College Applicants Anxious About Admissions
Prospective college students are worried about GPA, SAT scores, AP classes, and the overall competitiveness of admissions. They seek advice on how to improve their chances and navigate the application process.
SOURCES (60)
“I'm about to enter 9th grade and I want to know what ec's and stuff to do. For context I want to enter law and im hopefully going to one of those feeder high schools. submitted by /u/Siren02312 [link] [comments]”
I am a good student, I get all As, have >4.0 GPA, 1530, all honors classes, self studies 3 APs and got two 4s and a 5, but other than my grades,…
“so i go to one of the top specialized high schools in new york city and this is very strange that my school does it but: they limit the amount of aps you can take based on your grades from the previous year. as one of the most rigorous schools, it is definitely more challenging to get a better grade. including senior year, i will have 7 aps and a 91.5 avg with a 1560 sat, will colleges take into consideration this strange quirk about my school because if im not mistaken, in other schools you can”
“Hey guys, so i’m an incoming sophomore at a high school in the bay area, so rlly competitive. I wanted to apply to NYU stern on ED1 but my freshman year gpa got messed up because of a class that i switched mid semester (alg 2 trig to alg 2). and i got a 3.41 unweighted this year. Obv im gonna lock in for the rest of hs. So i was wondering if my freshman year grades are gonna set me back for applying to nyu?? Im taking 6 classes at a california community college and taking 8-10 APs and id say my”
“People tell me I can apply at more prestigious places. Only fault is 1360 SAT I took once and didn’t prep and don’t plan on retaking. Near perfect grades, APs, very good (not amazing) ECs, part time job, leadership positions, Top 10 of 220 - they don’t specify rank any further. Blah blah blah. My parents make over $300k and the net price calculators at places are obnoxious. So I assumed I’d just do SUNY. Don’t wanna do tons of interviews or supplemental essays. So, if I wanna do law, is SUNY und”
“I am thinking of applying to USC but I can't really afford it unless I get the Trustees scholarship. Therefore I am quite interested in finding out the type of applicant they offer them to. submitted by /u/Numerous-Spell6450 [link] [comments]”
“My gpa is not really high like below 3.5 but my extracurriculars are really strong and I have strong rec letters and I also have a medical reason for why my grades in junior year werent that good Do I still have any hope at all for top 35 schools or will my gpa just not let me get into any good schools im really anxious submitted by /u/Sleepy_Dreams_ [link] [comments]”
“I didn't do so good on my ap scores as much as I should have because of some depressive episodes I had at the time continuing to today. Will colleges think badly of me if I don't report them, especially the ivies? ap biology: 3 ap world: 2 submitted by /u/InterviewPowerful320 [link] [comments]”
“So basically my school counselors are dumbasses who messed up everyones schedules. I was supposed to take: AP Psych AP Precalc AP Lang AP Micro Macro Econ But they messed up and i may not be able to take ap psych and may have to take ap business instead. Am i cooked? Esp for t30s in the US submitted by /u/krazyalpaca [link] [comments]”
“HS Stats: 2.2 UW/2.4-2.8 W (I think?) GPA, 0 APs, 4 Honors, 12 ACT (Test Optional) 💀💀 Current CC Stats: Psychology major, 3.59 GPA, 31 credits ECs (very below average): 12+ years of advanced dance, employment at Amazon (20 hrs per week), 9-10 hours per week of volunteer service for the past year, took a biostatistics course from JHU on Coursera, and I babysit my siblings 4-6 hours per week (not sure if this counts?) Background Info: I'm a black female planning to major in public health, bu”
“Hi everyone!! :) I'm currently a senior in high school and an international student who wants to study in the US. My grades aren’t very good. I had around a 2.7 GPA during the first semester of my junior year and finished junior year with about a 2.5 GPA . Because of that, I’ve been feeling really anxious about whether I still have a chance of getting into a college in the US. I’m honestly not aiming for anything prestigious, I just really want the opportunity to study there, even if it’s th”
“Essentially title. I feel like I’ve screwed up my chances at an Ivy League school because I was kinda lazy with no commitment to ECs or classes. Is it too late to get into an Ivy League school? It is my dream. I have written my essay and I feel like it’s solid but I’m not sure if it’ll be enough submitted by /u/Calm_Company_1914 [link] [comments]”
please help. submitted by /u/tummytunacat [link] [comments]
“I am the top of my hs class with 4.7wgpa and a 1570 sat but my extracurricular activities are weak as I never felt any interest in doing academic related things outside of school. I run varsity track and am captain of the chess team but I don’t volunteer or do research or start organizations or whatever tf else people do. are my academic stats good enough to get into a majority of semi-selective schools and potentially get merit? My school has brought in college admission officers and taught us”
