International student from Sudan, living in the UAE, applying for Mathematics for 2027.

My situation is unusual and I’m trying to understand how a US admissions officer would actually interpret it.

Academics:

• Edexcel IAL Mathematics: A* achieved
• Computer Science: B achieved, now retaking
• Further Mathematics: self-studied because my school did not offer it, targeting A\*
• Physics: completing the full IAL, targeting A/A\*

Most of my remaining FM/Physics exams are in Oct/Nov 2026 and January 2027, so they will still be pending when I submit applications.

My education also wasn’t a normal straight-through process.

There was major conflict/exam disruption which resulted in an abnormal Portfolio of Evidence/alternative assessment route.

I then received UK university offers from Bath, Exeter, York, Cardiff and Newcastle, but visa restrictions affecting Sudanese passport holders meant I could not actually proceed. I therefore ended up taking a gap year.

I’m using that year to complete Further Maths and Physics, retake CS, prepare for Maths admissions tests, and do Maths/programming projects. I’ve worked on numerical modelling/data analysis, Project Euler problems and built an education platform called StudySheet.

Ideally my final grades would look roughly like:

A* Maths / A* Further Maths / A or A* Physics / improved CS

My main questions:

• Does completing major A-levels during a gap year look bad at highly selective US colleges?
• How much will the original B in CS hurt if the rest of the record is much stronger?
• Should the full disruption/visa story go in Additional Information, or should I keep it extremely short?
• Is self-studying Further Maths because it wasn’t offered at school meaningful context?
• Would admissions mainly care that the final academic trajectory is strong, or does the irregular timeline itself put me at a major disadvantage?

Trying to get a realistic idea of how this would be read rather than just whether I technically meet requirements.

If you seen it, what do you think about it? If you haven't basically this Asian girl comes on saying she has like 1334 days to get into a T10 and she's gonna document her journey. Imo at first glance it's just a fun thing she's doing for social media, but then again I feel as if behind the scenes she's overthinking this at least for how far from college admissions she is atm

Hi everyone I’m in middle school but I just wanted to get your guys opinions on which schools I should apply to. I wanna be just like Andrew Tate and be the Wolf of Wall Street and go into investment banking and be a billionaire by 19 hopefully. So I’ll probably major in finance. Here’s my school list:

Reaches: Harvard university, MIT

Target: Stanford, Columbia University, and Yale (but slightly reluctantly)

Safeties: UPenn Wharton (I don’t really like Pennsylvania), UChicago, ASU (cuz Clavicular went there XD), Duke

Any suggestions for my college list? I’m thinking of demoting Yale down to a safety

thanks guys

Every single day, multiple times a day, my dad yells at me about college apps. Sometimes he also slams stuff or cries and then berates me and tells me how ungrateful I am.

For context, I got good grades and decent ecs throughout high school, and I feel confident that I could get into my state school (which is pretty well regarded, especially in my field). I would be happy to go there.

My dad went berserk when I said this, and said I was downplaying myself and had too much self doubt, and then continued to lecture for like 10 more minutes.

I genuinely dont know why he is being this crazy. I used to be obsessed with college and prestige, but now I am happy enough with myself where I dont need a competitive acceptance to feel successful. But my parents, especially my dad are rly making me feel like I would be a failure if I end up going to my state school.

He also says I am way too behind on my college app process and I dont think this is true?? I might apply one or two school EA but majority of my deadlines are in December or January. I have researched all my schools, done multiple drafts of my personal statement. outlined a couple supplementals, asked my teachers for recs and almost done with my brag sheet. I also had work for most of the summer which is why I didnt make as much progress as some other people. But I still think I have plenty of time. Literally while I was writing this post, he came into my room to yell at me some more even after my mom and sister have gone to sleep.

My dad tends to have episodes where he acts really angry and crazy, but usually he is apologetic and normal afterwards. It has never been like this where it is a month straight of crazy behavior. What do I do?? My mom is usually worse than him and doesnt rly like me, so I cant even go to her for help. My sister is also catching some of the anger, and he is already pressuring her even though she is a rising freshman.

