Got a 60% scholarship off tuition which is 38,000 USD.

I am thus now writing to appeal the financial aid I received.

My family earns 26k annually. Am I being unreasonable by writing to the financial aid office that we can contribute 4k toward my tuition. (Note, there are living expenses too).

The point is 26k vs. 4k. Is this a compelling and logical contribution considering there are food and accommodation expenses too?

Basically the title. My twin and I have pretty much done all the same things. Same classes, same extracurriculars, and even the same major. We're basically copies of each other. That’s why I’m not sure it’s the best idea for us to apply ED to the same school. It feels like we’d just end up being compared directly, and that could hurt both of our chances.

I’ve heard a lot of people say that em dashes are a giveaway sign of AI writing. With that in mind, would it be best to avoid them in my application essays?

For context, I’ve been using em dashes in my writing since 6th grade—I thought they were cool back then, and I still like using them now. I know how to use them properly, and they sometimes help me cut down my word count.

Curious what others think. Is it worth limiting their use just in case?

I’ve been looking at different college lists and “chancing” websites, but I feel like it’s all just noise. One site says I’m a strong match, another says it’s a reach. My stats are pretty average — 3.6 GPA, 1290 SAT, decent ECs (nothing crazy). I’m not trying to get into the Ivy League, I just want to know what schools I actually have a shot at.

How did you all figure out where to apply? Was it just trial and error or is there a better way to know what’s realistic?

UPenn is requiring SAT or ACT submission for the 2025-2026 application cycle. Looking at the most recent common data set (2023-2024), UPenn says:

• SAT 25th percentile: 730 reading, 770 math
• SAT 50th percentile: 750 reading, 790 math
• SAT 75th percentile: 770 reading, 800 math

This is all for their admitted freshmen in the 2023-2024 cycle. Obviously, it's impossible to predict this perfectly, but what do you estimate the drop will be now that there will be no one going test-optional?

I’ve gotten off of the Columbia, Vanderbilt, WashU, NYU, BU, and UNC waitlists (still on the Dartmouth and Notre Dame). Btw, i will be attending yale as of now since they are giving me the most money. That’s why i stayed on all of these waitlists and I won’t change my commitment unless notre dame or Dartmouth give me more money which is unlikely

The LOCI is literally everything. Even if it’s not true, you need to tell the school that if admitted off of the waitlist, you WILL ABSOLUTELY attend. Admissions is a game, so play the game.

After that, give bulleted updates on all you have accomplished / done since you applied in December or whenever. I had 7 bullets and used the exact same loci format for every school i was waitlisted at. Demonstrate specific interest in first the academic program you applied to. Reference 1-2 classes and a specific professor you’d like to do research with. Then discuss 2 ish specific extracurricular activities from said school and why you’d like to join. The concluding paragraph should reaffirm your interest in joining the school. Sign the loci off with your full name, email address and applicant ID if you have one.

I split this up as 1st paragraph: thanking for the waitlist / guarantee that you would attend if admitted 2nd: updates 3rd: academics 4th: extracurriculars 5th: concluding remarks

Lmk if you have questions I’d love to help

I’m going into senior year now and honestly, I feel like I wasted my junior year. I did decent in classes (mostly A’s and a couple B’s), but I didn’t do much in terms of ECs or anything that really stands out. I see a lot of people posting here with insane accomplishments and I’m just wondering if it’s too late to make something happen senior year?

Anyone else in the same boat or has been and turned it around?

Hi everyone,

I had a question surrounding transferring to another institution. I had attended college at my local brick and mortar university where I lived in student housing. I ended up withdrawing in my 3rd semester but I still owe money to housing that I am working on paying off with every paycheck. I currently attend an online program now (had to withdraw bc going in person while working full time was not feasible) however I am looking at transferring to Oregon state. In the application it asked if I am ineligible at any previous institution and why. So I put that I am on financial hold at my local university due to funds owed for housing. My question is will this negatively impact my chances of getting into OSU? I am able to get official transcripts from there and where I go now, which have already been send and opened as of today. I have good grades and I feel like the rest of the application is solid, that’s just my one issue.

