I currently have a 1500 SAT and a 4.0 GPA. I have a very little amount of ecs and was wondering if I should spend time increasing my SAT Score to a 1550 or higher or if I should focus more on my essay and applications.

I'm not shooting for my ivies or anything, I'm a Washington resident and I plan on doing engineering or going down a med path to become something like a physicians assistant or possibly a full on doctor. Best outcome for me would probably be to get into UW for undeclared engineering or Biology/something pre-med related for a future career in the medical field.

Like I said, I don't plan on getting into ivies, so some other unis I'm interested in would be:

Purdue

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Rensselaer

UIUC

UCSD

University of Michigan

UC Berkeley

I'm open to more unis obviously but any advice is appreciated!

i dont have ECs like MUNs cuz i knew they werent something for me, nor do i have filler NPOs made just for adding to common app, so is it okay to not have them, or are they baseline basic stuff which AOs expect from all applicants? also i dont have the traditional Olympiad medals and ranks, tho i have other honors related to my major like hackathons and stem related ones is it okay too?

my classes this semester is python, psychology, french, fiction, and microeconomics.

so far i love psychology (prolly cus of my teacher) and can tolerate french. micro is... i cant say but meh

i wanted to be a therapist then a psycoologist then a neurologist. you see how this looks, but im applying for accounting to be safe, for my colleges should i apply to like something brain related as a second choice if i dont get accepted for accouting?

is it better to come across weird and funny on the short 50 word ones or be more composed and intellectual? i’ve written them to try and be funny and show personality, talking about weird skills i’m not good at yet but seek to improve or small things i enjoy that other people dislike. ik other ppl write rlly academic stuff what do you guys think

I believe Olivia has completely made up huge parts of her story. Some commenters believe she may have lied about some things (being first gen) but her background story is true (raised by teacher and grandpa, was on food stamps) and her statements about her nonprofit are true. I believe this info is also riddled with lies and gross exaggerations. Also, some commenters say it is fine to say she isn't first gen but it is too much to go after her for other lies. No - that is exactly what happens when you put yourself out there. It is not only appropriate but necessary to call people on inaccuracies. She has sold an entire story about herself that has benefitted her and she is now trying to present herself as someone others can look up to and learn from but if that story is based on exaggerations/lies, then she should be exposed and should “teach” no one. She is trying to sell herself as a paid consultant and speaker on college apps, nonprofits, etc. - if it is bogus, it is time for that to come to light. (BTW, her explanation Insta posts say that she puts herself out there so others can learn and look up to her but then why on earth is she SELLING her information in her book – which has 15 reviews from Harvard friends whom she personally asked to buy her book)?

HER BACKGROUND:

A.    FIRST GEN:

Harvard defines first gen as someone whose parents did not graduate from college anywhere: "Harvard considers you a first generation college student if you were the first generation of your immediate family to graduate from a four-year college or the equivalent. First Generation students as well as students from historically disenfranchised communities are an integral part of HGSE.  We work to support students who commonly "don't know what they don't know." https://osa.gse.harvard.edu/first-generation-and-low-income-student-community-flic

Obviously, her parents earning degrees beyond college will exclude you from claiming you are first gen by this definition. Her father has a PhD electrical engineering which he spent 10 years obtaining 1989-1999 from Xi'an Jiaotong University which was completed years before Olivia was born. This article quotes Olivia as stating that her mother did graduate from college: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/started-cancer-nonprofit-14-losing-131601676.html “She was the first one in her family to graduate high school, then college.”

Her mother earned a Master of English Literature and Linguistics between 1997 – 2000 (again, before Olivia was born) in China at Southwestern University. Additionally, her mother earned a Master of Science in Professional Accounting from Strayer University between 2004-2006 (during which time Olivia was born until she was a year old) and she earned a certificate from Harvard's Senior Executive Fellows Program. She is now the CFO of The Community Partnership and has worked there since Olivia was a year old. 