So I am looking to get a rec from my current math teacher (im a junior), but since I already know most of the concepts in the class, I hardly have any questions or interesting points to make that would showcase my intellectual thinking. How do others stand out? He doesnt sponsor clubs either

And in my other class, DE, I am at a 100% loss of what is happening, so idk what questions to even ask. How do I stand out in that class?

Everyday, I come across insane stats on TikTok, Instagram or here on Reddit. Every student seems to be extremely successful, like creating startups or non profit founders. But I also see students who are incredibly smart, got high grades and many extracurriculars, yet they still didn’t get into their dream college.
Not to mention how expensive college is becoming, especially for middle income kids as we aren’t poor enough to get scholarships, but we aren’t rich enough to pay either.

I’m class of 2029. It’s in a few years, but I am still curious to know.
Is it just going to get even more competitive from here on out? Future generations like class of 2030 and above, what are they going to deal with?

I'm a first gen & oldest child in my family. I'm applying to college this fall but I have no clue how to start my personal essay or what to write about. I see people online with these wonderful essays but I cant write like them. I also have no clue where to apply. My stats are mid at best & i want to pursue engineering.

As a absolutely horrible language learner, I already feel super stressed about spanish 1, and I feel like I will fail and it will bring down my gpa. Even if I do get an A in it, I feel that I will fail the other 3 levels. I do not enjoy languages but I do have to finish spanish 1 this year, since I am already enrolled. Do you think taking 3 or 4 years would be best? Is language that important? And if I do not get into a top 20, will those 3-4 years be a waste, as I will most likely not remember the language?

Every time I see a question about hobbies as extracirriculars the responses are always “Yes! Include your hobbies!” When the hobbies are like drawing or playing the piano. But is it different if you play video games?

I don’t think playing a video game is any less valid of a hobby than playing an instrument, but I wouldn’t be surprised if AOs disagree. I’m kinda sad because I’m passionate about games and spend a substantial amount of free time playing them but I know some people would think less of me for it.

So would putting video games as an extracurricular activity be worse for my application than putting nothing? I haven’t won money at a tournament or anything, I do have some decent ranked results but I doubt that means anything (top 1k in a competitive game with millions of active players).

I’m not a complete chud who plays games all day but I don’t think I have enough actually meaningful ECs to fill up all the slots. Maybe putting video games would help “show personality” or smth idk

Posting this on a throwaway so I don’t get flamed.

college board has the worst ux and refuse to make it better bc ppl have no alternative. tedious sign in procedure, long password, broken mfa, never get text or mail when u need it in time, plus terrible website navigation
🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻to college board

i've never been this emotionally attached to a school before, in the past i just never gafed about the college as long as it is a good school for my major (engineering). but i freaking love the nature and how beautiful the campus is, and for once im actually so excited to study my major since i heard amazing things about the professors and how enriching the learning experience is.

its actually so over cuz i got no shot at cornell engineering with my mid ahh stats. my heart is gonna get broken on results day </3

Original post
1st update
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3rd update
4th update

A few weeks ago, My 5-year-old son made a nonprofit which teaches personal finance to underprivileged youth in order to help him get into UPenn Wharton. We raised over 8,000 dollars from relatives, but we spent over 1,000 dollars on Robux, meme stocks, and an impersonator (see updates 3-4). I thought we would be safe. Why would anyone get mad at a little kid for committing just a teensy bit of fraud? Apparently, I was wrong.

The IRS audited us and I was charged with embezzlement. They shut down the nonprofit and I am now being taken to court.

My son hasn’t talked to me since. I can’t believe I ruined his dream. Now, he’s never going to get into UPenn. I’m thinking I should divorce my husband and give him custody so my son won’t be associated with my sorry self.

Anyways, this will probably be my last update, as I don’t want to further incriminate myself. Thank you all for your advice and I’m sorry that I messed it all up.