“I’ve seen people with the most insane ecs and a slightly low gpa get rejected to every college they applied to. How much does a gpa actually matter especially if my dream is usc? What equally replaces it? Ap scores? Sat? submitted by /u/Various-Degree-3174 [link] [comments]”
“Title is a bit clickbait. I have ECS, but they’re not spectacular compared to my academics/colleges I’m applying to—essentially, I’m finding it really difficult to fill up the 10 EC slots without sounding a little pathetic. The only place I had a real leadership role at was a student-run blog, which I had to quit in junior year because of some nasty internal issues (I’m planning to combine this and my very very mediocre Substack into one EC, someone pls let me know how to do that!! 😭😭). I feel”
“hi! i’m a rising high school junior at a VERY competitive public high school in the greater DMV area and wanted to ask about if anyone had advice for what I should do in terms of college apps. Scores: uw 3.8, w 4.2 (my PSAT 10 was awful, but I went in purely blind; taking the August SAT now). I also have my scores from apwh (5), ap seminar (5), ap psych (4) (i was unable to take aps as a freshman) For course load: APs: 3 as a sophomore, 4 as a junior, 5-6 senior year DEs: 1 summer before junior”
“I have pretty decent academics 3.89 uw, 4.5 weighted, and a 33 ACT(maybe 34 after sept.) But pretty much no notable EC’s only a few clubs and honor societies, no leadership, long term commitments, passion projects, or jobs. Is it possible to get into schools like BU, northeastern, or Boston college when almost all their applications have good academics and other things become the deciding factor? (I also plan to ED to BU most likely but I know it’s not a magical garuntee.) submitted by ”
“Stats & Profile: My weighted GPA is a 4.6 (my school doesn't do unweighted GPAs or class rank), and I scored a 36 on my ACT. I’ve taken 13 AP classes total across high school. On the EC and award side, I’m an National Top 15 finalist and a State level Champion at this pretty competitive extra-curricular . I’ve done 1st-author research at a major medical system and completed a capstone project at a university alongside grad student. I’m also the president and founder of a school organizat”
“I got a 1290 on the sat and 3.8 UW gpa. I’m only applying to schools in California and idk if I should retake the sat or even submit it to applications submitted by /u/Soggy_Mango7428 [link] [comments]”
“Hey everyone, I want to apply to some private universities in California alongside the UC’s, I was wondering where I could be competitive for merit scholarships or what some schools are that are generous with giving out scholarships. I have a 1520 sat and 4.0 gpa and want to major in neuroscience (pre-med). submitted by /u/Bimmer_Koala [link] [comments]”
“I didn’t do too well imo, but I will improve sophomore year. I can share my EC’s if needed and upcoming courses I’m taking. I need advice since my dream schools are NYU and UCLA and right now it’s a reach. I want to major in business of some sort (I’m thinking marketing or anything related to digital media) Let me know if you have any recommendations or advice for me please! submitted by /u/Pure-Hope5832 [link] [comments]”
“Here are my acceptances, rejections, and waitlists with deferrals included! My application: 3.0-3.3 UW, 9 extracurriculars, 2 leadership positions, 1 AP, 3 Honors Courses. (im an OOS for all of the colleges) Accepted: JMU, UNC Charlotte, Penn State (Altoona), University of South Carolina*, Virginia Tech, Rutgers Camden and Newark, University of Delaware, Elon University, High Point University!! Rejections: NCSU, UMD, Clemson, Penn State Main Campus, Howard University, Spelman, UVA, UNCW Deferral”
“Hi everyone, I need some help. I am currently going into my senior year at a non-target school. I play baseball, have a 3.4 gpa, and am President of our Investment Club on campus. My experience: Freshman Summer: Bookkeeper (so lucky) Sophomore Summer: Property Tax Intern at former Fortune 500 Junior Summer: Sales and Use Tax Intern at former Fortune 500 (same as last one) Kind of nervous for recruiting. I’ve talked to a good amount of recruiters and they love my resume and my industry experience”
“I am currently a rising senior in high school with a 4.33 weighted gpa and 3.59 unweighted gpa. I’m scared for everything coming my way and mostly applying to college. I feel like I’ve been getting good grades but not good enough, I’ve taken 7 AP’s up to now and have gotten 3 3’s and the rest I failed. I’m planning to take 4 more my senior year. I feel like I have never actually sat down to study before but only gone from memory and what I remember from my teachers explaining in class. I also fe”