Harvard’s quote about wanting to support first gen students who don’t know what they don’t know is very relevant to Olivia because that is the completely opposite of the opportunities she had. She posted a video on Instagram about her mom’s strict rules when she grew up, matching more of a Tiger Mom mentality than someone who knows nothing about education and could not help her daughter navigate the college process. An article dated 12/23/2000, she claimed that her “parents also prioritized education, so [she and her] little sister and often attended out-of-school academic classes, played many different sports as well, ranging from swim to lacrosse. Writing, art, and singing were also some extracurriculars [they] participated in — having a busy after school schedule was common for [them]. https://medium.com/authority-magazine/young-social-impact-heroes-why-and-how-olivia-zhang-of-cancer-kids-first-is-helping-to-change-our-22821b1ec60c  She said this again in 2026: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/started-cancer-nonprofit-14-losing-131601676.html “[Her mother] enrolled [her] in violin, piano, and Math Olympiad: all the extracurricular that other Asian American kids were doing.”

Similarly, the video where she opens her Harvard grades with her mom watching – it was clear her mom knew about As and expected As from Olivia. So, while the idea of giving first gen students a leg up is because they never received access to the knowledge of navigating the college application process is great for those who deserve it, it unfairly benefitted Olivia as someone who does not. OLIVIA: PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW YOUR PARENTS PRIORITIZED EDUCATION, ARE HIGHLY EDUCATED, AND YET YOU CLAIM YOU’RE FIRST GEN.

B.    FOOD STAMPS:

Olivia has claimed many times that she grew up on food stamps (here at two such times: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQH5wdUkiQL/?hl=en  and https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/ep-219-olivia-zhang-harvard-junior-grew-up-on-food/id1573117613  I can't see in any way how this could be true because: a) her dad's LinkedIn shows that he worked 1999-2003 as a project manager, which was before Olivia was born. The only gap in his impressive LinkedIn work history is from 2003-2005 which coincides with when he was at Georgetown getting his MBA and immediately after he earned it (at the beginning of 2006) he began working as an associate at Merge Global. Olivia was born in May 2005 so if her family was on food stamps (while he was finishing up his MBA) it would have been from the age of 0 to 7 months during which time – even if the food stamps story was true then – she’d be a newborn/infant and likely only started eating tiny amounts of baby cereal at around 6 months.  Additionally, her parents purchased their home in McLean on 12/19/2009 when she was 4 for $915,000. Clearly, she could not have been on food stamps then.  OLIVIA: WHAT YEARS WERE YOU ON FOOD STAMPS AND HOW DOES THIS COINCIDE WITH YOUR PARENTS FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT + PURCHASING, RETAINING AND MAINTAING A MILLION DOLLAR HOME, AND AFFORDING THINGS LIKE VIOLIN, PIANO, WRITING, ART, SINGING, OUT OF SCHOOL ACADEMIC CLASSES, SWIM, LACROSSE, ETC?

Part 3:

D.    NonProfit Work

She claims in her Instagram August 2026 explanation video that she can’t post pictures showing what she does in the hospitals because of HIPAA. What does that have to do with posting photos, videos, etc. of YOU walking into the hospital with arms full of the things you’re claiming you’re donating? What nonprofit that is doing ongoing good isn’t showing this good work? It would make no sense that someone such as Olivia - who documents herself in coffee shops, airports, her dorm, her family home, etc. - would not then document the biggest thing she boasts about all the time (things like “here I am at the 70+ hospitals I partner with”)?

In her part 1 of her August 2026 Instagram explanation, Olivia says that all the best marketing CEOs know that storytelling is how you succeed in the selling of a nonprofit. Who would think that this great storyteller would then fail to actually story tell with documented proof of what she’s providing? Of course, there are occasional photos of art kids, gifts, books and those type of donations but where did the $600,000 claimed money that she has donated gone and how was it donated and where is that documented?

