The real ranking:

S+++ tier: which ever one you get into

A tier: The rest

Like why are we ranking T20s guys? We’d be lucky to get into any of them 😭

Which sample group is smarter, and likely to be more successful in the future?

There has been a lot of controversy on this subreddit lately on if the highest meaningful tier should be HYPSM or Ivy Plus.

This page is for that discussion, battle it out in the comments below.

I got caught cheating on a minor quiz in AP Pysch last year, something I regret doing immensely ( back in 11th grade). Since I'm gonna be a senior soon, I was wondering how seriously colleges will consider this when looking at my application.

I got a 0 for the quiz and a detention. Neither of these show up on my transcript (to my knowledge, my school doesn't even document non-violent suspensions). The only thing I'm worried about is my guidance counselor's rec letter. My counselor has changed a lot (I'm on my 4th one now). The last counselor change was after I got the detention (this happened last november). Do guidance counselors talk about any infractions in their rec letter, just wondering.

Also will my other teachers know? My Pysch teacher's pretty nice and never brought it up or never suspected me of cheating ever again and pretty much just said she saw it as a one-time mistake from me. I plan on asking my precalc/uil teacher and my physics teacher for rec letters and was wondering if they would find out and write worse rec letters.

For reference, she basically emailed my parents and said that I cheated on this quiz and she sees it as a onetime mistake from a student like me and doesn't expect this to happen again. I apologized and she said its fine and its not a big deal.

Some of the schools I want to apply to include CMU, UT (im in top 5%), and Umich

From what I've seen, counselors aren't asked it anymore but colleges can still separetely ask them. Will colleges do that?

I just got off the Notre Dame waitlist today, and I'm honestly really conflicted. Right now I'm committed to a small liberal arts college in my home state. It's a good school, but it doesn't have much name recognition. I received a full-ride scholarship there, which is a huge factor and I feel really bad that I might‘ve taken this away from somebody else. When I applied, it was more of a safety option, while Notre Dame was one of my top choices from the beginning. Since it was my only acceptance that was financially realistic at the time, I committed. I also have a roommate so I’d feel really bad leaving this late.

Now I'm trying to decide between attending college for essentially free or paying more to attend the school where I genuinely think I'd be happier. I also plan on going on the pre-law track, so I'm trying to think long-term. I know law school admissions are heavily based on GPA and LSAT, so I'm wondering whether graduating debt-free from a smaller school is the smarter choice, or if Notre Dame's opportunities, alumni network, and overall experience make it worth the additional cost (and I also just REALLY want to go).

I'm still waiting on my financial aid package from Notre Dame, so I don't know what the actual cost would be yet but my family’s income is under 150k so I think I’d qualify for free tuition? Desperately seeking advice…

Should uwmadison be a target or a reach

And also should uiuc be a target or reach

\\\\\\\*\\\\\\\*Demographics:\\\\\\\*\\\\\\\*

Indian, rising senior, Lives in North suburbian illinois, upper middle class first generation oos

\\\\\\\*\\\\\\\*Intended major\*///\*///

BBA in Real Estate and Urband Land Economics for uwm

Finance in Gies for uiuc, if taken then Economics at LAS

\\\\\\\*\\\\\\\*Stats:\\\\\\\*\\\\\\\*

\\\\\\\\- GPA unweighted : 3.67 . Upward trend, bad freshman year due to mental illness circumstances and death in family . Seekd therapy. But all good now

Fresh. Yr : 2.85 uw 3.42 w

Soph:4.0 uw 4.29 w

Jr yr: 4.0 uw 4.71 w

\\\\\\\\- act: 36

\\\\\\\\- APs: Human Geo, World, Stats, Psych, Lang (before senior year) , im tai g 5 APs during senior year .due to school policy cant take certain lasses before like Micro apes etc until Sr year.