“As the title reads I have a 3.58 GPA and I'm honestly hella nervous...but I go to a private college-prep school so I dont think its seen as that that bad? Anyone know if college admissions will acknowledge that or any college students who were in similar situations? It's a stupid question i know but this paranoid soon-to-be senior just needs reassurance thanks guys submitted by /u/Technical-Story-2051 [link] [comments]”
“Hello all, I'm a rising junior applying to AI + Philosophy. My current GPA is 3.79 unweighted, ~4.1 weighted. Considering I'm aiming for T10, my GPA is kinda low. Now I have two options to take in junior year: Adv. Compsci and Adv. US History (our school doesn't do AP system btw). Both courses have the same weight. Here are the pros and cons of each option, please help me weigh this out: TL;DR: I'll get better grades and a better rec letter if I do Adv. Compsci, and I kinda need”
“HELP!! I’m a full IB Diploma student taking college courses, but my GPA before senior year is around a 3.4. I’m aiming for a 1550 SAT, a strong predicted IB score (40+ if possible), and a strong upward trend with mostly 6s/7s senior year. I’m also working on strengthening my ECs and developing my essays. My main essay ideas are more personal so one about my morning routine of straightening my hair and how it connects to identity/perception, and another built around a more unusual topic like”
“I am graduating from high school a year early, so yeah less time to develop course rigor. So far I have taken AP psych and a dual enrollment math class, which isn't much, but this year i'm be taking 4 APs including chem and calc. I'm confident I'll do well in these classes and get good grades, so im not sure if maybe it would be better to wait until regular decision when I can submit my transcript with first semester grades to show I'm handling these classes well? This could”
“I'm a rising senior and I currently have 4 APs total (+1 summer dual enrollment). Do senior year courses even count towards my initial application? I'm taking around 6 AP's for my senior year since I couldn't take a lot in my junior year (only 3) due to health issues. My unweighted gpa isn't the best for UCLA or Berkeley (3.88 UC scale) so I'm a little nervous 😓. My EC's are quite decent but I feel like GPA is the important factor here. submitted by /u/Cl”
“Rising senior, messed up some classes my freshman year which I retook so cGPA is currently about 3.45, sGPA 3.3. Strong upward trend, 3.85 avg since sophomore year. I feel my ECs are really lacking. I’m currently doing research which should yield about 600+ hours by next application cycle. I have 80 hours shadowing, 80 hours non clin volunteering, and currently 0 hours clinical. I will be starting a scribe job which should get me to 400 hours by next cycle which I feel is nowhere near enough. I”
“to anyone who got accepted into NYU CAS,,, are u able to share ur stats???? ill be applying as a biology/biology adjacent major, during the ED1 round!!!! submitted by /u/Embarrassed-Neat-182 [link] [comments]”
“Hey! I’m a rising junior and I was wondering about the importance of taking 4 years of history classes in college admissions. For context, I recently transfered to my high school sophomore year. I took AP US 1 and 2 in freshman and sophomore year. I currently plan to fufill the world history grad requirement online(b/c of diff curriculum between the two schools, world history is taken freshman year). I currently have AP World History in my schedule(doesn’t count for world history req), but I was”
“In other words, can I allow some colleges to see my ap scores but not others? If I don't send my ap scores to one college, will that college assume I failed the ap exam and therefore be less willing to let me enroll in their school? submitted by /u/InterviewPowerful320 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all. I’m a rising senior in Southern California. I have taken multiple APs and gotten all fours (i know not that special but whatever) My current weighted and unweighted gpa is 4.5 and 3.7 respectively (from freshman to junior year at least according to my school). According to california colleges i have a 4.0 UC and CSU gpa. My original plan was to go to a CC for a year or two (it’ll probably be pretty fast for me cause of my AP credit) and then transfer out to a good school etc. I was going”
“Hello, I'm a rising senior who wants to major in public health and psychology. I have a 4.1 weighted GPA, and I'm going test-optional. I want to know what else I can do. ECs/Award that I have so far put on Common App: - Internship with an aesthetician - Book translator (English --> Dari) for a nonprofit that supports neurodivergent kids and kids who don't speak English - Kumon instructor (math and reading) - HOSA general member (4years) | HOSA VP (2years) - Performed in a play tha”
“I want to, and the incentive was to get an award (hopefully) onto my app, but considering award results don't come out until after CommonApp submission, is it worth it? submitted by /u/lidabobida [link] [comments]”