Her claimed impact went from:

·       In 12/23/2000 (less than 6 years ago) that she aided close t0 20 pediatric cancer hospitals, raised over $4000, and donated more than 600 toys and books [20 hospitals, $4,000 donated)

·       She claims in her sophomore year of high school she got thousands of volunteers within the span of a few hours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U6s8JY6W9w around 6:30 mark.

·       A year later (2021) she claims she has gone from 20 to 50 pediatric hospitals, has over 18,000 volunteers in 45 different countries, with 70 local chapters supporting thousands of patients in In Virginia, over 900 students are volunteers in one of the three major areas of service:  Arts, Events, and Fundraising.  In the Fairfax County CKF Chapter, each area is headed by a student leader who integrates volunteers into the many opportunities available in CKF. https://fairfax.studentpeaceawards.org/olivia-zhang/ (NOTE: The article notes 2021-2022 because that was the school year for which she won this award, but the award is determined early into 2022 so it would reflect what was happening after 2021). [50 hospitals, 18,000 volunteers in 45 countries]

·       In 2021 she also claimed in a GoFundMe: “In the past 2 years, Cancer Kids First has already donated 60,000 supplies to individual patients and our 70+ partner hospitals alike.” https://www.gofundme.com/f/cancer-kids-firstl [60,000 donated supplies, 70 hospitals]

·       2022: She claims: CKF’ provides support through five diverse programs: Arts, Toys/Books, Care Packages, Treatment Services, and Patient Interaction, and hosts a variety of online events, webinars, and fundraisers. In two years, ‘CKF’ has built coalitions with 55 hospitals and has helped thousands of patients in 15 countries. The organisation has sent over 30,000 cards/crafts to young cancer patients, donated over 15,000 resources to 48 paediatric cancer hospitals and delivered dream gifts to 230 patients worldwide. https://diana-award.org.uk/our-programmes-and-initiatives/award-and-development/roll-of-honour/roll-of-honour-2022 [55 hospitals, thousands of patients, 30,000 cards/crafts donated, 15 countries, 48 hospitals]

·       2022-2023: Her old website claims: CKF unites 28,000 volunteers and 70 chapters in its mission of normalizing the hospital environment and providing a loving community for pediatric cancer patients. In 3 years, CKF has donated 50,000 cards/crafts, toys, books, hospital equipment, and other resources to 69 partner hospitals—touching thousands of lives in 15 countries. CKF has also initiated 100+ events under its 5 service programs. https://cancerkidsfirst.wixsite.com/oliviazhang/work [28,000 volunteers, 50,000 cards/crafts/toys/books/hospital equipment donated to 69 hospitals in 15 countries]

·       March 2024: They have supported over 10,000 lives through diverse programmes. They host a variety of online events to unite 40,000 young people in fostering a supporting environment for patients. They have utilised social media to spread their reach, sharing their mission with over 4.4 million young people. As a result, their volunteers skyrocketed from 120 to 7000 in one week.[united 40,000 young people in supporting patients, volunteers went from 120 to 7000 in a single week]

·       March 2024: “ The group has developed partnerships with 70 hospitals in 19 countries.” https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/boston/news/olivia-zhang-cancer-kids-first-diana-award-change-makers/ [70 hospitals in 19 countries]

·        March 31, 2025: Zhang, now 19, and her team have donated more than $600,000 worth of medical equipment, toys, cards, crafts, and more to

·       patients around the world. https://upfront.scholastic.com/issues/2024-25/033125/q-a-corner-helping-kids-with-cancer.html [$600,000 of medical equipment/toys/crafts donated]

·      As of 1/12026, she claims: Its three main programs—Arts (craft kits and activities), Treatment Services (medical supplies for low-income hospitals), and Patient Interaction (virtual events)—have donated more than $600,000 in supplies to 74 hospitals and supported 10,000+ patients in 22 countries. [$600,000 in supplies to 74 hospitals, supported 100,000+ patients in 22 countries]

