Privilege, blandness, personality-lessness. These are the three demons you must slay to get into an ivy league. Most of all, many profiles give typical ‘privileged kids whose parents pushed them towards certain EC’s and paid for EC’s/startups/paid research assistance’. Then there’s also no differentiating story that seperates them from the other applicants. This profile, combined with ‘decent essays’, is extremely common here, and at admission offices as well. Ivies are increasingly skeptical of this type of profile and have started prefering kids with real jobs and obligations, one or two deep spikes that are actually ‘them’ and show real depth and grit rather than paid publishing. If you doubt me look into it.

Florida, competitive public school, southasian

rank: 182/712

gpa: 3.6 UW, 4.6 W

1530 sat (730 reading & 800 math)

17 ap's all 4 and 5

awards - ap scholar with distinction

activities:

trauma and burn surgery research at UMiami (10 weeks, 30 hrs a week)

50 hours of Cleveland clinic shadowing

4 years of debate (no officer position, or awards)

tutoring: 1 year of sat tutoring, 4 years of math tutoring, and 3 years of special needs tutoring

60+ hours volunteering (going to go up to 100 by January)

major: bio/chem/biochem -> pre-med

applying to T20s, Ivies, FL university , BS/MD programs

👋, I’d veryyyyyy appreciate ur opinion on DIS one.

Indian international [not based in india]

I realized i only wanted to do engineering in nov of g11.. so not much time to do that much.. but i tried. i was pretty set on econs before haha

Academics

• IB predicted: 43–45 [worst case to best case, predicted coming in 2 weeks]
• HL: Math AA, Physics, Economics (777); SL: Music, English A Lang & Lit, Spanish B (766 worst case 777 best case), Tok/EE (AA)
• IGCSE: 9 x A* (All 9A*)
• Grade 9–10 internal marks were uneven because of severe undiagnosed ADHD, which was diagnosed in grade 12 (clarified in extra bit)
• SAT: 1530 (790 M / 740 RW) [had only 2 weeks to study... and no time to retake so oops]

Awards

• UKMT Senior Mathematical Challenge: Gold 2024 (121/125) [2/100,000+] and 2025 (112/125), BMO qualifier both years
• ~20 national solo and group Carnatic music awards (Singapore)
• Trinity G8 Rock & Pop Vocals, Distinction; Trinity G6 Piano, Distinction

Activities in my common app (in order of importance

1. Independent research: sole author of a green hydrogen vs batteries paper; derived the duration cost crossover; fact-checked and commended by a power engineer at the biggest Indian engineering firm (larsen & tourbou)
2. Founder, internship program for autistic/neurodivergent teens: pitched 15 organizations, secured 2 hosts, ran 8 workshops for a partner school.
3. Engineering placement: shadowed engineers at a large APAC food manufacturing plant (power distribution, PLC automation, sustainability, optimization); wrote a report.
4. Vice President, Competition Math Club: mentored students and led peer discussions on problem-solving.
5. Vocal group + Trinity vocals: auditioned into the group, earned a solo, performed at the Esplanade.
6. Piano and composition: composed 4 original pieces; 11 years of piano.
7. Carnatic vocalist: 10+ years of training; 20 national awards.
8. Tutor: 15 students, 50+ sessions, ages 6–16.
9. Student Voice Representative: elected; led weekly meetings; organized assemblies and presented at one.
10. Music therapy volunteer: weekly one-on-one sessions with a dementia resident, conducted entirely in Tamil.

Hey everyone! I’m a high school senior applying ED1 to Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering for Biomedical Engineering.
Demographics
● Gender: Male
● Citizenship: US Citizen
● Location: Japan
● School: Private American international school
● Income: Middle class
● Family: Father works for the US government, which has required us to move internationally several times
● Residency: Virginia
● Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering (potentially double majoring in Mathematics)
Academics
● GPA: Approximately 3.8/4.0 (unweighted)
● Freshman Year: Mostly As and Bs
● Sophomore Year: 5 As, 2 Bs
● Junior Year: Straight As
● Senior Year: Taking max rigorous course loads
● considering test-optional for Vanderbilt as my score is not good rn
Relevant Coursework:
● AP Biology
● AP Chemistry
● AP Calculus BC
● AP Statistics
● Advanced Topics Mathematics
● Synthetic Biology
● AP English
● Independent study in calculus-based physics

Extracurricular Activities
Developed a free medical education platform that helps medical students and healthcare professionals practice clinical diagnostic reasoning. Reached 10,000+ visitors and 1000+ users in approximately six months. Worked with physician reviewers and implemented the platform in my school’s biomedical science curriculum.

