Students worry about college admissions competitiveness

“What kinda schools can I aim for? Ik this isn't the full picture, but what is realistic Good rigor, expect for math bc family issues but I am working on that. also the same family issues is why my gpa fell. any recs or advice will be greatly appreciated submitted by /u/Lonely_Dragonfly_363 [link] [comments]”

“Some people on here said a 3.88 is too far off the 3.93 or 3.95 averages and will hurt you. But also thats the middle 50% so people below that get admitted. Does this small difference actually matter? submitted by /u/Lonely_Dragonfly_363 [link] [comments]”

“I have a 3.89 but I am only top 25% out of a grade with around 90 kids. Super comp, but only one kid has a 4.0. We don't report rank and I had family issues. Will this hurt me at Upenn or other ivy+ schools? submitted by /u/Lonely_Dragonfly_363 [link] [comments]”

“i have a 3.8uw and 4.68w.. 1430 SAT 1440 super score😭 i'm asian too which kinda makes it worse (also my school is pretty competitive which confirms how cooked i am) my only notable EC is working at family restaurant and i play a sport. the others are just simple school clubs/volunteer stuff that I participated in so nothing extraordinary im thinking of applying ea to the following business schools as an accounting major: - fordham - umd - instate - umbc - santa clara - usd - uci - ucsd - uc”

“I am a freshman and my parents are saying this is below average and I will go to a horrible school. I think they're overreacting, but what colleges do you think I should target for. I only have one Honors class rn and my school doesn't allow freshman to take AP's. submitted by /u/Aromatic-Ad218 [link] [comments]”

“Hi, EDIT: my school average for the SAT is around 1350, and I am white and Asian. To preface, this is not a shitpost. I'm a senior applying to a few t20s (like UPenn) and other (moderately) selective colleges (ex Barnard, CWRU) but I'm worried about my SAT score. I got a 1540 with a 770 in each section. I'm too lazy to list all my ECs, but I would say they're decent and my GPA is like a 3.9smth UW. My biggest problem right now is my SAT. I am genuinely sad about a 1540. It feels”

“How fucked am I? How bad will this bite me in the ass? Im 19, graduated high school a year early. Last fall I took a test for ADHD and apparently I had a severe inattentive adhd which explains a lot in hindsight. I had a B but my professor advised me to drop and take the class once I had meds, since he had seen other students fail without them. I was taking 4 classes including gen chem 2 for spring 2026, but had to withdraw from all, since a medication I was taking left me with severe memory imp”

“My gpa sucks. 3.7 and the upward trend is for sure there probably +1 A every year. My sat is okay, but mid for my goal (1480) with October pending. I dont believe I did better. There are 2 more SATS, and I think I can get ~1520+, which I know isnt a lot more. Additionally, I think I can get a weighted 5.0 this year (i know my gpa doesnt reflect that, but last year i had the hardest grader in school). And theres more I have 1/9 supplements written, so I could get them all done, but they could def”

“My daughter (I am a single parent of two with almost no financial support from their dad) has worked since she was 13 babysitting, cat/dogsitting, dog-walking and in our extended family's restaurant. In the summers she worked full-time as a camp counselor. She's managed to get good grades (around 3.7) and she's always tested well (1500 SAT). Her heart is set on Oberlin. The cost with room and board is around $90K. This number is insane to me but my daughter assures me her older frien”

“Right now I'm applying for college (3.2 UW, 4.3 W, 1370 SAT) and I'm planning on applying to most big instate schools (UF, UCF, FSU, etc) and I'm getting stressed about if it's possible for me to get accepted to any of these schools with the stats I have. For the record, I've competed nationally for broadcast journalism (and have placed 3rd) and have done a lot of volunteering on behalf of my high school television club (doing projections, doing news packages, shit like that)”

“I am a gap year student. Talking about my gpa 9th: 4.0UW 10th :3.86 UW 11th: 3.94 UW 12th: 3.46 UW SAT: 1590 For context,I was an overweight kid. Like extremely,(102kg) In my 12th my gpa dipped a lot, I was bullied and I had health issues (not much serious) . I used to have thyroid issues. And then I also got PMOS ,I used to feel bad about myself and these problems also made me feel more lethargic and energy less. So I took a gap year , basically a 2 year gap year .I am in the half of m”