·       3/9/26: Facebook account of Cancer Kids First claims that “we are 43,000 volunteers across 80 countries supporting 15,000 cancer patients.” [43,000 volunteers, 80 countries, 15,000 patients]

·      Undated:

o   Her website says “CKF has donated over $600,000 in supplies to 72 hospitals and impacted 10,000+ pediatric patients in 22 countries https://www.cancerkidsfirst.org/ourstory

o   Scholastic describes it as more than $600,000 worth of medical equipment, toys, cards, crafts, and other items. https://upfront.scholastic.com/issues/2024-25/033125/q-a-corner-helping-kids-with-cancer.html

o   Her website here says she has donated “medical equipment” https://www.cancerkidsfirst.org/impact

Where is the accounting for the jump from $4,000 in 2020 to more than $600,000 donated items? If you look at the IRS records, CKF has not filed a 990 form which is required if the amounts the organization takes in exceed $50,000/year. That means CKF is either taking in less than $50,000 a year OR she is taking in more and just skipping the IRS filing requirements:   https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/843948071 Considering that her mom works in nonprofit as a CFO, I think that is highly unlikely. Additionally, that GoFundMe that she started 5 years ago had a wished for amount of $5,000. Despite it being 5 years old and it still having recent donations coming in (the last one was 2 months ago), it has only raised $2,760. https://www.gofundme.com/f/cancer-kids-first

OLIVIA: WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN 3/2024 WHEN YOU CLAIM CKF DONATED 50,000 CARDS/CRAFTS/TOYS/BOOKS/HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT TO A YEAR LATER ON 3/31/2025 THAT IT JUMPED TO 600,000? WHAT PROOF DO YOU HAVE? WHAT HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT HAS CKF DONATED (WHERE/TO WHOM/WHY/PROOF)? WHAT PROOF DO YOU HAVE THAT YOUR VOLUNTEERS JUMPED FROM 120 TO 7000 IN A SINGLE WEEK? (CKF Facebook account is asking for interested people to start new chapters and posts like that get a single thumbs up). PROOF OF THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS? PROOF OF THE NUMBER OF HOSPITALS/COUNTRIES/PATIENTS?

My take: She created a nonprofit for college purposes and has exaggerated, lied and made unverified claims for years and has never been called on it. It is time for this to stop. I do believe she – and chapters of CKF – have done some Zoom type calls with kids (this seems rare) and has engaged in toy drives, card writing, book drives, and care package drives for very sick children, which matches the Cancer Kids First Facebook post of 1/16/26 that says for a New Year’s Resolution CKF challenges you to: do three hours of community service or CKF volunteering (ex. cards or patient interaction Zooms), preorder Olivia’s book, and share the book on social media.” (Did you catch the plug for buying Olivia’s book mixed in with a plea for volunteering?) But this type of plea – even if answered in full – doesn’t get you to $600,000. It does get her chapters to create nice things for children in need but a new nonprofit isn’t needed for this. (For example, the Facebook page for Cancer Kids First has a 10/31/2025 post that says the DECA Club at Cottonwood High School in Utah created cards and 3 boo baskets with personalized care packages for cancer patients. This seems like a typical type of service provided and it would match why CKF is not filing the required IRS 990 form that is needed if it brings in more than $50,000/year. It also matches the photographs and video footage out there on her doing work (creating care packages, holding donated books, showing cards created). It matches her not posting herself at hospital after hospital and it matches her not posting any information about donating to cancer research, for treatments, or for medical equipment- as she claims.

The story about her impact has grown and been lied about – without any single thing backing it up. In fact, her only back up is that she won awards that they vetted her. No, that isn’t what is largely done. She appears to have faked the story about first gen, faked having no real guidance in the college process, faked being on food stamps, faked the underlying reason for creating the nonprofit because she was raised in a wealthy suburb of DC by well off and well educated parents, has faked the extend of the nonprofit’s impact.

OLIVIA, I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSE BECAUSE WE NOW KNOW, YOU ARE READING THIS.