1. Independent Pharmacogenomics Researcher
   Conducted research on CYP2C19 genetic variation and medication prescribing patterns in Japan. Analyzed Japanese population genetics data, clinical pharmacogenomics guidelines, and national prescription datasets to estimate potential medication mismatches. Mentored by a researcher at Karolinska Institutet.

2. Founder and Developer, Healthcare Access Websites
   Built English-language healthcare resources for foreign residents in Japan, including a pharmacy directory receiving approximately 55,000 monthly visitors and a clinic finder adopted as an official school resource and supported by two external organizations.

3. Biomedical Imaging and Machine Learning Researcher
   Developed deep learning models for brain MRI tumor segmentation using 3D U-Net architectures. Achieved a 0.868 Dice score and evaluated model reliability under degraded imaging conditions.

4. Biomedical Engineering Projects
   Designed and developed two independent biomedical engineering projects, Respira and CardioFilter, involving physiological monitoring, signal processing, and hardware/software development.

5. Varsity Football Captain and Athlete
   Three years of varsity football. Served as team captain and received Team MVP during junior year. Also participated in varsity basketball for three years and track and field.

6. Volunteer/Intern, World Disaster Center
   Worked on disaster research, communications, social media strategy, and organizational branding. Created materials and presentations for outreach involving organizations such as Google, UNICEF, and government representatives

7. Music Instructor, United in Sound
   Developed individualized music lessons for students with disabilities, teaching instruments including drums, trumpet, and cello. Helped students prepare for an end-of-year performance.

8. Mathematics Tutor
   Tutored 14 students in grades 1 through 8, covering elementary mathematics through geometry. Created personalized learning plans and helped students improve their test performance.

9. Freelance Web Developer and Graphic Designer
   Built six websites for elderly care homes to improve their online visibility and accessibility. Also designed sports graphics and palliative care educational guides for Filipino families, distributed to more than 10 families.

Additional Activities:
● Kaggle medical imaging and scientific machine learning competitions (ranked 444/13,351 and 1,069/25,797 in two competitions)
● Elementary school basketball coach
● Volunteer English conversation partner
● Barber for classmates and friends
● Guitar and jazz band

Honors and Awards
● AP Scholar with Distinction
● AP Scholar
● US Medicine and Disease Olympiad, Top 10%

Would people recommend me ED to biomedical engineering or biological sciences?

Hello can anyone please dm me to review my stats and chance me on private instead of here?!

i genuinely dont understand why anyone would lie about their stats; isnt the whole point of chanceme to get a better idea of how competitive your stats are for colleges?? am i stupid?? i literally dont understand what people get out of lying

for context i’m applying to be an architecture major

i have a 1370 SAT, 680 RW and 690 math 3.51 UW and 3.95 W gpa (however my junior and currently my senior years have been straight As so 4.0 UW) by the time i graduate highschool, i will have an associates degree in science from Collin. my first two years of high school were done in Jordan, in the primary language of Arabic which, at the time, i did not really understand. i ended up doing Cambridge IGCSEs in 10th and i got 1A* (english), 3A (math, computer science, biology) 2B (chemistry and physics) and 1C (first language arabic that my school made me take 💀) before moving back to plano.

later i ended up becoming homeschooled and doing an intensive modern standard arabic course (i was the youngest student there by FAR, everybody else in my class were 3rd year university Arabic major students or diplomats) and passed (it was around 250 hours. pass/fail). i then did a colloquial spoken arabic course and got around 233 hours in. both of which were done on top of dual credit classes

my extracurriculars include starting and being the secretary general of my own MUN conference (and getting it on the biggest news channel in jordan) being a 9 time award winning delegate (out of 10 conferences) (7 times best delegate) in MUN, being president of mun committees twice, chair and deputy one time each, hosting 4 iftaars a month for underprivileged kids every ramadan for the past 4 ramadans, working two jobs simultaneously last summer, one of which being a sales associate at universal kids resort where i held the sales record for the whole time i was there, the other being a party host and cashier for a tampoline park, interning at a domestic violence nonprofit for an entire summer, interning as a preschool TA during the end of last school year, acting for years and being the lead in a full scale production (not a school production) and founding, writing lore for and being the head builder on a minecraft server with 120+ active members.

i think i have pretty good ECs and am a pretty good writer. i am also doing a lot of portfolio work. (if there’s anybody who would like to look over a few pieces i have i would love to share!!) i really really want UT. i know i can get it, i’m just scared that my grades in 9th and 10th will hurt my chances even though i’ve improved a lot. i’m also a bit nervous because most of my portfolio pieces are being done right now since i haven’t really had the chance to take many architecture aligned classes.