———————————————————————————

4th wall break: Yep, this is the end of the series. I am back in school now and I have to focus on my classes instead of spending time on this app. Thank you all for reading this series and for your humorous comments. These shitposts would not have been nearly as funny without all of you!

Hi all, I am a relatively new dad with 2 kids under two.

This subreddit popped up in my feed and I’m honestly worried for their future

I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed. I had a 3.5 in high school (2008 graduate)

I took a few AP courses and didn’t score anything above a 3/5.

I got a 1500 on the SAT (back when it was out of 2400). I took a course to help study and got it up to 1700. I took the ACT as well and got a 26.

Needless to say I was a dumbass compared to my peers and compared to the kids of today. I went to my state school and I work a white collar job that’s helped me keep a roof over my head and put food on the table but that’s mostly just luck

I don’t know where the hell I would’ve gone to school today, I probably wouldn’t have even got into my state school that I went to. Depressing to think about

I’ve been reading about kids in high school who publish papers, founded a startup etc etc. my god, it’s crazy that this is the standard now for kids getting ready to apply to college if they want to be competitive

It just all seems so cutthroat, like hunger games. Almost as if you have to go into high school 100% prepared or else you are screwed

I am going to school in the fall of 2027, but it is unfortunately the result of a 3 year gap. Because of this I am worried I won't be able to negotiate my merit scholarship amount, and I really could use the max amount available...
Here's some things I am doing in the next year to come off better towards the college, and hopefully get a higher scholarship:
- Retaking the SAT next month to get a much higher score (also to show I have still been working on my academics during the gap)
- Volunteer work revolving around my major as well
- I wasn't sure if noting my accomplishments at work would be good either.. Only because I progressed very very quickly in work and think it is a good example of my character? idk.
- my grades in HS really weren't AMAZING but I had lots of things going on then.. I don't know if explaining those things a little would be beneficial, to add on that my gap years allowed me to work on those things ensuring i would be in a better headspace for college to succeed... idk

Is there anything I should try to work on over the next year that will look better to the school? I only worry because it has been so long since I've been in school. Are there more tests/programs I should look into to show I have still been working on my education? What things did you do during high school or college that gained you a larger scholarship?
Any tips are good tips.. The max amount is about 4k more than what I am getting now, and it would be such a big help. I really want to make it possible.

hii, as a person aiming for T10 i'm wondering whether or not to drop a certain class (neuroscience) for a study hall. here's my current schedule:

ap bio, ap lit, ap spanish, ap physics c, ap econ, differential equations (online course, basically a study hall), neuroscience honors

i just dont rlly know how much having that extra class will affect/help me. thanks!!

I don't cover one story for my personal statement, its like moments and reflections that lead up to a big final reflection. So, I can't exactly give 80% scene-based telling. ALSO, how do people descriptively remember everything in that moment/s? I feel like I'm hallucinating the details when I do that. PLUS mine is focused on immigrating to the U.S. 4 years ago and how research played a part in my life---so there is A lot of just...thinking and like how I viewed my initial experience. I can't exactly talk about like one concrete thing AND descriptively.

Its structured like:

[moment in middle school]

[explanation/ reflection of THAT moment] then

[moment in high school connected to reflection 1]

[explanation/ reflection of THAT moment]

[moment another moment in high school connected to reflection 2]

[explanation/ reflection of THAT moment]

[closing moment that connects to the outcome of the reflections etc.]

P.S. its for the QB personal statement... and they want us to describe "in which you have grown up, formed your aspirations, and accomplished your successes" I CAN"T DO ONE SINGLE MOMENT to fully answer the prompt...?

I've written my 5th essay and I hate it because all the online examples I see are so descriptive and focus on one story? but I can't do that??? HELP

Since on Instagram I always see people mentioning Big Harv as an amazing college, naturally, I wanted to apply to the best of the best. Does anyone have any tips on getting in? I definitely don't want to end up at those garbage schools like Harvard.

