College Applicants Feeling Behind on Opportunities

“hello! I’m an instate student wanting to go to gtech for psych and debating whether to apply regular or early action (the only reason id want to apply early is bc it gives u a “boost”cus ik alot of ppl have gotten in with lower scores like 1200-1300s which is where mine are at) My gpa is a 3.8uw and 4.3 w I can share more stats but idk how much I can say on this thread can someone help me and be able to weigh in ? submitted by /u/Shoddy_Estate_5032 [link] [comments]”

“Hi, I know this is super last minute since tag is due in literally 2 days 😬but is it a good idea to TAG (mechanical engineering btw)even when I don’t meet the requirements? Unfortunately for me I had one bad semester and it’s kinda dragging my GPA rn I’m finally doing some easier classes that I’m confident in passing that will hopefully boost my gpa to a 3.0 but I was wondering if it’s even worth TAG-ing a UC if I know I don’t qualify? And if I did will it hurt my chances in the future if I dec”

“I feel like i’m so behind i haven’t even started my college essay make a commonapp account or anything like that yet what should i prioritize first and finish? submitted by /u/bycodef [link] [comments]”

“Feels like nobody wants freshman with how applying to internships have been going. I was thinking about putting 2029 or 2028 as my expected graduation year just to see how it goes. 2028 might be pushing it, but I feel like I could totally just say I was planning on graduating a year early and changed my mind. What do you guys think? Any other tips are also welcome. submitted by /u/Pengwin0 [link] [comments]”

“I know that fall recruiting is in full swing right now, and I was just wondering if anyone had any advice. I’m an incoming junior and I have been applying since June with no luck. It occurred to me that maybe some people are doing more than just cold applying, which makes sense and is something I should have known sooner. It’s also occurred to me that I don’t know how to apply to internships. People talk about reaching out to recruiters, coffee chats, talking to alumni, elevator pitches, that al”

“Just to be clear, I do not want to copy any one. I know each person has unique sparks and extracurriculars related to their personal experiences, skills, lives, and interests. I'm just really anxious and want to see if I compare Thank you very much! submitted by /u/Used-Strike2111 [link] [comments]”

“I’m a sophomore, I’ve applied to basically every B4 2028 summer internship opportunity in my desired locations, with the exception of EY since they haven’t posted it yet. Idk… it feels like something missing. We have a Meet The Firms event later this week with B4 and other top public accounting firms, I’m hoping to secure an internship with mid-size firm/PA company for the experience or a summer leadership program at the very least. Is networking just the move now? submitted by /u/No”

“hi! i was hoping to apply to rsi and some other summer programs like simr, ssp, and yale young scholars, but i was a little hesitant. ive heard many times that you needed to have some insane olympiad win or isef grand awards, but then again im not so sure. here are my stats 15 years old (i skipped a year), current junior, small private school attendee (female) gpa: 3.96 unweighted and perfect weighted classes: my school is small, so we dont have flexible ap options. what i did is i maxxed out al”

“Hello! Does anyone have any advice for what kind of activities I should be involved in and how long of gap years I should plan for? I don't have much volunteering logged from undergrad and I was struggling academically so I decided to focus on my grades then. I also worked a part time student job. Not to mention I also bounced around career choices and have decided to circle back to pursuing medicine. I'm aware I need research (any advice? I don't live near my alumni school) and clin”

“I’m going to be rejected everywhere. I have no competitions and no interesting ECs. My SAT score is 1520. I flopped my APs. Is there anything I can do at this point? submitted by /u/OneHyuna [link] [comments]”

“This is a fine start. You should start networking as soon as possible so that you build your professional contacts ahead of time. By the time you graduate, you should have at least several people can help with referrals and kick start your job hunt.”

“So I am a freshman at a t50 school (t10 public if it makes my case any better), but I am trying to set myself up for a possible early career program or internship. I understand it might not be much, but I think I might get a spot on the design team for one of if not the biggest cs clubs to work on their website and then on top of that, I have two projects, one is a shitty full stack website using flask and another that I used ai to do like some over the top shit with docker react node ci pipelin”

“I might wanna delay graduating to try and get a internship, I’m a junior right now and honestly haven’t had luck with getting a internship so my next best bet is 2028 spring internships but that is when I would graduate, is it best to try and drag it to get the internships? submitted by /u/Odd_Comparison_4155 [link] [comments]”

“its better to go slower and do internships. fast and unemployed isnt good for you.”