“I'm a rising junior hoping to major in neuro or biochem (pre-med track), but not sure how to make my application "stand out". I don't currently have any Bio/Medical awards/ECs, and I know that is very important. As a rising junior, what should I look into? Current ECs: Founded a literacy initiative for my G.S. Gold Award that runs buddy reading programs out of local libraries and I also created a website of resources including a Youtube Channel of "storytime readings"”
“Im looking for reasons to still apply this cycle (Texas applicant) despite having mid stats and mid ECs. I know it is late in the cycle but I feel like I still have a chance based on my narrative and experiences so I would feel bad not applying at all (only MD) Additional info: urm, first gen low income, currently in gap gear. Stats: GPA: 3.5 cGPA, 3.5 sGPA. - Strong upward trend with a 3.98 gpa in my last 45 credits (All upper level classes). MCAT: Pending score but I’m expecting between a 505”
“I am a rising senior and I feel like I haven't done anything for college apps. I don't really know what I am doing, as my parents didn't go to college in the US and I don't have any older siblings. I have been to the college counselling at school but it hasn't given me any information I haven't already found online. I don't know what schools I want to apply to, I only know my major (Mechanical Engineering). What can I do to get started? I know Common App opens on Augu”
“Hi! Um I'm a rising senior and I'm lowkey terrified to apply for colleges. I'm not applying anywhere super duper crazy like Ivies or anything but theres not a ton of places with a speech language pathology program. Is there anything specific that would make me stand out? I've done volunteering at a local hospital and at my old elementary school with SLPs, as well as me being involved in theater since I was 10. I have pretty good grades but again I'm not like valedictorian or”
“Hi, I’m a rising junior who basically only has a year left to build their stats/ec’s, I’m projected to have a 3.79-3.8 UN gpa/4.4-4.6 weighted gpa by the time I’m done with this year, I have a few bad grades but I’m pretty sure I can get credit recovery and extra summer classes to makeup for them since I had a pretty terrible second semester of sophomore year that resulted in me being gone for 70 (excused)days of school and miss a few tests in three of my classes (yes I will make sure to put tha”
“Title. I had a 4.0, ran three clubs, did a sport, worked, took aps and college classes, and had over 200 volunteer hours. I chose to go to a school with a 50% acceptance rate. I am FGLI and went to high school with wealthy people and felt out of place, I knew going to an uber selective school will just increase the gap between me and wealthy people. Plus I genuinely loved the school I chose AND would have all my credits counted towards my degree (will be able to graduate a year early)! Did anyon”
“My question: Under these schools’ test-optional policies, will skipping the SAT significantly hurt my admissions odds? To what degree can distinctive extracurriculars and thoughtful essays compensate for the lack of an SAT result submitted by /u/Existing-Cupcake-810 [link] [comments]”
“rising senior - gpa is 3.85uw/4.24 w and i have a 34 act. i know 34 is acceptable but on the lower end of 'good', will it solidify me more or help me considerably if i have a 36 act with these stats? ecs should be solid and i have good ap scores. i really hate that my gpa is selling me short i think (3.85 is on the lower end of average uw gpa at t20s). thoughts???? submitted by /u/itzjoanna [link] [comments]”
“Hii ok so, I’m a rising senior with a 3.7 gpa and 1410 SAT (retaking in September so hopefully it goes up a bit) I lwkey have zero extracurriculars except a part time job I’ve had for about a year. I‘ve been struggling with mental and physical health for my entire Highschool career which affected my gpa and ec’s This summer, I’ve started thinking about college apps and realized I’m lwkey screwed?? The more college content I watch/read the more I realize, I dont even have a dramatic sob story to”
“Looking at very competitive schools and worried about the ACT. Currently have a 33 composite without science: 30 Math, 34 English, and 35 Reading. Have a 36 on the Science. Having a hard time with Math - the problems were a long time ago. Heading into multivariable differential calculus senior year so math is a strength but testing on old stuff is tough - plus a lot of anxiety around it. If Science was still a part of it, the composite would be a 34. I'm hearing some schools will count Scien”
“hello reddit! i am a rising senior who feels sorta insecure about her ecs and is looking for advice on what to do about it (if anything can be done) in the time between now until most application deadlines are due (and even after that it i land something that can last a good while like an internship.) it has been hard to do things this summer as i am currently abroad and have been for 5 weeks, though i do have a hospital internship/shadowing opportunity upcoming here. for reference, i wish to pu”
