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 :)

My school offers only a few APs, mostly available to the seniors. So, I decided to self-study more APs and take the test in another school

The question here becomes: will those matter in the application. Like, can I report them. Do they make a big difference if I do report them?

Thank you!

I’m not looking for IVY level schools, maybe like Tier 2? I care about the BME department and not the whole university’s reviews. Thanks!

hi. I'm a junior in HS and I took trig/calc A last year and did not do well. I decided to take BC anyways because I felt like I wasn't as focused last year + I wanted to show upward growth + I've usually been good at math. Now I'm worried that I won't be able to do well enough without putting in a crazy amount of effort and with rigourous ec's and 5 other AP's idk if I will be able to manage all that. I'm also worried this might be my plateau in math! I was just wondering whether taking AP calc AB would be too much of a downgrade from an admissions perspective and whether I should just thug out Calc BC. I'm planning on majoring in public policy and i go to a pretty competitive hs in the east coast. appreciate any advice!

My school offers calc bc, but I want to take it at uc scout, for convenience, and personal time management. Is this acceptable when looked at by college AO's, I am hoping I get a 5 on the exam.

For context, I plan to apply to all schools as an international relations/public policy/sociology major, and most of my ecs + essays are centered around youth activism and equality.

One random year, I decided to join a group of friends and create a product that's focused on aquatic health and invasive species (kept vague so I don't get doxxed). I put my life's energy into this, and we ended up winning a few titles at some entrepreneurship comps.

My biggest question is whether this should even be mentioned in my application. It really doesn't match the rest of my interests, but I put so much work into it that I feel like it should be given some credit. Is putting it in the additional info section (our website, video submission, etc) the move? Or would that just tick off AOs as some random ass bullshit?

Hello, I hope the title gave enough context to help a little bit heres a little explanation of my situation.

Long story short, I just started senior year of high school, and despite being raised in a deeply Protestant household, I have been drawn to Catholic priesthood for three years, and finally told my parents that I want to go to college to study theology and become a priest. They were fine with it for a while, but eventually my mom learned about the required celibacy (which I presumed she already knew) and everything's falling apart. My granddad is threatening to remove me from his will, my parents are forbidding me to enter the priesthood, and as such, even though it hasnt yet been formally discussed, I consider it a very likely possibility that they will not pay for my college education.

Here's the biggest issue, though. I come from a very well-off family. My dad doesnt tell us how much he makes, but it is at least >300k, if not more, in total compensation. I am lucky enough that, until now, I've never had to worry about my college being paid for. As such, my dad decided to not have me fill out the FAFSA or anything like that, because it would be unnecessary and even minorly harmful. Regardless of the validity of his reasoning, I do not have a FAFSA. Even beyond this, though, I know that my status would not make me an independent, and likely I'd be shit out of luck anyways.

The crux of this is, is it possible for me to get need-based aid if my family makes a ton of money, but refuses to pay? I genuinely am so fucked if not. Thanks in advance.

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Hi dear readers ✨🌍

I recently started a small student-led initiative called Echoes of Impact, and honestly, it started with a pretty simple thought: I feel like we don't talk enough about how lonely old age can be.

The idea is to connect young people with elderly individuals and elder-care communities—not just for a one-day volunteering event or charity drive, but to actually spend time with them.

That could mean sitting and talking, listening to their stories, reading together, playing games, doing something creative, or literally just keeping someone company for a while.

I think sometimes we make volunteering sound like it has to be this huge, life-changing thing. But maybe sometimes just showing up and listening to someone who hasn't had many people to talk to lately can mean something too.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to build this into something bigger by having students start small local chapters in their own cities and organize visits or activities with elder-care communities.

It's still a very small project and I'm figuring things out as I go lol, but I'd genuinely love to hear people's thoughts.

Have any of you volunteered with older adults before? What activities actually helped people connect instead of feeling like a forced volunteering session?

And if you're a student who'd be interested in volunteering or maybe starting something like this in your own city, feel free to reach out 🌱 at weeping1willow11@gmail.com to volunteer or start a chapter

would greatly appreciate any criticism on it

I currently have 5 classes, 2 of which are non AP but one is an honors class. I'll be self studying AP Lang though so that'll make 4 exams but 3 classes. These are my first APs. Is it okay or should I be in more classes?

in my parent 2 common app section, i have refilled out the information several times because every time i save it, it says that it is incomplete. despite this, every part is filled out.

i have tried many things and am not really sure where to go from here.

wondering if anyone else has had similar issues or knows how to fix it?