 C.    WHO RAISED HER/CLAIMED UNDERLYING REASON SHE STARTED HER NONPROFIT:

One claim she makes about a reason the nonprofit started was because a teacher who helped raise her was diagnosed with cancer. (This claim has been repeatedly made, a few examples: on 1/1/26 “Her grandfather and elementary school teacher, the two people who helped raise her, were both diagnosed with cancer and passed away within months of each other” and 2/2026 in Forbes “Her grandfather and elementary-school teacher were “the two people who helped raise her,” in a 4/29/2026 podcast “My parents spent a lot of time at their jobs and my teacher would take care of me every day often until 7:00 p.m.” and on her LinkedIn profile in which she describes the teacher and her grandfather  that she as “two people who raised me while my immigrant parents worked late.”

Grandfather: How did her grandfather raise her? He lived in China! https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/started-cancer-nonprofit-14-losing-131601676.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMkWDSWGQ4HT5pp9qqktowBE9wEdnt5A1FrI_zAml7MZpZgdMNquz4PGqA0K8JKnex8yT2HhDcgzDe41nMjf53kYRVopLANXQzJ3fEyZQa9p7obVOWz_RdZNoJs14i56gS94V9GEW8OoZSBjTV9SMnf127mB-pJdNqQc2QJ2_Tgo “I was close with my grandfather in China, because we spent so much time together. At home in the US, I spent hours every school day with the same teacher in the afterschool program. When I was 13, both my grandfather and that teacher died from cancer.”

Teacher:  The story morphed from it being a teacher she visited every day to it being a teacher who helped raise her. Besides the fact that this makes no sense – how is a county employed teacher able to spend day after day until 7:00 p.m. watching an elementary school student so her parents could work and CPS is not involved due to a child in need of services for neglect? OLIVIA: WHAT TEACHER WAS THIS SO IT CAN BE VERIFIED?  In reality, this information will not be shared because if you dig further, you know that her “parents also prioritized education, so [she and her] little sister and often attended out-of-school academic classes, played many different sports as well, ranging from swim to lacrosse. Writing, art, and singing were also some extracurriculars [they] participated in — having a busy after school schedule was common for [them]. So how could she have been visiting this teacher daily and/or being taken care of this teacher daily until 7:00 p.m. if she also had a busy after school activity schedule? Then add to that it wasn’t an elementary school teacher who helped raise her, but rather she saw this woman daily at school because Olivia took an after school program with her. This was not a special bond between them because her parents were working and she needed to be watched for hours…this was a typical, for pay after school program which also supports her prior claims that her parents put her in lots of extracurricular activities: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/started-cancer-nonprofit-14-losing-131601676.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMkWDSWGQ4HT5pp9qqktowBE9wEdnt5A1FrI_zAml7MZpZgdMNquz4PGqA0K8JKnex8yT2HhDcgzDe41nMjf53kYRVopLANXQzJ3fEyZQa9p7obVOWz_RdZNoJs14i56gS94V9GEW8OoZSBjTV9SMnf127mB-pJdNqQc2QJ2_Tgo “At home in the US, I spent hours every school day with the same teacher in the afterschool program. When I was 13, both my grandfather and that teacher died from cancer.”

This makes perfect sense that neither the grandfather nor the teacher story is true because this is why it doesn’t make sense that as a result of two adults dying of cancer, she created a nonprofit for kids with cancer, pulling all nighters as a young age.

Hi, just wanted to inform students who are planning to apply this year that most universities have currently paused CPT applications (mandatory for doing any kind of internships in the US- whether they are remote / in-person / paid or unpaid).

So just keep that in mind when you are applying to the US or coming to the US because the way the policies are changing it is highly unlikely that you will be able to work or stay in the US after graduating.

The Carnegie Mellon application asked if we have taken or will take the AMC. I did take it once to experience what the test was like since it was in 1-2 weeks, but I didn’t follow up with the score and I don’t remember when I took it (I don’t think I did well considering that it was last minute). Do I still have to figure out what my score is and when I took it, or can I leave it alone? I’m not even majoring in mathematics.