“Hey everyone! I’m currently preparing my profile for top-tier applications and aiming for schools like Harvard and MIT.To any current students, admits, or experienced mentors here: What kind of unique extracurricular 'spike' or specific project do you think truly moved the needle for your acceptance?My Reddit account is brand new so I can't initiate private chats, but I would love to connect. If anyone is open to sharing some quick advice or insight, could you please drop a reply her”

“you still have time i didn't go to any special school, what i did was my school had a tiny internship department and got me a job as a part time AP Clerk for a small town, how i turned it into my first full time offer with a CPA firm was the front desk lady was the mother of a partner at a local CPA firm who i asked if she could ask him to just talk with me and give me career advice. She came back the next day telling me call him as soon as i get home they are looking for an intern. I interv”

“damn im fried, i started today submitted by /u/Similar_Advisor_5849 [link] [comments]”

“I just downloaded quest bridge but I have no idea how to get started at all. I'm a current high school junior and my dream school is Harvard. Can someone pls help me? submitted by /u/HotelImaginary1761 [link] [comments]”

“How do you guys feel about college apps right now! Has anyone finished essays and do you feel good about either submitting applications right now! Also what schools are you guys considering!! submitted by /u/aquatixxi [link] [comments]”

“Hey! So I'm taking a gap year (sorta unexpectedly). I'm wondering how this all works and how it affects my college plans. A bit about me: - I was accepted into FSU last year, but didn't go. - I'm going on a study abroad/gap year program where I earn 12-15 credits - 1400 SAT, 4.32 Weighted/4.20 Unweighted, plenty of community service and - In-state, I'm going to apply to FSU (again) and UF (preferred over FSU) and maybe one other Questions: - How might this affect me admission”

“whats up a2c fam!!! I’m freaking out because I just found out that the other senior in my dorm at boarding is applying early to brown which just so happens to be the school I am applying early to. LUCKY ME!! my problem is that we are both prefects in the same dorm (like the high school version of an ra) which I am framing as a very central part of my application. my fear is that if he does not count this role very highly on the extracurriculars list or talk about it in essays it will make it see”

“Does anyone have any last-minute recommendations for what honors I can get that are still relatively well known and prestigious as a senior who needs them either by Nov deadlines or Jan deadlines? Super desperate rn bc most of my awards are just lame and state-level. Ik there might not be that much left but any help would be great submitted by /u/Ok-Camel-601 [link] [comments]”

“For context, my school had kind of partnered with this revcen called Acad1, I've already surfed the web, and found that there were some negative reviews so, I need to ask for help hehe. I was hoping it would be budget friendly around 8k or less would be better. I am also targeting the big 4 so I'm not focused on any specific schools, but obviously, my priority is UP hhwhheheh I am currently considering: Acad1 (because of the meeting, and they also offered a discount) Academic gateway (I”

“Idk if it is just me but opening 40 different tabs and reading 5 pages of fine print just to realize I am ineligible because I am not a left handed archery major from Ohio is driving me crazy 💀. Is there a good scholarship matching service that filters by your exact background, major and gpa automatically? i just want to input my stats once and see stuff i'm actually eligible for without doing a full detective investigation every time. submitted by /u/Then_Stage6773 [link]”

“how cooked am i chat if i wanna get berkeley engineering. im a junior in the bay area only taking three ap's this yr: lang, apush and phys 1 while my hyper competitive junior friends are taking like 5 this yr and im also one yr behind in my math cz i chose wrong path freshman yr so now im taking precalc w/ plans to do ap calc bc snr yr while peers are doing ap calc bc rn and do multivar calc or ap stats snr year. im hoping to offset the aps by taking a intro to stats and intro to python w/ a”

“Pretty much the title says it all, I just started my Junior year and wonder what advice anyone may have to best prep for college admissions and the process. submitted by /u/NoResearcher4877 [link] [comments]”

“I feel like admissions oversells them 😭 but curious if y’all have a different perspective! During the admissions process they were very, “we have top tier career services, all students can be matched with a member of the career svcs team for individualized feedback and career planning support”, which is not necessarily untrue . But I feel like the bulk of the career services value is focused on bringing companies to campus. submitted by /u/amberspygrass [link] [comments]”

“My school caps aps based on gpa. I'm allowed to take two, only got accepted into one and am feeling pretty defeated. Is it worth it to self study? I've self studied 1 ap a year since freshman year, earning 4s on both of them. However, now that I'm a junior, I'd like to amp it up to 4 or 5. Is it worth it or do I just take the L? Ik for european unis I need to but will US colleges care ro value the self study 4s or 5s submitted by /u/sarrrasa [link] [comments]”