“do i have a shot at T20s if i have good essays, ecs, honors, sat, coursework, and gpa, but horrible ap scores? like i have a 4.5 and 1540 sat, but my school has grade inflation. submitted by /u/Virtual-Newspaper646 [link] [comments]”
“How difficult is it to get into NYU CAS ED1? I'm getting mixed messages; some people say it's almost impossible to get rejected with a high SAT + full pay + halfway decent GPA and ECs, others say that's just admissions forum folklore. And CAS is one of the more selective colleges as well. submitted by /u/Foreign-Maximum-3327 [link] [comments]”
“Hi guys! I'm a rising high school senior planning to apply to a *crap* ton of schools and desperately need some advice. I don't think I can actually apply to all of these, but I'm interested in them. Some background info: I'm looking for good public health /microbiology/epidemiology programs and I have a 30 ACT (retaking in September to hopefully get >33). I'm an NC resident as well. The list: Boston University Brown Columbia Cornell Elon Emory Johns Hopkins Stanford Georg”
“Hi, I'm currently a rising senior battling with college apps. My stats are pretty mediocre (3.9 UW, 1520 SAT) and my ECs are still developing, but my biggest concern is that I have not earned any awards to write in the award section. I've tried out for the AMC three times and submitted for multiple writing competitions from NYT to Scholastic, but I have never received an award. Not even gotten short listed. The best I've done ever was a top 25% recognition from a random NYT writing c”
“So I’m a rising junior a bit concerned about my lack of ecs. Well personally I think I have enough but compared to all my friends and Everyone else I am a lazy bum ig. so I am in NAHS (accepted as a sophomore) and hope to get elected sec or vp this year. Do community service for that. Also community service for student council, just a member nothing special. I am going to join the manufacturing tech club (I took woodworking classes) which is basically woods + welding open shop just for funsies.”
“new reddit user and i really don't know how to use this, but i'm sure the community is welcoming enough to bear with me. i'm an upcoming sophomore with a 4.0 unweighted and a 4.6 weighted, and by the end of my sophomore year, i would've taken 3 aps. these 3 aps are 3 out of the 4 aps that my school offers for sophomores, but that's enough on the stats. many teachers would recognize me as someone with an insane work ethic. my grades are top-notch but my EC game isn't the b”
“My older sister applied to colleges this past cycle. She goes to an nyc private school, unweighted 3.98, 1580 SAT, 10 APs, lots of research volunteering etc etc etc. She was shooting for pre-med and also applied to bsmd programs. I think around 40 applications in total. In terms of programs abroad, she got into utoronto with like 20k per year, and Oxford combined medicine program (college and med school but in 6 years total). But, for USA applications she did worse than expected (probably the be”
“Hey guys! I have genuinely been dreading college application season the last 4 years but here it is....Pray for class of 2027 please because I'm scared. Anyways, I don't have any specific career in mind or anything I am especially passionate about. Honestly, I feel like I am just going through motions right now. But nonetheless, My general spheres of interest are political science, economics, business, and global politics/ business. I know, not very specific at all. But I am very well tr”
“I graduated high school this year and just went through the whole college application gauntlet myself, now heading to UNC in the fall. The part that nearly broke me was the essays. Blank doc, no idea if my school list even made sense, and the one counselor at my school was split across a few hundred other kids. Private counseling was the alternative, and that runs into the thousands, so it wasn't really on the table. So I built Margin, an all-in-one college counseling platform. It helps you”
“Hi everyone, I’m a high school senior from South Korea. I never originally planned to study abroad, so I don't have any US standardized test scores—no SAT, ACT, or APs. Recently, I've been wondering if it's worth throwing a casual application to Princeton REA since they are test-optional. To be completely honest, I’m not desperate to study abroad. If I don't get into a top-tier US school, I am perfectly happy staying in Korea and attending KAIST (a top science & tech universi”
“I'm a rising junior, and I feel like my EC's so far have been mediocre. For context, I want to go pre-med at a T20. This summer, I'm volunteering at my local ER, shadowed an anesthesiologist once, and I plan to shadow a pediatrician for a day. I also helped my friend train a surgery robot, which I'll get hours for. I plan to finish off my SAT's before junior year starts, and I'm also going to be running a club dedicated to connecting with nursing home residents. I just fe”