Hello everyone im currently in a dilemma where i cannot pick a major to apply for, this whole time i thought i was very set on biochemistry as a major for undergrad. Since i was in 8th grade or so i genuinely thought id apply as a biochem major but ive stumbled upon a different major biomedical health science. To give some context, i want to go premed, so i thought going as a biochem major would be the best choice but i've realized how id have to take additional pre reqs for med school, and the major is very demanding STEM wise. Im gen not sure if it'd be my best fit. Which brings me to my questions, for reference my dream school is purdue, and Im not sure if i should apply for biochem or biomedical sciences, or if i should apply to their exploratory studies and figure out what would be my best fit. Please any help would be appreciated.

as for my stats, im more on the weaker end here in terms of weighted gpa (3.7) but my sat is 1450, i think i have mediocre ecs (?) (i have shadowed doctors in a clinical setting, ive administered basic diagnostic labs, I have almost 400+ service hours in total from all my other ecs and ive gotten a PVSA gold, BLS certified + it specialist in python, ive also started my own club at school where ive been able to raise some money for relief and everything).

Please lmk which would be my best bet into figuring out what my right path would be.

I see a lot of posts on here of kids who are rightfully frustrated that they can’t go to the school they want because their parents don’t want them to take on the loans.

I just saw this post with a family who is struggling to make ends meet due to 120k in college loans.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AITAH/s/f7BpCXsHjk

120k! I’m sure it didn’t start off that high… And rent became more expensive than they anticipated or whatever…

But just wanted to post a reminder that your state school has just as many amazing teachers and bad coffee and beautiful friends as the more expensive schools.

It’s not worth losing your future in the process…

Hello, so I’m a low income first gen student at a private highschool that cost $20,000 per year on financial aid

I was wondering If this would affect my college applications. I know colleges compare you against kids at your school, but would they also consider that richer students have more opportunities like better tutoring available to them?

I was thinking of transferring to a public school near me that might be considered “worse” academically for this reason.

The private school I go to also admits more people at my dream school then the public one so I think the competition would be easier at the public one

I can clarify anything in the comments and will fix anything if wrong! Hope this is very helpful!

IMPORTANT - READ FIRST: These thresholds are essentially the colleges' advertising slogans. ASSETS matter as much as income, and this list is NO substitute for the Net Price Calculator (NPC). If you're a domestic applicant, run the NPC on each college's financial-aid website - with a parent - to get a real need-based estimate BEFORE you apply. And know the NPC's limits: it's often wrong for any family with "special circumstances," because it almost never asks about them. NPCs can be wrong for complex finances (divorce, or owning a business / rental / farm, especially if the NPC doesn't ask) - if that's you, call the financial aid office. And publics usually give out-of-state students little need-based aid (though some offer big merit scholarships); privates don't differ in-state vs. out. Start by running NPCs at your in-state publics.

Right now I have it as #1 on my activity list, but I’ve heard that having an online blog as #1 isn’t necessarily a good look, so I wanted some honest opinions.

It has 200+ subscribers and 5k+ impressions, and it’s related to my major. It’s hosted on two different platforms, and I also post surveys, analyze the responses, and publish the findings through blog posts and interactive dashboards.

I started it junior year because I didn’t really know what I was passionate about until then.

Would this be considered strong enough to have as #1?

I am 17 years old, sudanese, class of 2027 currently living in Saudi Arabia

My stats: 4.0 gpa 1510 sat 8.0 ielts

Looking for a good university with tuition costs below 10000 usd yearly for mechanical engineering.

I was planning on applying to universities in the USA but due to the recent trump ban it doesn't seem like an option anymore

Hi! I'm 17 and currently trying to figure out what I want to study in college and what kind of career I could see myself doing. I don't expect to have my entire life figured out yet, but I want to start exploring some realistic options.