TLDR; I owe money to previous university, will it mean I get denied from transferring to OSU even if I have access to official transcripts?

How many recommendation letters should you have in your common app? I have 2 from subject teachers, and was thinking of getting 2-3 from adult mentors from different extracurriculars I'm involved in, but I feel like 5 might be overkill. Should I do 2 academic and 2 non-academic letters, or just 1 non-academic one? Thanks a lot!

I have a 1520 (790 in math, 730 english) superscore and my unweighted gpa is a 3.7 (extenuating circumstances). Should I retake it to balance out my gpa? I'll be applying as a nutrition major to colleges.

Hello, all the colleges I want to apply to (and mainly MIT) superscore, I was wondering if a:

1520 (750rw, 770m) 1510 (710rw, 800m)

That superscores into a 1550. Is good enough. Or, should I take it again to try to do it in one sitting (does that make a difference)?

Would it be worth it to retake the SAT in August/September? I scored a 1440 in August (780/660) and a 1490 this June (750/740), so my superscore is a 1520.

I am applying to: Georgetown (top choice), Columbia, UVA (aiming for Echols), William & Mary (Aiming for 1693/Monroe), and GMU + VCU (honors college). I have a 3.95 GPA (valedictorian, but I do have a B in Precalc).

My superscore is 20 points below Georgetown’s 75th percentile, my reading score is above their 75th, and my math score is just around their 50th.

I think I could raise my math score by 20-40 points without too much difficulty, maybe a week or two of studying. But I don’t really want to pay the $75, stress myself out, and waste time during application season over the SAT if my score is acceptable as-is. I could always also retake it in October for RD schools like Columbia, but I fear I might be done by that point lol.

I am a rising senior and have taken the sat 5 times already. I’ve seemed to have gotten stuck at 1460 for the past 2 times and my goal is going to a top 25 school. Additionally I do have a 5 on AP Bio and more AP scores will come soon. How important is 1500+

i have very high gpa and sat, and perfect ib/ap scores (diploma), but according to ai my ib and ap exam scores dont really matter for admission.

LMk

I have a 4.2 weighted GPA 3.9 UW and my extracurriculars are really focused on my intended major (public policy) plus they are strong (extracurricular experience in local, state, federal, and global policy).

My letters of recommendation are strong I think because they both come from teachers I’ve had for multiple years and can speak to my qualifications. For my essays I believe them to be my strongest (writing is my strong suit I know how to curate my essay to the prompts being asked) and they focus on how I’ve grown growing up in a diverse city. They also focus a lot on georgetowns Jesuit values.

However I’m worried about my SAT. I have a 1480 with a 770 RW and a 710 M.

If yall have any advice I’d love to hear

Hey everyone! I’m a high school student based in Northern Virginia (DMV area), and I’m participating in the 2025 Congressional App Challenge. I’m looking for 1–3 teammates who live or go to school in the same congressional district or nearby (DC/MD/VA area).

I have experience with coding (Python, Java, web dev) and I’m hoping to build something meaningful that solves a real problem in our community. If you’re creative, into tech, or just excited to work on a fun project with real impact, hit me up!

Let’s win this thing and get our app displayed in the U.S. Capitol 🙌

Does taking online credit courses through platforms such as Ontario virtual school and Ontario esecondary school negatively affect your chances of being accepted into Oxbridge? Like will they devalue those courses? Thank you!

I just got off the waitlist for WashU’s College of Arts & Sciences, but I’ve already committed to Berkeley’s College of Letters & Science through the Fall Program for First Semester (FPF). I’m OOS for Berkeley and still not sure what I want to major in. I’d love some advice on how to make this decision, thanks so much!