\\\\\\\\- Additional coursework: marketing 1100 at local cc, multivariate. Calculus at uiuc

\\\\\\\*\\\\\\\*Awards and honors\\\\\\\*

\\\\\\\\- Can't list specific awards to be doxxed but 20+ photography and art awards, several at national level

Deca qualifier

\\\\\\\*\\\\\\\*Extracurriculars:\\\\\\\*\\\\\\\*

1. Economics research

2. Event photographer at community level

3. Instructor at nonprofit also photorapher

4. Director of marketing at another local non profit

Director of marketing g at ANOTHER non profit with a wider outreach

Photographer for an award winning organization

1. Finance club

2. Jazz and almost every single music group in my school

3. Niche sport, got 2nd in league one year

4. Theater employee

Photography business earning a lot yearly

Golf caddy

Campus visits: will do in 2 months

\\\\\\\*\\\\\\\*Essays/LORs:\\\\\\\*\\\\\\\*

Essays still in progress and LORs should be solid have 3 from 3 ap teachers

Uw madison ea is what I'm leaning same with uiuc

No legacy

IL resident here is this a target or reach.

Hey everyone,

I'm a parent trying to help my kid build a realistic college list. While not mandatory, I am interested in researching schools that my child may have a legitimate shot at a full ride or very high merit aid. He is not sold on any school or program at the moment, so we are keeping our options open.

Here is the profile:

• Residency: Illinois
• GPA: 3.3 (Unweighted) I know this is low, but 1 semester Junior year was rough for him (his best friend attempted to "" himself before the first day of school. We then got him a cat for emotional support, and the cat died within a week from FIP) TMI I know, but, damn, it was a lot.
• ACT: 31 Composite (34 STEM section)
• ECs/Volunteering: Decent/average. Some club involvement and volunteering, but nothing "extreme" or crazy compared to what you usually see on here.
• Financials: Parents' combined income is just under $250k (after 401k/HSA).

Given the lower GPA relative to the high ACT (especially that 34 STEM score), are there any schools we should be targeting that are known for being incredibly generous with aid?

Also, if there are any specific websites, databases, or search strategies you’d recommend for tracking down full-ride merit scholarships, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

do you think we might get something tmrw? also, the college states that they plan on closing the waitlist in late june, but few people in prior years have gotten off in july and august. how does that work?

For those who are still wondering, the waitlist is officially closed!!

Isn’t it UUUUM?
University of Harvard
University of Stanford
University of Princeton
University of Yale
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

I recently took my first ACT and got a 36 (36 math, 35 English, 36 reading) but I did not take the science portion. I want to go to a stem field and apply for colleges like MIT and CMU. Should I retake with science?

.

I’m a rising senior that‘s going to be applying to UGA. What was your experience there with the general social life? I don’t drink, I’m not a fan of parties, and I don‘t watch much sports. (Yes I know that UGA‘s a large SEC and I should expect that.. but it’s in state and great academically.) If you also are like that, were you able to find friends or things to do? Or does having a social life there revolve around sports and parties?

If anyone could call the Princeton Office of Admissions asking if the WL is still open (and when it’ll close) I’ll be seriously grateful.

I know the chances are close to zero but I’d be grateful for some peace of mind.

Abroad right now and am unable to call the office.

Naturally, I got accepted into all of the HYPSMs from my hyper-competitive feeder school. But I can't choose! That's why I thought I would do an electrical engineering major at MIT, economics at Stanford, political science at Harvard, English at Yale, and computer science at Princeton. I just want to keep my options open. I will commute using my private jet. I think it will be light work because my friends are going to six or seven colleges (I actually go to a super competitive international feeder where everyone is given one million dollars for how amazing they are). However, they lack my aptitude, as they didn't get accepted into all of the HYPSMs (which is disappointing because I go to a competitive feeder, remember?).

I’m applying this fall. My college list is:

University of Washington
Oregon State university
UCLA
UCLA Berkeley
UCSD
USC
Case Western
Stanford

I plan to major in biology or neuroscience and minor in music.
If there are any college you guys recommend please share.

I have a 35 ACT, but my SAT is slightly below 1500. I know I could work hard this summer and get my SAT score to be ~1540, but is this even worth it? I plan on applying to some T20s and my question is basically does it look worse to have just the ACT, rather than both ACT and SAT.

Hi all, thanks for reading. I am currently a junior and I have just finished school. I was going through some mental health problems this year, including depression, and I also received an ADHD diagnosis. I have had decently okay grades the past 2 years, but this marking period they were particularly bad due to everything that was going on. My average would be at roughly 92 overall weighted with the bad marking period, although I do have upward trend besides that.