Hello everybody, I am a Burkina Faso national who came to the US. My current stats are:
36 act
1590 sat
4.9 gpa (weighted)
4.0 unweighted
captain of debate team
class president
led research project on hemoglobin levels in malnourished somalians with 700k allocated to the study
currently interning at goldman sachs
number one ranked volleyball under 18 in Burkina Faso

I am currently looking at MIT for engineering or Harvard. What are my chances of acceptance? I come from a household that makes under 50k a year so I will need financial aid.

thank you!

I’m nervous! I applied ed1 to Lehigh and am scared that I won’t get in, mostly bc test optional. Here are my stats:

Demographics: white male, out of state, no financial aid

Major: finance

GPA: 3.95/4 w (no uw report)

6 AP classes, 9 honors classes

EC: varsity soccer, varsity wrestling, varsity golf, NHS, peer leadership, deca, year-round work, some less important clubs, a lot of volunteer hours

I also toured twice and took (what i would consider) a pretty good interview

Idk what im missing but im nervous

43/45 predicted IB scores (7 in HL Physics, HL Maths AA, Chem SL, Chinese B SL)
IGCSEs Full A and A*s, A* in add maths, maths, eng lang, eng lit, german, geography, physics, A in the rest

awards: Gold in IBPhO SPC (physics), Silver and Gold in UKMT SMC, IMC, JMCs, sports colors (sports award at school), varsity div 4 championship (baskebtall),

ECs: built a website 800+ users on physics simulations, president of physics society, engineering society, wrote magazine articles for the school (STEM related), 35+ official CAD certificates, research on Bus Electrification in Berlin, MoreGood Charity work, uni level online courses at stanford, rice, maryland, yale, etc, class representative, varsity basketball, varsity field hockey (captain), teaching assistant at a primary school for maths and english.

im applyin gto ED1 Columbia

UCB, UCSB, UCLA, UCD, UofT, McGill, Waterloo

Safeties: ASU, BCIT, OIC

Hey everyone! I’m applying ED to UPenn Nursing this year and wanted to get some opinions on my chances. I know Penn is a reach for pretty much everyone, but I’m curious where I stand, especially since nursing has a smaller applicant pool. Any feedback would be appreciated!
Demographics
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Asian (Singaporean Indian)
State: Pennsylvania (Philly)
School: Public high school
Household income: ~$300k/year
Intended major: Nursing (BSN)
Application: UPenn Early Decision
Academics
Unweighted GPA: 3.95/4.0
Weighted GPA: 6.05 (my school uses a weird weighted scale)
SAT: 1480 (760 Math, 720 Reading & Writing)
APs completed: 4

AP Biology: 4
AP Chemistry: 5
AP World History: 5
AP English Language: 5
Senior-year APs: AP Government, AP Literature, AP French, AP Statistics
Honors / Awards
AP Scholar with Distinction — National
National Merit Commended Student — National
Honor Roll — School (9th–12th grade)
Extracurriculars (Common App Order)
1. Hospital Volunteer
Volunteered 350+ hours across the ICU, oncology, and rehabilitation departments. Built connections with patients, prepared and delivered supplies, and supported nursing staff.
2. White Blood Cell Chemotaxis Research
Investigated how different stimuli affect white blood cell chemotaxis speeds to wound sites under PhD supervision. Presented findings at a regional science conference.
3. Lifeguard & Swim Instructor
Supervised 50+ swimmers daily and taught 70+ children swimming and water safety. Built confidence and stayed prepared for emergencies.
4. Astrobiology / Origins of Life Research
Conducted an independent research study modeling electrochemical gradients in the subsurface oceans of icy moons to investigate the origins of life.
5. Cancer Research Program
Explored cancer care, diagnostics, and therapies through a Wake Forest program. Conducted independent literature research and presented a final capstone.
6. Mixed Martial Arts
Dedicated 9+ years to BJJ, Muay Thai, and kickboxing. Competed in fights, underwent intense training and conditioning, and learned to adapt in difficult conditions.
7. Fantasy Worldbuilding - Personal Project
Spent 5+ years developing an original fantasy world with intricate geography, weather patterns, ecosystems, magic systems, distinct cultures, and civilizations.
8. Music - Flute & Piano
Played flute and piano for 8+ years. Taught myself advanced techniques and challenging pieces and performed at local cultural events and celebrations.
Essays
My Common App essay is about the fantasy world and how I slowly started appreciating the smaller details and stories within it. I connected that to volunteering and how I’ve come to appreciate the little things about the people I meet.
Final Thoughts
I’m mostly wondering how I stack up against other Penn Nursing applicants. I’m a little worried about my SAT, but I’m hoping my GPA and extracurriculars can make up for it.
Also curious if being a male applicant to nursing makes any difference, since I know it’s a pretty female-dominated field.
Would love to hear what you guys think! Please be honest!