“what are the best schools I should apply to in nola? i have no money for school I get straight Bs submitted by /u/TenTengier [link] [comments]”

“Hey everyone, I’ve been around this sub for a long time and know exactly how brutal college application season is. Seeing my younger friends and family members completely drown in essays, deadlines, and anxiety broke me. Most trackers just pile on more to-do lists, but they ignore the mental toll. So, I spent the last few months building a free, private wellness tracker and daily affirmation space just to help them cope. I realized it might help some of you out, too. Not dropping any links out o”

“Hello, Context: I'm looking to go to an ivy league/top 20 for STEM (Comp e) and currently I've taken 12 APs through my junior year. I was curious since I feel like I've taken a step down this year if my course load is enough or if I should add another college class or AP class. The only other APs I could take are AP Chem, Bio, Enviornmental Science. School Health II (First semester) AP African American Piano IV GT Dual Enrollment Calculus III (First semester) English 210 (First semes”

“Hi, I’m in my junior yr in Canada and I really want to find some way of getting into a top tier college like MIT. Some of my friends told me research is a good thing to have as an EC. I’ve done some research abt it and it looks pretty nice but I don’t actually know HOW to get to work with a professor or something like that. I’m so new is there anyone that can just guide me with anything? Edit: I’m also looking to get into the quantum computing field submitted by /u/SeaAdvertising3181”

“I’ll be honest, that’s a big ask. Remote is not likely, aim for summer internships so it doesn’t interfere with school.”

“Hello, Context: I'm looking to go to an ivy league/top 20 for STEM (Comp e) and currently I've taken 12 APs through my junior year. I was curious since I feel like I've taken a step down this year if my course load is enough or if I should add another college class or AP class. The only other APs I could take are AP Chem, Bio, Enviornmental Science. School Health II (First semester) AP African American Piano IV GT Dual Enrollment Calculus III (First semester) English 210 (First semes”

Title submitted by /u/New_Reception_8425 [link] [comments]

“Should I just start studying for the A+ then? Grinding leetcode/building projects seems useless and getting an SWE job in the Bay Area as a "new" grad genuinely seems very close to impossible unless you are in the top 1% of humanity. I don't even get rejections for the IT jobs I have applied to so I assume I am not even making it past ATS. Most of them don't require a degree to start with so I figure my resume just goes in the toilet.”

“Hi everybody, I am in high school, and I'm currently trying to find a way to get a really good internship that would look good in the field of business or medicine. I saw someone who is working under a professor at a university that I think is really cool, and that person is in highschool to. I would like to start doing the same thing so that my resume is well-rounded, but I don't know where to start... what should I do? submitted by /u/Puzzleheaded_Disk260 [link] [comm”

“is it worth it? im a highschool freshman so should i do it? submitted by /u/kallmekaize [link] [comments]”

“So I’m currently a senior with this schedule: - film studies (philosophy next semester) - AP Bio - PE - AP Macro (AP micro next semester) - APES - AP physics C (the class covers both mechanics abd e&m) - AP stats and i finished calc III last year (highest math class offered by my school), so i’ll be taking lin alg online through a university. The APs i’ve taken so far are Human Geo, Chinese (self study), Computer science A, World history, Calc BC (self study), chemistry, us history, lang, an”

“My school does not offer AP Physics C: E&M, only Mechanics. So I'm currently taking Mech as a junior, and I'm wondering if I should take AP Physics 2 as a senior? It seems like a step down, but it's also different content, so I'm not sure. Or, should I just take AP Chem or AP Bio instead, and not take physics senior year? (I plan on going into the math/ee/cs direction) submitted by /u/Historical-Total490 [link] [comments]”

“I understand the typical handshake and indeed but its so complicated and has listings that don't even hire to begin with. Just wondering if there was any other place to find internships to apply to. submitted by /u/Nightlamp123 [link] [comments]”

“What are some thing you wish you included when shortlisting your colleges. I know ABET EAC accreditation is one, research coop etc. I js wanted to know if there were any other factors. submitted by /u/Far_End_8624 [link] [comments]”

“Hi guys, just for some context a while back in sophomore year I was choosing courses for junior year and I had a semester gap where I could take an elective course. i narrowed it down to two: a DE finance course or a course for the school orchestra. I selected the DE finance course, partially because I wanted to take it but also partially because of the GPA boost/rigor (my HS only starts AP/DE in junior year). However, I am having some second thoughts, as my counselor mentioned to me that colleg”

“I'm a rising junior with a 3.85 GPA right now (it was closer to 3.9, but this summer sem dropped it cuz physics 2 😭 I was pretty annoyed with myself for it cuz I actually tried, and the prof liked me too, but I just can't do physics at all) I'm going to be taking the MCAT early 2027, but when I took my diagnostic (before studying anything at all or completing all pre-reqs), I got a 494 and was really worried 😭 I'm really trying my hardest to aim for 518 or above I'm trying”

“lol, my thinking exactly. It’s sad that this is where we are in CA. Kid has perfect stats, but a decent UC isn’t a guarantee.”