“The college game ended in a shit show as tons of private predatory unis entered the game Academia has always been a long winded game and it wasn’t something most people pursued If you’re gonna go to uni and you’re expected to do less than a PhD, I wouldn’t consider it a viable path considering they just diluted the entire system. That’s what I can say in retrospect Like masters in one to two years considering how general the curriculum is still at that stage? No master. It’s a top up at best. An”

“I can’t even begin to imagine the number of students who got rejected while being fully competent. 1550+ SAT, 3.8–4.0 GPA, good ECs/LORs/essay, and even with that, some get in and some don’t. I’ve come across a bunch of “here’s why this student didn’t get in” videos on my FYP on Instagram, where the student checks all the boxes, and the guy filming the video is trying to rationalize why the kid didn’t get in; “oh, he didn’t add enough character to the app”, but it’s actually just human decision-”

“What if getting into college was made as competitive and harder to get in just like med schools. submitted by /u/CommunicationNice437 [link] [comments]”

“My hs was t25 in the nation but slipped in the rankings a bit to top 100. This was due to changes in evaluation. I know this means very little, but my counselors love to say that schools love kids from my school. However, we send like a 3-4 kids out of 100 to t20s a year. Many get accepted but never go due to cost. Will this be any meaningful boost? submitted by /u/Lonely_Dragonfly_363 [link] [comments]”

“Im 17 and Im in my senior year of highschool in FL. I have a 3.9 GPA and I'm going to finish Highschool with 6 AP classes. I've never really tried tried at school and kinda sorta maybe didn't take the SAT seriously and got a 1090. Im somewhat certain on what I wanna do in life but Im not sure if the setup I have is good enough and I have never reached out to any college besides the one I dual enroll at, am I fried? I've never really been able to talk to anyone about college so an”

“I’ve noticed that a lot of people on this sub say that research means basically nothing for college admissions unless it’s done at a very high level, and I’m a little confused by that. I understand that simply saying “I did research” probably isn’t impressive by itself. There are also definitely cases where students do superficial “research” just to have something to put on an application. But it seems strange to me to say that research as a whole has little or no value. For example, the IB Dipl”

“Does applying ED and REA for the the ivy leagues actually improve your chances? I saw some posts that it's usually the legacies, megacracked students, and athletes that apply and get in which ups the acceptance rates for ED and REA. Am I just misinformed? submitted by /u/Wild_Audience_9271 [link] [comments]”

“I'm currently in high school and it looks like I'll graduate with about a 2.5-3.0 GPA unweighted and approximately 1000 service hours. I'm planning to apply for a lot of liberal arts colleges for my undergrad, but how will these stats affect the chances of me getting into different colleges? Or are most colleges mainly looking at other stats anyways? For a little context, I'm not planning on taking the SAT or ACT, and I'm mainly looking at colleges in the US, as someone who w”

“idk why It never occurred to me that my science score would be sent to the colleges I'm applying to, but I just found out and I'm lowk scared about it. I did good on the big three and my comp score is in the middle 50% of my dream schools, but when I took science I didnt really care about it since it docent affect your comp score. So for the schools they don't require a science score, will they care when they see my 19 on science 😭 submitted by /u/ThatSupermarket922 [lin”

“What did you do differently? What kind of habits, small or big - have you been developing? This is just to give them a little head-start in the competitive world. submitted by /u/Lost_Article_5530 [link] [comments]”

“I’m an Asian parent, and I’ll admit I’ve always cared too much about college rankings. My son wants to study STEM and do research. He has already been accepted to a few schools I first saw as lower-ranked backup options. But after researching them, I found that some have strong STEM programs, serious research resources, and good opportunities for undergraduates—possibly even better than some top-100 schools. For STEM, how much should overall ranking really matter? Should we focus more on the dep”

“okay so, I’m not one of those “average” students with a 4.0 UW and 1500 SAT. I‘d say I’m above average, but still lower than a lot of my peers. But I’m honestly really paranoid that I wont get into a T20.. i‘m a junior in HS, have a 3.8 UW GPA. I’ve only taken 4 AP classes as my school won’t let you take any math/science/english APs before junior year and I’m not too interested in history. Im planning to take SAT&ACT soon. stats: Black African American Girl | Low Income & Kid of a Vetera”