Demographics: Female, white (romani/jewish), Hungarian, capital city, public vocational HS + private US HS (i’ll explain below), first generation in college and in HS, disabled, low income, I speak 3 languages (fluent: Hungarian, English, intermediate: Greek)

High school situation: I graduated (2025) from a public vocational HS where I received a regular HS diploma and a vocational certificate in accounting. After graduation I won a scholarship to receive a US HS diploma at a private catholic HS in rural CT. I started that school as a Junior but I had to leave in October this year due to temporary health issues. Right now I’m finishing the US HS diploma through Penn Foster.

Intended Major(s): Economics and Business

ACT/SAT/SAT II: I didn’t take any of them due to said health issues that was diagnosed during summer but I’m going to submit National leaving exam scores instead.

National Leaving exam scores:
Hungarian lit/gram: 91%
History: 94%
Math (advanced): 97%
English (advanced): 90%
Basics of Economics (advanced): 98%

UW/W GPA and Rank:
Vocational HS - 4.9 out of 5
US HS - 3.88
Neither of my schools have ranking

Coursework:
I took AP in Math, English and Economics but it’s only reflected in my National leaving exam scores.
At my US HS I didn’t take any AP because my vocabulary was lacking back then.

Honors:
Vocational HS:
9th - General commendation from the teaching staff for outstanding academic achievement
10th - General commendation from the teaching staff for outstanding academic achievement, Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Competition Results
11th - General commendation from the teaching staff for outstanding academic achievement
12th - General commendation from the teaching staff for outstanding academic achievement
The general commendation is the highest avaiable in my school’s system.

US HS:
11th - First Honors, Certificate of excellence in Religion, Chemistry, Earth Science, American Literature, Health, Geometry

Awards:
-Immerse education essay competition - merit award (International)
-International Jewish heritage research comp - 2nd place
-International Art show winner
-National Innovation challenge competition - Best business model
-National Financial Junior competition - 3rd place
-National AI Business award - 3rd place
-National NATO & diplomacy comp - 1st place & best female presenter + group leader
-National student barista comp - 1st place + group leader
-National essay competition - Top 10
-National Sustainability comp - 1st place + group leader
-National Innovation challenge - Sustainability/STEM award
-Halo Awards - Best sound design/execution nomination
I have a few other awards in art/writing but I’m not sure if I should include them because they don’t really fit my profile I think?? I have written a lot so thank you for reading all that😭🙏

Extracurriculars: Include leadership & summer activities
-I have been working at my Dad’s workplace since 8th grade (paid)/8-9 hours a week
-I have worked at my US HS’s Development office (paid)/roughly 20 hours a week
-I did nail modeling/designing from 9th to 12th grade
-I started and managed an AI related business in construction (it’s pretty small but I have already made some money with it ~$1000)
-Recreational figure skating 2022-2024
-I have been doing digital and traditional art and I have wo competitions 2020-recent
-I have written short stories & poems that have been published online & physically 2018-recent
-I don’t think if this counts as an extracurricular but I actively search to challenge myself throughout my HS years in different things out of my comfort zone e.g the barista and diplomacy competition
-I was one of the three soundmasters in both of my US HS’s drama club Junior year

Essays:
I feel like that my essays are the biggest weakness, I think that they’re pretty 7-8/10, my personal statement is about how nail designing and hand modeling became an important part of my personality and how it started just as a stress relief method.