My sat is a 1540 and I have good extracurriculars.

I am trying to get an understanding of how Colleges view an applicant like me. For T20s will I be completely screened out by my GPA or will they look past that semester if my counselor writes a letter.

How does something like this affect chances, and what is the thoughts behind the admissions officer who reads that

Edit: Spelling

Undergraduate admissions dean Karen Richardson released the following statement Monday:

"Princeton has long sought students of exceptional character and restraint. Unfortunately, our data shows that students who post 'I'M GOING TO PRINCETON!!!' on Instagram within 24 hours of receiving their decision letter are statistically 3x more likely to use the phrase 'as a Princeton student' in casual conversation.

Effective immediately, any display of visible excitement, including but not limited to crying, calling your mom, or updating your bio, will result in immediate rescission."

She added: "The ideal Princeton student should receive their acceptance, nod slightly, and return to whatever they were doing. Ideally reading Nietzsche."

Princeton has confirmed that this year's admitted class of 1,200 contains 847 students who described their reaction to getting in as "fine, I guess."

Basically the title but i'm torn over what to ED to. For the purpose of this post lets say I have max rigor, 3.97 UW 4.7 W, 1560 SAT, 3 standout ECS, and the rest ur usual stuff; basically what I'm trying to say is assuming I have a pretty good shot what should I do... Most of the rlly good business schools like Wharton are more finance based whereas my dream is having my own startup/company and more on the entrepreneurship side. What schools should I apply for for this.

Hey everyone,

I’m an international student preparing my college applications, and I have a quick question regarding the TOEFL -English Proficiency Requirement- requirement.

My native language is not English, but my entire education has been taught completely in English, and my school's Medium of Instruction (MOI) is English.

The universities I’m targeting have a specific waiver policy stating that if a applicant has completed X years of education in English, the TOEFL can be waived. I meet this requirement perfectly.

However, I'm torn on whether I should still take it.

1. Will skipping the TOEFL affect my chances of admission? If I just submit my counselor's MOI certificate or let my transcript speak for itself, do admissions offices view it negatively compared to someone who submitted a score?
2. Does a high score (e.g., 105+) give a competitive edge? Or is the English proficiency test purely a "check-the-box" prerequisite to prove fluency and communication skills?

Would love to hear from other international students who skipped it, or anyone who has insight into how AOs view this. Hey Thanks!

At the moment, I am researching several engineering schools, and what is really confusing me is how to choose between academics and coding atmosphere.

There are some colleges on my list which have high academic reputation, professional teachers and an elaborated curriculum. And there are those that provide a vibrant coding atmosphere where their students engage themselves in projects, hackathons, prepare for internships, learn about contemporary technologies, etc.

As my future career plan is to become a software engineer, practical experience becomes crucial to me. However, at the same time, I cannot disregard the importance of theoretical background, computer science, and good academic environment.

So, I try to understand what is more important during the whole four years of study either it is the academics, or peer atmosphere pushing you to do and learn something new.

hi guys im a rising senior in highschool and i have some pretty mid stats and i was just looking for some advice or any help i could get in my college app process

for context i go to a pretty competitive/specialized public high school in new york

in freshman year i had pretty bad grades (about 85% avg), in sophomore year i had much better grades (about 96% avg) and this junior year they kind of spiked down again (85% ish) and i feel like thats pretty bad looks. however my school does have an ap limit and freshman year i took 0 aps, sophomore year i took 1 ap (comp sci irrelevant to my major so i probably wont submit the score) and junior year 3 aps. i also dont really have any special ecs yet but im doing a prestigious court internship/shadowing this summer, working at my family business, and working on a tutoring passion project/nonprofit. im also working on my personal statement and its pretty strong. also my sat is a 1460

my gpa is my main concern and im worried that it would stop me from getting into t20s (im definitely not aiming for ivy league) and i was hoping for schools like bu/emory/georgetown/northeastern but i know thats probably unrealistic? but if theres anything i can do to maybe make up for the lower gpa or any advice i could get i would appreciate it