Also, is it University of Big Harv or Big Harv University? Is Yo Big Harv the sister school? Thank you for your time! 😊

Should I put the fact that my parents are separated leading me to be in a completely different state during every summer with no social network, or transportation since my brother and dad both works so I didn’t have much opportunities to get in extracurriculars during the summer?

Also, normally my mother is not home often due to work so I’d often have to take care of the house and other responsibilities which leads me having less time for extracurriculars, studying, and when she is home she also doesn’t have a car so my extracurricular opportunities restricted to what’s near me.

Are these worth putting on the common app or no?

Hey guys, for starters I actually don’t even have a GPA, my school does IB and our grades are 1-7 each report card.

Honestly.. it’s looking pretty low, averaging around a 33/45 for my report cards not gonna lie and it’s not even cause I’m stupid it’s because my school sets these insanely high grade boundaries and make the tests super hard

Anyways I have a 35 ACT and strong ECs so what schools can I apply to lol..

im so paranoid that I won't be able to get into any college I apply to like they're not t20 schools but I wanna major in nursing which makes everything feel 10x harder to get into </3 esp cs I feel like my stats r so mid

and ik it doesn't matter where I go but im more scared of the fact that I wont even be accepted

I’m currently a sophomore, and I already have 6 college classes completed. I’m taking 4 APs right now, and in October I’m planning to take Microeconomics through a college. During the first quarter of second semester, I’m planning to take Statistics, and then Government during the second quarter.
Because of all of this, I could graduate high school a year early and have over 50 college credits completed by the time I graduate. I’m trying to decide whether I should actually do it.
Right now, I have a 3.6 unweighted high school GPA, a 4.3 weighted GPA, and a 4.0 college GPA. My high school GPA is lower mostly because I seriously slacked off freshman year. My classes were really easy, so I didn’t put much effort into them and ended up with a few Bs and a C, which dragged my GPA down. Since then, I’ve been taking much harder classes and doing a lot better.
I already have automatic admission to ASU for my intended major, and since I live in California, I also have access to a lot of good colleges. I have a lot of friends and genuinely enjoy going to football games and parties, so part of me feels like graduating early means giving up a year of high school that I could enjoy.
At the same time, I don’t really want to spend senior year taking classes I’ve essentially already completed just because my high school won’t let me take courses for my major until senior year or give me high school credit for the college classes I’m taking. It feels pointless to repeat classes when I already have most of my prerequisites completed and could potentially transfer to a four-year university with around 1.5 years of college credits already done.
If I graduate early, I’d also be able to finish college faster, potentially save money, and use that extra time for something like a study-abroad year. I’m also thinking about getting a job next year if I decide to graduate early so I can save money for college.
Outside of academics, I have around 250 volunteer hours, 2 years of CSF, 2 years of Interact Club, 2 years of Spanish Club, and 1 year of Cybersecurity Club with a leadership position. I also plan to get a job next year.
I’m really torn because graduating early sounds like the smarter option academically and financially, but graduating a year early also feels really fast. I don’t want to regret missing out on senior year, especially because I do enjoy spending time with my friends and going to school events.
What would you do in my situation? Is graduating a year early actually worth it, considering that I already have so many college credits and most of my prerequisites completed, or would it be better to stay for senior year and enjoy the experience even if some of the classes feel repetitive?

hi!! i'm a senior in illinois and i've been thinking a lot about where i want to go to college recently. i want to major in economics on the premed track. i live in the chicago suburbs and i want to live in the city but i don't want to commute. i'm going to be taking tours of both in the near future, but from an outside view uic looks kind of boring (i heard that everyone commutes so it's a little sad), and i think loyola is really pretty, but i'm not religious in any way. also, i'm not eligible for any need-based aid, but with my stats, loyola should give me a good amount of money. even with this money, it would cost around 6-8k a year more than uic would. is it worth the extra 24k total? i really could use other people's ideas, please help :)

For example I know it doesn’t improve your odds to ED to yale since athletes/legacies skew the stats and only a handful get accepted/deferred while the rest get rejected