LORs:
I chose to get recs from my Hungarian HS teachers because they know me better (4 years vs 1).
-I chose my Hungarian HS’s Principal as a counselor rec, idk, at first she didn’t really like me but after a while she became proud of my achievements and supported me.
-Teacher rec 1: my basics of economics teacher, he was my favourite teacher, he was the one helping me find my path, he adores me so I’m sure he’ll send something really good
-Teacher rec 2: english teacher, she was my homeroom teacher during all four years, she gave me a lot of support through the years so I think she’s also going to be good
-Other rec: I asked my boss at my father’s workplace, he’s pretty good at writing so I don’t worry at all

Other:
-I have scoliosis that I have to maintain by spending around 5 hours each week on physical therapy
-I take care of my maternal grandparents regarding shopping, cleaning, handling personal matters
-I won a scholarship to the most prestigious college prep school in my country and I attended it during 12th grade and through it received the US HS diploma scholarship

Schools: List of colleges, ED/EA/RD, etc
-Harvard REA
So I’m pretty torn between Harvard REA and RD because I feel like that my application is not good enough and could be improved (I’m waiting for one award and multiple competition results/publications that I will receive after Nov 1st) but I’m afraid that I will get rejected RD due to the bigger pool of applicants.

Thank you so so much in advance for any good advice about any part of my application!

I am in Grade 12 right now, and I just realized that I don't want to do design and I want to do political science and sociology, maybe a double major, and go into some kind of social work type field. I know I am very late, but until like this month, I hadn't even thought about any private college except design ones. I didn't attend any of the school briefings about private liberal arts colleges either, so I didn't know anything about early apps and the extracurriculars needed for these colleges.

I am getting an 87% as my predicted,

and I only have art and design experience.

I won a PRS Youth Parliament with my team, but that's the only thing I have for political science.

I started a club, but it was a fashion club, and all the summer schools and workshops I did were for design.

i have done a few muns and won high com, but for IP,

I was also in the student council, as caricaturist.

I have been part of a few non-profits, mainly as their designer,

and i have a lot of hobbies, like i play bass, i did Kathak for a long time, and i have played football for 4 years in my school team.

I just wanted to ask someone who is in ashoka about how extensive their application was, and what my chances of getting in are without a million insane extracurriculars and with average-ish grades. Please help me figure it out. I know I am already too late for the first round of apps. Please also tell if Round 2 will lower my chances of getting in.

Currently a sophomore, so this is the ideal profile I'm aiming for by senior year, not my current application. Curious how competitive it would be and whether I'm aiming too high. I know planning everything out this far in advance probably comes across as a little robotic or overly calculated... but I've honestly been really nervous about college apps

Demographics: Asian female, competitive public HS in Northeast

Intended Major: Computational Biology / Statistics / Biology (possibly premed)

Academics:

• GPA: ~3.9 UW / 4.6 W
• SAT: 1550–1560
• Coursework: 13–14 APs, mostly 5s, near-max rigor
• Mostly As/A-s, possibly one B+ in Lang
• Highest math: Multivariable Calculus
• Submitting a supplemental art portfolio where accepted

Ecs:

1. University research internship: Conducted computational biology research with university researchers, contributing to a first-author publication in a biomedical journal.
2. University research internship (paid): Conducted more computational/biomedical research, contributing to a research publication and working on independent projects.
3. Summer wet-lab research: Conducted experimental biology research at a university lab, contributing to an independent research project.
4. President of arts nonprofit: Led free art education programs, inclusive classes for children with disabilities, and community donations. Coordinated school and community partnerships, reaching 100+ students.
5. Competitive athlete (niche sport): Varsity starter and team captain (3 yrs), competed nationally, including at major junior championships.
6. Biology Club President: Organized USABO preparation, peer tutoring, and biology enrichment activities.
7. Digital artist/content creator: Created art tutorials and educational content, built an online audience, and developed a digital art portfolio.
8. Church volunteering: Helped organize weekly services and community activities, and taught younger children during summer programs.
9. Art/health outreach: Created and donated educational artwork for hospitals, schools, and community organizations.

