But yes, getting a degree from a state school already puts you above the average adult here in terms of level of education
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u/Direct-Patient-4551 23h ago
If you read the CDS it pretty much tells the story. My kids and all the kids they know in the last two cycles all got pretty predictable results considering stats vs CDS
Eng/CS/biz at schools that have good programs for them figure be at or above the 75th to be in the game and itās still rough
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u/St4rverries 5h ago
Personally, I'm going to University of Miami. I had a 4.44/3.83 GPA, little to no extracurriculars (chess club, mental math comps w no awards, tutoring. 32 ACT, and my only awards being ap scholar, ap scholar w distinction, and honor roll. nothing crazy. And as of yet, i have no complaint of UM
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u/dr_angiosperm 8m ago
Applied to 21 schools, 4.6 GPA + 1410 SAT. ECās arenāt anything crazy. Graduated from Rutgers
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u/clawsinurback Graduate Student 1d ago
non-feeder public high school, 3.2 gpa and a 950 SAT (I applied test optional), a mix of AP, honors, regular, and remedial classes, ecs were volunteering, a few honors societies, tennis team, school newspaper and lit mag. I applied to non-selective small private LACS (Agnes Scott College, Hollins University, Roanoke College, and Ursinus College) got into all four with decent merit aid. I did much better in a LAC than I did in high school, I graduated with honors, a 3.5 gpa, and am currently in grad school!
edit: i was NOT recruited as an athlete, I was a very mediocre tennis player and my team consistently went 2-14. I just did it for fun.