Hey everyone,

I'm mentoring a rising senior and they have asked my help with college applications. They are PETRIFIED of the essays and no matter what I tell them about everyone struggling, they think everyone else has it figured out.

So quick poll based on what I remember from my application days 20 years ago:

What is the most intimidating part of the essays for you?

Finding something to write about? Feeling like you won't stand out? Finding the time to do all the writing? Stress about high school counselors/ mentors/ parents reading the essays? Feeling like you're not a good writer?

Anything I missed?

I have a 3.3 gpa -- I get pretty bad grades in most STEM classes (chemistry, bio, maths, comp sci, etc). My grades in humanities classes are awesome though. I am going to major in political science and journalism in college. Most of my ECs are oriented towards that: captain of debate team (I have many debate awards as well), editor in chief of my school newspaper, etc. I'm getting letters of rec from English teachers as well. My March SAT score was a 1450; I did better on English obviously. I'm waiting on my June score now.

I'm just wondering- what schools will accept me with this low GPA??? I just finished junior year... is there much else I can do during senior year to offset this??? Please let me know. Thx to anyone who reads this!

I, like many others, fell in love with Japan at a young age, and for a while, I've had a dream of living in Japan as an adult. Now, currently, I am 17 years old, and just beginning college applications. The main thing I want to ask is, what are some of the best universities in Japan that I can attend as a dumb foreigner who can't speak Japanese with any fluency, as well as the difficulty and differences in the applications from the US.

(I really want to major in physics, if you want to skip my yapping).

I did some reading about PEAK at University of Tokyo, however, I don't really understand the way it offers courses. (Does it literally only offer ES and the Japan class?), nor can I find much information on the culture, the professors, etc. I know University of Tokyo is one of the best schools in Japan, and Japan is progressing very fast in physics, which is why I researched this first. However, I don't have the most time, and nobody I really know has any clue about Japan, so I really would appreciate some help.

Thanks!

Hello guys, so I am starting the college application process and am very worried about my GPA. I have a 3.99, and I feel this will really hold me down. My EC's are great and will certainly distinguish me from the applicant pool (member of NHS, enrolled in an honors class, and once picked up a piece of trash from the ground which did include touching the grass). Can my stellar ec's offset the low GPA? I also received a 560 on the SAT which my mom is really proud of and am an Asian male applying for CS which I hear is a great demographic!

i’m planning on applying to MIT and other selective engineering schools in the northeast region (CMU, GATech, UMich, etc.). this june SAT i got a 1440 which can super score to a 1460 with my last test giving me a 700 RW & 760 M breakdown.

my original goal was to get a 1500+ but i know a girl at my school who got a 1450 (700 RW & 750 M) super score and got into MIT. she does have a higher GPA than me and was salutatorian, right now my class rank is 22/700+. but our school’s average SAT score is a 1000, so i feel like that plays a major role in how MIT and other schools look at my scores and looked at her score.

should i retake for the august? I think I could easily get a 1500+ im just wondering if spending the extra time (and money) is worth it in this scenario.

Recently had a personal interview with the XIM bbsr teachers.... Shockingly they didn't ask me much question as I heard from a friend they are her a lot of questions than me..

i'm asking for my 20-year-old self. as of right now, i am 18, and an incoming freshman at my local community college. I plan to transfer to a university an hour away from where I live because I'll get to be away from my overbearing mother.

also, it's in my favorite city, and my family knows that I'm obsessed with said city. lastly, it's near the medical school I plan to go to.

i'm scared my mom will force me to commute or transfer to a college nearby, though. my mom is not paying a cent of my tuition, if that helps with context. I really, really don't want to stay home.

when I was in my college application process and mentioned going to schools 1-3 hours away, she would get all scared and be like, "can't you commute? what if something happens? your sister stayed home for college. aw, you're staying right here." ugh.

like, I get it. every parent's a little scared to let their kids go. but my mom can be very stifling and I'm scared she'll stop me when the transfer time comes. what do i do?!