Awards:

1. USABO Semifinalist, Top 125/225 recognition
2. 2x AIME qualifier
3. Research publication/conference paper
4. Scholastic Art regional Gold Keys / National Medals
5. Additional science/art awards

Schools:

ED: UPenn, Duke, Cornell, Northwestern (deciding between these)

ED2: WashU, JHU, UChicago, Emory

RD: Other Ivies/T20s, plus targets and safeties

Questions:

I'm worried my application might look like the stereotypical Asian STEM applicant with research, Olympiads, and high stats. Does my involvement in art and community service help differentiate me, or is my overall profile still fairly generic?

Assuming I achieve most of this, am I realistically competitive for Penn, Duke, Cornell, Northwestern, and similar schools? What would be the biggest weaknesses in my application?

I also have access to art resources and mentorship, so I'm considering putting more time into Scholastic Art competitions. Does anyone know how much more impressive a National Gold/Silver Medal is compared to regional Gold Keys, especially for someone not applying as an art major? Would pursuing national recognition be a good use of my time given my other STEM activities, or would I be better off focusing on research and science competitions?

Would appreciate realistic feedback!

Hey everyone! I’m currently a junior in high school in Texas, but I’m originally from California and moved to Texas, so I’d love some honest advice about my college admissions chances, especially at out-of-state schools. My current GPA is a 3.5 unweighted and a 6.033 weighted (approximately a 4.1 on my school’s conversion scale). I scored a 5 on the AP World History exam, and I’m currently taking AP Lang, AP Biology, AP Psychology, College Algebra dual credit, and US History dual credit. I plan on taking dual-credit Precalculus over the summer before my senior year, followed by AP Chemistry, AP Literature, calculus, and earning my pharmacy technician certification during senior year. I currently work at Adidas, serve as Junior Vice President of Black Student Union, participate in all of my school’s honor societies except math, and am involved in Sports Medicine. I also volunteer at a science resource center and plan to reach 100 volunteer hours. I’m looking for a medical or research internship and am starting my own nonprofit focused on women’s health and community outreach. My long-term goal is to become an OB-GYN, and I’m interested in neuroscience, biology, or another science-related major before medical school.
My top schools are USC (my dream school!), FAMU, Howard, Spelman, the University of Miami, and UC Berkeley. I’d appreciate feedback on my chances at each school and whether you’d consider them reaches, targets, or likely schools for me. I’m also wondering how much my leadership, work experience, volunteering, AP score, and dual-credit coursework could help balance my GPA. What SAT score should I aim for to be competitive at these schools, and would a medical internship or developing my nonprofit further make a bigger impact? I want to show academic growth before applying and make the most of my remaining time in high school. I’m open to constructive criticism, so please be honest! Thank you!! 💗

Hey everyone! I’m a high school senior applying Early Decision 1 to **NYU’s BS in Sport Management (SPS)**.
NYU is my dream school, and I’d appreciate some honest opinions on my chances, especially considering my upward GPA trend and whether I should submit my SAT.
**Demographics**
Gender: Male
International student based in the Middle East
Citizenship: American
American international school
Intended Major: Sport Management
Applying: NYU ED1
**Academics**
**GPA (weighted):**
Freshman Year: 2.94
Sophomore Year: 3.21
Junior Year: 3.90
Cumulative GPA: 3.35
My biggest concern is my freshman and sophomore GPA. However, I’ve had a significant upward trend, finishing junior year with a 3.90 and earning High Honor Roll with Distinction.
**Senior Year:** Currently taking a challenging course load. My first-quarter grades are mostly As and B+s, with one A- and one B.
**AP Courses (6 total):**
AP World History
AP Computer Science Principles
AP Microeconomics
AP Macroeconomics
AP Calculus AB
AP Psychology
**SAT:**
Highest single sitting: 1380
Most recent SAT: 1350 (670 Reading/Writing, 720 Math)
**Superscore: 1390**
I’m debating whether to submit my 1390 superscore or apply test-optional, considering NYU’s high SAT range.
**Extracurricular Activities (Common App Order)**
**Founder of a Student Trading & Financial Education Platform** — 200+ members and 9,000+ social media followers.
**Venture Capital Intern** — Investment research, financial analysis, and deal sourcing.
**Competitive Club Basketball Player & Captain** — 5 years of experience, including international tournaments.
**Published Research Author** — Researched NBA salary-cap regulations and the business side of professional sports.
**Growth & Analytics Intern** — Sales analysis, competitor research, and business strategy.
**Volunteer Youth Basketball Coach** — Coached elementary school basketball players.
**Vice President of Personal Finance & Investment Club** — Helped recruit 80+ members.
**JV Basketball Player** — MESAC champion and Sixth Man Award recipient.
**Summer Entrepreneurship Program Participant** — Received the Most Engaged Award (1 of approximately 50 participants).
**Founder of Community Cleanup Initiative** — Organized local environmental cleanups.
**My Main Concerns**
**1. GPA:** My freshman and sophomore GPAs were pretty weak, but I improved to a 3.90 in junior year. How much will NYU value this upward trend, especially for Sport Management?
**2. SAT:** My superscore is 1390. Would submitting it strengthen my application given my lower cumulative GPA, or should I apply test-optional? I’m currently leaning test-optional but would appreciate opinions.
**3. Extracurriculars:** I feel that my ECs connect well to sport management because of my experience in basketball, finance, entrepreneurship, and researching the NBA’s business side. Do you think these activities make me a competitive applicant for this specific major?
**4. ED1 Advantage:** Does applying ED1 to NYU SPS Sport Management meaningfully improve my chances?
**5. Senior Grades:** My first-quarter grades are mostly As and B+s. Would including them help demonstrate my academic improvement, or should I rely on my junior-year performance?
**Overall, what do you think my chances are for NYU Sport Management ED1?**
I know my GPA is below NYU’s typical admitted-student profile, but I’m hoping my improvement, extracurriculars, and connection to the major help compensate.
I’d really appreciate honest feedback, especially from anyone familiar with NYU SPS or who has applied to Sport Management. Thanks!