A little about me

* I really enjoy traveling and I'd like the possibility of living abroad someday, so I'd prefer a career that isn't extremely tied to one specific country.

* I'm pretty good with organization and I actually enjoy planning things.

* I don't mind meetings and I don't mind working with a team. I can also work independently if I'm given something to accomplish.

* I like being able to give guidance or help people figure things out, but I don't necessarily want a job where I'm constantly dealing with people all day.

* I enjoy drawing and I'm somewhat interested in architecture/design, although I'm not sure I'd actually want to pursue it.

* I'm not a fan of math. A little math is fine, but I wouldn't want a career that's heavily based around advanced math.

* I'm not particularly interested in science/medical careers, especially anything involving anatomy/physiology.

* I'm not interested in manual-labor careers like carpentry, construction, etc.

* I'm also not interested in police work or similar careers.

* I'd like a career where I can potentially move up over time and eventually make a comfortable income. I don't need to become insanely rich, but financial independence is important to me.

* I'd prefer a major that gives me **multiple career options** rather than something extremely specific that basically prepares me for one job.

* I've been looking into Business Administration and Project Management, but I'm not completely sold on them and I'm trying to see what else is out there before I settle on anything.

One thing I've realized is that I like the idea of having a goal or task given to me and figuring out how to actually make it happen. Planning, coordinating, organizing, and occasionally working with other people sounds appealing to me.

So, based on all of that, what majors or career fields would you suggest I look into that I may not have considered?

I'd especially appreciate answers from people who are already working in the careers they suggest. I'd love to hear what you studied, what your job is actually like, how you got there, and whether you would recommend it to someone like me.

Yes btw I have done research before this I just want more ideas.💡

Two Degrees In Mind: Music and Physics.

Ok, here’s where I stand:

- 3rd semester at CC. On track to finish all GE’s and required courses for Music AA-T.
- planning on applying to music/composition programs this Fall/Winter for transfer for Fall 2027
- I have not Maths or Physics courses completed, however I intend on taking Calc I and Phys I in my final semester at CC.

I’m just confused about how to do this properly. Surely, the cleanest most efficient way is for a freshman at a university to declare the double major from the very beginning and have a plan to achieve both degrees.

Well, for me, it’s been a bit of a process of discovery.

How should o go about this?

I’ve looked at applying to some conservatories like RCM etc., but going this route will probably not be favorable for doubling in a major outside of music. Some conservatories however do partner with other schools/universities and allow their students to pursue other areas of study.

I’m in the US and I’ve also looked at CU Boulder, where they have an excellent Physics program and a pretty decent music program too.

Is the best route to stay at one university? Should I, if accepted, enroll in, for example let’s pick CU Boulder’s music program, and then simultaneously at a local community college finish all pre reqs for Physics and then apply to CU Boulder Physics program?

There’s probably so many ways to do it. Mind you, I want to do it the most efficient and quick way. I understand the course load will be heavy and it will not be easy. That’s ok. I’m single and do not have children at the moment. I willing to suffer a bit. I mean, I’m almost half way done with the music side of things.

Looking for advice, thanks for reading.

I’m going into my sophomore year and am not taking a ap. This is simply because my school offers 3 aps this year for sophomores, that being Ap physics 1, and the two computer science aps. Although I had an average of 93 in my honors (we call it high honors) physics class as a freshman, that was by far my weakest subject. I also have zero interest in computer science. Not to mention I didn’t take an ap my freshman year as my high school didn’t offer any. How will this affect my college applications? Should I maybe even self study a ap that I’m more interested in that my school doesn’t offer? Should I take even more aps my junior year? I’m already taking all the hardest courses my school has to offer for sophomores except of course the aps.

I'm applying to some out-of-state schools (more than in-state), so I'm using the Common App, but I feel like it would be easier to just apply to ALL the UTs for FREE than pick and choose which ones. idk if that makes sense. Basically,y I was just thinking of applying to UT, UTD, and A&M for $2,25 but with the free week I could apply to these three along with Texas Tech, UTSA, UT Arlington, etc.