“I would think personal experience is very valuable. AOs feel free to chime in submitted by /u/Basic-Pop6363 [link] [comments]”

“Hello! I need advice, please read to the end. I am a 21 y/o high school graduate with a 3.83 GPA. I grew up severely academically neglected, pulled from public school around 3rd grade and wasn't formally educated in the years after. My mother spent my childhood lying on forms, skipping states and dodging any testing for my siblings and I. Around last year I decided (after cutting contact with my biological mother, and moving in with my father who has since remarried), to reenroll myself in P”

“Title 700 r, 750 m Even if I EDed…? Or any top college really not just ivies submitted by /u/Aware_Hovercraft_702 [link] [comments]”

“title basically; also if anyone can describe what they mean by unique it'd be really helpful! submitted by /u/user2039381 [link] [comments]”

“Yo my dad is telling me to cut down my plan of shotgunning to ~15 T25 biz/econ programs (ED Wharton since sibling legacy) and I have no idea if I should. I honestly have no idea how good of an applicant I am in the first place. I created a majority of my activities from scratch myself and idk how much my uniqueness will counteract the lack of "prestige" i have. I get such a wide range of answers both IRL and online about how set up I am. As summarized as I can, my top activities are a”

“Not bay area but very competitive location. I have pretty decent awards / extraiccirculars + a 1520 However, the school I am a part of (a bit on the smaller side <1000 kids total) has VERY competitive people that are leagues beyond what I could ever achieve. A lot of these people were able to get tons of opportunities (im not saying theyre rich or dont deserve them they are just really talented lol) that I could never get. My school has a 55% 4.0 rate (holy grade inflation) and so many talent”

“Page 9 ; I don't know if this is like offensive to anyone or what.. but a 1440 as a 25th percentile score at a t20 is obscene for me. Like is that actually real? why? does anyone know? submitted by /u/Technocraticworldgov [link] [comments]”

“For context I am a non-trad (have a wife and kid) hoping to earn a scholarship or maybe do VA/HSPS. I’m fine with the idea of taking out loans but I’d hate to take out loans for school and supplement cost of living ( my wife will work as an RN while I’m in school). So those of you with big scholarships what’s kinda app did you have? Especially SLU ( I recently had a very good interview there) My app looks something like this: MCAT 518 (129,129,131,129) Gpa 3.94 RN 4000 hrs Few hundred Nursing le”

“will it increase chances of getting accepted into a specific college? submitted by /u/Repulsive-Poet-5261 [link] [comments]”

“Hi dads, mainly those with older kids. What are some of the things you did early on to help your kids become academically successful? what works, what didnt? How did you deal with kids that dont find school useful? Looking for advice as my kid continues school submitted by /u/Winter-Squirrel-6744 [link] [comments]”

“Hi, I hope you’re all doing well. The title says it all. I’m expecting to see a rise to 3.5 by the end of the semester. It’s therefore not strategic to apply ED. I’m wondering: what’s possible? What’s likely? Straight A’s freshman year slumped through sophomore year and culminated in failing a couple STEM AP’s junior year. I’m on track for straight A’s this year with two AP’s. The reason for this low GPA lies in my not doing homework, so I didn’t learn. I have overall taken six AP’s, will end th”

“Okie so I'm a senior and I got a 1450 (720RW/730M) and I'm really not wanting to take it again!! I've got mid ECs (mainly family responsibilities, part-time job, and STEM related ECs w/ no award or anything...) and a 3.98/4, 4.85/5 with all IB and doing the IBDP program. I really am looking towards BU, BC, UTAustin, Ohio State, Georgetown, and UVA. I just wanna know if my stats match some other alumnus stats and if any anthro/socio/premed majors at these schools have any advice for a”

“Hi everyone, recently I’ve been really stressed and anxious about college apps (as most are around this time) and I was wondering for someone applying to maybe one unrealistic ivy if it’s that important? I got a 1250 and am retaking in September, but most of my schools are not super high reaching I think. Most are FL schools because I live here, but the higher reaching ones would be UF, UM, UCLA, and the ivy is Stanford though I’m doubtful about it. I feel that 1250 is not that bad of a score bu”