# stats

— california cc student; graduated hs 2 years early
— intended major: applied mathematics (currently cs, originally biology)
— 4.0 gpa after retaking/recompleting coursework
— initially failed 30 credits, failed precalculus 3 times and general chemistry 1a twice; retook courses and turned academics around
— completed the highest-level math courses available at my cc
— participated in the college honors program for 2 years

# ecs

— built a business generating nearly $500k in revenue
— youtube channel with 200k subscribers
— tiktok account with 50k followers teaching math
— developed an app with 80k downloads
— around 15k downloads across github projects
— 3 independent research projects + 1 group research project associated with icml
— 2 tech internships: one in software development and one related to quantitative development
— shadowed a quant
— developed a robotic pharmaceutical prototype designed to automate vial sorting and organization
— founded a tutoring nonprofit with nearly 100k in reach
— president of math & ai club; board member of another ai club
— led teams in and won 3 hackathons
— worked 2 part-time jobs: fast food and math tutoring
— obtained a crna license and real estate license
— developed an ai tool for real estate agents; recently began rolling it out
— building an unfiltered chatbot

# schools

— uc berkeley
— ucla
— stanford
— princeton
— yale
— cornell
— nyu

# questions

— how much will my initial academic failures hurt despite my 4.0 comeback and rigorous courses taken after?
— are my ecs even relevant? i feel as though some of them are out of place
— which schools are realistic for me?
honest feedback appreciated!

Hey everyone! I’m applying ED to UPenn Nursing this year and wanted to get some opinions on my chances. I know Penn is a reach for pretty much everyone, but I’m curious where I stand, especially since nursing has a smaller applicant pool. Any feedback would be appreciated!
Demographics
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Asian (Singaporean Indian)
State: Pennsylvania (Philly)
School: Public high school
Household income: ~$300k/year
Intended major: Nursing (BSN)
Application: UPenn Early Decision
Academics
Unweighted GPA: 3.95/4.0
Weighted GPA: 6.05 (my school uses a weird weighted scale)
SAT: 1480 (760 Math, 720 Reading & Writing)
APs completed: 4