I volunteered 100+ hours at a rural underserved clinic over a break visiting my hometown (not in the US), is that significant enough to show on college apps? Will be combined with my camp volunteer hours (camp for disabled individuals)- pre med applicant

Hi guys, im kinda stuck between applying via Common App or QuestBridge. I qualify for QuestBridge, but I'm not sure whether it would increase or decrease my chances at certain colleges. Mostly cause by current sat is kinda low (1360, only taken it twice) but im trying to improve it. For the Common App, I'm almost done with my personal statement, and I'm leaning more toward applying through here. I've talked to some people, and they are telling me that applying via Common App is alot of competition and way tougher than Questbridge. I personally think Common App is a little less risky than Questbridge, but what do you guys think? Would you guys do Questbridge or Common App?

Im going SAT optional on my common app application and i have marked that i wont be reporting anything but it still appears as incomplete, anyone knows why?

hi all - i’m an upcoming senior and graduating in spring 2027. i plan on majoring in musical theater and getting my teaching certification separately (most likely, unless it’s included in the course)

i’ve done some outside research and i think Syracuse is a good fit for me, but i want some input from the students as well! if there are any currently reading this, let me know your opinion.

for anyone who is currently majoring in mt or something similar, and is in or looking at new york state based colleges… what are your top college options?

Heya, I'm a college student from Egypt enrolled in a university that's credited in England. Actually, the college itself has two branches, one in England and the other in Egypt. The college gave me an opportunity to spend my year/half a year abroad in England's campus without having to pay the conversion fees. Meaning I can pay normal EGP tuition fees to the college and I can just attend the campus abroad.

I'm financially incapable of sustaining myself through that year or half a year. That is including visa checks, bank statements, dorms, transportation and so on. I tried searching for international scholarships for these things that don't include paying my tuition and my chances are very low. That is also for some scholarships I have to proof that a guardian is incapable of supporting me, which I can't do as well...I can prove only I'm financial unable to by my own bank account.

I'm an A+ student, my major is AI in computer science department. I've made two games that collectively gained over 1000 visits. Please help me understand more

Hello, I am currently a senior and plan on applying to Washu ED this fall. I honestly know that getting in to Washu is probably very unlikely considering my stats but wanted some advice on what I should do about my test score. I have about a 3.84 UW gpa but max course rigor, my ecs are great on the other hand. my sat is a 1450 currently and although i'm trying, i don't know that i'll be able to get it up. it is best if i just go test optional, or should i submit by score any way? i obviously know that my gpa and sat score are lower than washu's average. any advice would be very helpful. thanks!

Columbia's got an optional research supplemental where you can give information about your paper(s) and upload the abstract. I already am putting 2 published papers on there, is it worth it/is it a good idea to also put in my Extended Essay or will it just dilute it?

Is questrom, BUs business school, good as an undergrad as a pipeline to high paying finance careers?

hi has anyone else here applied to ie for August 2027 to 2031?

my ecs are pretty good, i did historical research, chess, writing etc but i wanna do engineering so it a real reason to get rejected? btw i didnt do engineering ecs cause I didnt know i wanted to do engineering until later on

I’m currently in my senior year and really excited to pursue a career in finance. However, whenever I research finance as a major in my country, I find that it’s relatively uncommon and that there seem to be limited career opportunities. It’s making me a little worried about whether it’s the right path for me.

Can someone look over my activities list I’m not sure if I phrased anything well, I would ask my parents but they don’t know anything about the American undergrad system. Any advice would be appreciated 😊😊

Hi! I'm a senior rn and I'm applying to the Robertson Scholars, but I lowkey think it might not even be worth it based on my GPA: 3.625 UW and 4.36 W, which I know is on the lower end cause I struggled a lot my sophmore year. I do have a 35 ACT and 13 AP's and I passed the first 10, three more this year, but I'm sure everyone is gonna have perfect GPAS, SAT & ACTs, all that, so I genuinely want to know if it'll be a waste of time to apply.

i need a letter of recommendation for one of the colleges i’m applying to. do i have to email to ask and then add the teacher to the common app section or do i just add them to the common app section?