“Hello guys! Of course, stats are not everything and after a certain point so many other things start to matter. But if we do some statistical analysis, are there any that shows what % of 1550+ scorers etc get into Ivy+ The threshold can change of course / alongside GPA where let's assume its 4.0. There are only so many 1550 scorers, and cumulative ivy+ class sizes, albeit small, aren't THAT small. If we disregard obviously uncompetitive applications, what are we left with at each schools”

“I’m a high school junior. For this sub I would consider my stats average (4.3 GPA, and took 5 AP’s combined freshman and sophomore year with 5’s in 4 of them). Everyone around in this sub seems to be so obsessed with prestige and getting into HYPSM it’s unbelievable. Unless your in a major like finance where your undergrad school matters that much for your future job, there is no reason you should be spending upwards 80k a year on a school. My dream school is the University of Florida and I’m no”

“Hello, I attend a competitive public school (average SAT 1400) and median income in my area is well above 200,000 per year. My family makes substantially less than this and I'm also first-generation. I have an SAI index of 0. Does it mean much given that I'm from a competitive area? submitted by /u/srybutilikemilk [link] [comments]”

“i’m a texas resident and i know that schools such as a&m and UT emphasize the top 10% rule. unfortunately i am in the top 18%, not top 10%. another thing i worry is that it’s too late to apply and i should’ve applied in august. i’ll be done with my application next week for a&m. i waited because i needed my SAT to go up and the result came out yesterday my SAT is a 1480 (720 rw 760 math) and my UW gpa is a 3.6/4 (weighted: 5/6). this is also because I took a LOT of hard STEM AP courses b”

“cuz i have another sat lined up but idk if i should take it to go to 800 possi ly submitted by /u/Similar_Advisor_5849 [link] [comments]”

“title. I'm ranked 60/900 at my pretty competitive public (we sent ~15 to ivies/t20s last year), and our counselor said that most of our admits were in top 5% of our class, with a few in top 10%. I got 6 Bs over hs, with 5 of the Bs in sophomore year and 1 in junior year. I take a lot of AP classes + dual enrollment every year so that's why my unweighted is still high. i also have a 1590 sat superscore. I'm just really stressed because the other parts of my application are a lot stron”

“hi guys im wondering how good of an ec scioly is in terms of how admissions officers view it - my team is excellent state wise and solidly okay nationally (I don't wanna dox myself but we're in the top 20) i love scioly and I wouldn't trade it for anything but I am curious how it ranks up to more traditionally sweaty ECs like ISEF and math olympiad and stuff like that submitted by /u/the_fruit_loop [link] [comments]”

“so i see almost all posts here are having a sat of 1500+(including me), or lets say atleast 1400+, u havent seen any post below that ong. so idek how the 1500+ falls in top 1-2% SAT scores even the profiles on here are sooo good, am lowk scared of ts competition, at a point, where i feel people at bits of larp to their profile to make it look more impressive on here, adding to it that they are even concerned if they will get admitted to a good school so if everyone on here or even irl ik has pro”

“There are a few schools that I'm applying to like Harvard and NYU where honestly, based on stats I kind of have zero shot but my mentality is yolo. I know that Harvard, for instance gets 8k apps, but I'm curious as to what percentage of them are hopeless yolo-ers like me that really aren't competitive, and what percentage of the applicant pool actually has a shot. submitted by /u/Few-Potato279 [link] [comments]”

“Or maybe not because you can lie about how many tests you took.. can you even lie about how many tests you took? If you got 1600 on the first try, would you report that or no? submitted by /u/Reasonable_Bag_2927 [link] [comments]”

submitted by /u/Outrageous_Egg7579 [link] [comments]

“My SAT (low-mid 1500) and ECs (well balanced, good leadership roles as well), along with what I believe to be strong commonapp + supplemental essays, are all pretty good. However, my GPA (especially my freshman year) are very lackluster in comparison, being a mix of As and Bs. I still have one of the best possible courseloads for my school, always taking the hardest classes etc. but I'm worried that for higher tier schools my GPA alone will heavily hurt my chances of acceptance; wondering wh”

“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”

“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 k”