AP Biology: 4
AP Chemistry: 5
AP World History: 5
AP English Language: 5
Senior-year APs: AP Government, AP Literature, AP French, AP Statistics
Honors / Awards
AP Scholar with Distinction — National
National Merit Commended Student — National
Honor Roll — School (9th–12th grade)
Extracurriculars (Common App Order)
1. Hospital Volunteer
Volunteered 350+ hours across the ICU, oncology, and rehabilitation departments. Built connections with patients, prepared and delivered supplies, and supported nursing staff.
2. White Blood Cell Chemotaxis Research
Investigated how different stimuli affect white blood cell chemotaxis speeds to wound sites under PhD supervision. Presented findings at a regional science conference.
3. Lifeguard & Swim Instructor
Supervised 50+ swimmers daily and taught 70+ children swimming and water safety. Built confidence and stayed prepared for emergencies.
4. Astrobiology / Origins of Life Research
Conducted an independent research study modeling electrochemical gradients in the subsurface oceans of icy moons to investigate the origins of life.
5. Cancer Research Program
Explored cancer care, diagnostics, and therapies through a Wake Forest program. Conducted independent literature research and presented a final capstone.
6. Mixed Martial Arts
Dedicated 9+ years to BJJ, Muay Thai, and kickboxing. Competed in fights, underwent intense training and conditioning, and learned to adapt in difficult conditions.
7. Fantasy Worldbuilding - Personal Project
Spent 5+ years developing an original fantasy world with intricate geography, weather patterns, ecosystems, magic systems, distinct cultures, and civilizations.
8. Music - Flute & Piano
Played flute and piano for 8+ years. Taught myself advanced techniques and challenging pieces and performed at local cultural events and celebrations.
Essays
My Common App essay is about the fantasy world and how I slowly started appreciating the smaller details and stories within it. I connected that to volunteering and how I’ve come to appreciate the little things about the people I meet.
Final Thoughts
I’m mostly wondering how I stack up against other Penn Nursing applicants. I’m a little worried about my SAT, but I’m hoping my GPA and extracurriculars can make up for it.
Also curious if being a male applicant to nursing makes any difference, since I know it’s a pretty female-dominated field.
Would love to hear what you guys think! Please be honest!

what do we think about USC?
i rlly want an LA school if you can’t tell lmao. still dead set on UCLA, but i visited USC as well, and it was amazing.

Demographics:

Family income 200k+ a year, Asian Male, Family of 5, Idaho (not rural area)

Stats

GPA: 3.95 UW (school doesn't rank)

SAT: 1530

Coursework: IB Diploma, Math AA HL, Physics HL, History HL (did it a year early, so I got my results back. Total score:41)

Intended major: CS / Computer Graphics (CMU IS)

ECs

Unity SWE Intern: 6-week internship; built ~80% of a multiplayer Unity RPG testing environment with 6 enemies, 3 bosses, and a character creator.

Software Engineering Research: Working with a UW professor on long-term bugs in AI-generated code; using SZZ and statistical analysis.

Graphics Engine Project: Team of 6; ~15 months developing a browser-based graphics engine with WebGL2/WebGPU. Volumetric clouds, foliage, water, GPU terrain generation.

Independent Graphics Programming: ~8 years of game development. Vulkan voxel renderer with sparse voxel octrees; C++ FFT ocean simulation; procedural rendering.

Chess Engine: Built a C# NNUE engine rated approximately 2600–2650 Elo; AVX2, magic bitboards, ~330M evaluation positions.

CMU NHSGA: 6-week game development program; built two Unity games with a team, implemented shaders, and helped publish a game on Steam.

Independent AI Startup: Cofounder: Worked on LoRA fine-tuning and RAG.

Athletics: Hockey (6 years, MVP), weightlifting (4+ years), JV tennis.

Awards (in no particular order):

National Merit Commended

USACO Silver

ACSL Finalist

AP Scholar with Distinction

2nd place at school hackathon

Essays:
Personal statement - 8/10, connected it to my passion, I think it came through pretty well

Supps - overall probably a 7-8/10, maybe 9/10 for CMU, but take this with a heavy grain of salt

LORS - both ~ 7/10

Schools:

MIT

CMU (Information Systems) (ED)

UT Austin

UIUC

UMich

UW–Madison

Purdue

USC

UMD

UMass-Amherst

Thanks to anyone who read this far! Please be honest with me, I'm kinda freaking out since ED is in a few days!

Stats: 3.7/4.2, 1510 sat, 15 APs
Out of state
Planning on majoring in something stem related so I can apply to dental school

Ecs
-Founder of knitting club for 3 years and donated a lot of knitted items to local hospital
- 200+ volunteering hours
- some not very selective stem summer program (but hopefully it shows interest??)
- directed of fundraising at the place i volunteer at
-manages 3 aquariums (just a hobby but it’s made an impact on me though)
-medical illustrations tiktok account 1000+ followers

awards
-scholastic national silver
-top 4% of my state for a large statewide art competition
-national winner in a not so popular art competition
-some volunteering awards

i think my application might not be enough because ive seen ppl with really good applications get rejected😭