“I genuinely have no idea how to do this 😭 what websites did you guys use that worked? After signing up for a couple websites (bold.org, scholarships.com, etc) I heard people saying they are a scam. So idrk what to do now, send help 😭 submitted by /u/blizzz82 [link] [comments]”

“Hello everyone! I just wanted to know whether it would be worth it to actually do AP classes from UC scout. I didn't take AP CSA from my school but still want to do the class and get a grade as I heard that it shows rigor to colleges. Should I wait till next year to take the full AP class, or should I take it from UC scout. My school DOES NOT put the UC Scout transcript on my high school transcript though, so I would have to report it separately. submitted by /u/Reasonable-Clue-3”

“Or does it not matter? No plans to file for aid Ok, but a lot of the time the admissions officers don't know that. Despite "need blind" policies, if you are a close call and you seem like the type of person who will need a lot of financial aid, it can count against you. And admissions officers can make a very good guess about family income based on your high school, parents' jobs, and so on. So I would probably put "retired" as a way of communicating that you won'”

“idk im my local CUNY community colleges (which is prob where ill end up being if my dream colleges dont accept me) they accept every single ap credit for credit. They also accept CLEP which i plan to take my junior year”

“so college apps are coming around and i know that i shouldn't have procrastinated on it, but im not sure what to do. im okay with doing all the things i just need to do dive into it first, but i am also having trouble on what my essay should be but thats a different topic. im not sure what to do when i grow up, i wanted to be in business, but i feel that its unstable and it doesnt make my desired income. i like the structure, the ability to lead and take charge in some cases, just the idea a”

“Currently a senior taking multiple APs (calc BC, gov, macro, BC, physics mechanics and E&M), no sports. Volunteers gig that takes up one full Saturday 2x a month. Debating if I can squeeze in a 16hr per week PT job. Think 4hr shifts on a couple week days and a weekend day shift. College apps are coming up too so there’s that. If you’re a senior and have a job, how many hours are you clocking a week? submitted by /u/Ramen_cat2024 [link] [comments]”

“Im a rising senior and have like no extracurriculars. Im looking to apply for buisness finance. What extracurriculars should I do? submitted by /u/Fast-Low3415 [link] [comments]”

“Short for Massachusetts institute of technology and California institute of technology btw for those who don’t know submitted by /u/tennis-637 [link] [comments]”

“Hey everyone, I’m a rising senior planning to major in some field of engineering applying to colleges. I’m trying to figure out my priorities in choosing which college I want to go to. For some context, Cornell University is one of the best engineering schools in the US. But if I’m just going for education, then any other school (at a much cheaper price) would get the job done. What makes Cornell, and a lot of other private institutions, worth the money? I’m grateful to be upper middle class (&g”

“Idk about others but Im just running myself into the ground. Seeing other people get interviews, others with better stats getting interviews at school I applied to, people with similar stats get rejected. Im gonna stop going back to it because it’s not good, always comparing myself with others. If it comes it comes, and I pray it will. Now I’ll just focus on my hobbies and I recommend others do the same :) submitted by /u/Past_Environment_192 [link] [comments]”

“I have only taken 3 years of science (but got all my credits), I just haven't taken physics. Everything else was APs. Course rigor is still 5 aps, but just not taking 4th year of science. I am not a STEM major. Will this look bad? submitted by /u/Tandemausx [link] [comments]”

Why? I gotta join college too soon.

“Hey all, I recently finished SSP (Summer Science Program) and came away with a few deliverables I'm considering submitting as part of a science/engineering supplement. For any SSP alums here: even though we can't present this work at science fairs or other competitions, have you submitted your poster and/or paper as a supplement? I'm leaning toward submitting the paper's abstract along with the poster itself, curious if that's worked for others. Thanks so much! submitte”

“i know i am 😐🙋🏻‍♀️ good luck to everyone ✨🍀 submitted by /u/dreamyblushmood [link] [comments]”