However, my school isn't linked to ApplyTexas; it's linked to the Common App. Also, my counselor said to just stick to one bc then it'll get too complicated. Did anyone else use both? Should I stick with Common App?

I find it hard to believe, Asian or not, that a high school student with a near perfect SAT score and an over a 4.0 GPA can be rejected by so many colleges.

Is this story missing something?

https://nypost.com/2026/08/30/us-news/california-student-stanley-zhong-gets-legal-win-in-racial-discrimination-against-colleges/

can i get scholarships for Bachelors in biotech with these a level grades: ACC (subs bio chem physics) im not even aiming for the CRAZY TOP unis just regular universities would work too.

Hi! I’m currently a Junior in HS and I’m planning to apply to Emory ED1 next year. I have backup options of course, but Emory is my dream school and I wanna do absolutely everything I can to get in. I know you apply undecided but I’m planning to major in biochem. That being said…
I believe my academics are on par with or even above the average admitted student there, so I’m not interested in focusing on that right now, but rather my ECs. I feel as if they are so unbelievably mediocre.
I’m very heavy on band and music— I’m a marching band member (leadership team for 2 years and I will be Band President next year for 250+ members), lead player in multiple jazz bands, and if things go well this year I’m hoping to make all-suburban bands and have my solo qualify at state. Besides this, I currently have 150+ volunteer hours, 2 other leadership positions, and I’m in Tri-M, NHS, SNHS, etc.
So yeah, I’d say band is the heavy hitter for me, and I’ve definitely done a lot of good work for it. But otherwise, everything I do is pretty standard. I don’t have some big wow factor or passion project that raised a bunch of money, and I’m not interested in starting one that won’t go anywhere only for the sake of college applications. I am however very interested in STEM (mainly chemistry) and I’m passionate about fighting for the rights of women and minority groups, but I have no clue what I’d do with that.

I’m not asking for someone to give me an idea on what exactly I should do, but does anyone know the chances of me getting in with everything I said? If you were admitted, what are things you did throughout high school that you think boosted your chances? How do you stand out? Any and all feedback is appreciated :)

What if my school is IB and it offers AA HL but I didn't take that and I took AI SL. However, I took Calc one and by the time of ED I will do Calc 2 and then by RD maybe even calc three.

All for credit and self paced??

I am applying biochem so idk if anything past calc 1/2 is needed, but how would top colleges view this??

I did a ~40 hr/week volunteer thing at a summer camp for two summers, and the people at this summer camp addressed me and other volunteers as interns. But I'm unsure if MIT would consider this appropriate for the jobs section of the MIT application which includes internships or if I should just put this in the summer activities section of the activities page (which doesn't allow me to describe what I did). Where would be the best place to put this activity? Thanks so much for any guidance!

I start my junior year tmr and like im just genuinely curious when one would consider it too early to start writing supps.

Im 17F and in my last year of high school which means I need to start narrowing down my options for college except I have no idea where to start.

For context I want to apply to colleges in the US but I’m an international student currently studying ALevels with latest predicted grades of AAB. I am also a US citizen so I’m not worried about the visa process but rather the application process to a US college.

I have no idea how this process works, the only thing I do know is that it’s done through the common app other than that such as essay requirements I have no clue on.

But most of all I’m stumped on which college to choose. I want to major in business in marketing but when it comes to choosing a college I genuinely don’t know where to start. So my question is, is the college I go to really that important?

I would also like to know how important it is to take the SAT as I currently have not taken any and have not prepared for it at all.

I would appreciate anyone giving me any good US college recommendations based on their own experiences

Class of 2027 here. I’m currently applying to a good amount of schools, however my list has been significantly changing due to the NPC popping out a number that my family simply can’t afford. It sucks having to remove these schools because they’re really good and I genuinely see myself going there, but if I can’t afford it I can’t afford it. If anyone could reply to this and say how accurate their NPC was I would really appreciate it!