I met this person who is going to a t10 and was going to help with my apps, and the more and more I speak to them, the more dumbfounded I am about how much of an inability they have to think critically or even read properly. Like what? How did this school even accept you I don’t understand.

Some people are straight A students because teachers have gotten super lazy since Covid and basically grade on completion. Grade inflation is absolutely ridiculous right now and it is my personal opinion that all a grade means is if a student does their work and not how well they did it or how smart they are.

Also, schools across the country grade students differently so that grade is pretty arbitrary. Standardized tests put every student on a level playing field and should be WAY more considered. When Dartmouth brought back the requirement they literally cited the fact that the tests were an ACCURATE PREDICTOR OF SUCCESS IN UNDERGRAD.

Thoughts on people who cry "bad test taker": I promise you, your 900 on the SAT would not have been a 1600, nay, even a 1200, if you had unlimited time, a foot massage, and a room all to yourself with scented candles and music for ambience during the test. The margin of error for a "bad test taker" is probably around like 100 points on the SAT and that's stretching it. Also, the time constraints are not random, they need people who can solve things at a certain pace!!! Just because you got good grades doesn't mean you can apply what you learned which is what actually matters! Finally, to break into most fields you're going to have to take tests for licenses and certifications anyway so why not weed out these "bad test takers" and give spots to people who have what it takes.

edit: also, average SAT scores for top universities would be deflated down to reflect realistic good scores and a 1350+ wouldn't sound like an F to the internet lol

I’m honestly tired of seeing people with a 4.8 weighted GPA and a 4.0 unweighted get into amazing schools, then score a 1000 on the SAT. It just shows how inconsistent GPA can be depending on the school.

Some schools have serious grade inflation. Coming from my school, where people are given B’s for A+ level work, a lot of students look “mediocre” on paper when they really aren’t. My school has 26 APs, our average GPA is around a 4.1 weighted, and our average SAT for the Class of 2027 is about a 1430. Nobody has gotten below a 3 on an AP exam since freshman year in my class (co 2027)

Meanwhile, someone from a less competitive school can have a 4.4 weighted GPA, be valedictorian, go test-optional with a 1000 SAT, and still have a huge admissions advantage because of rank or auto-admit policies.

And don’t even get me started on top 10% direct admissions in Texas. At my school, a 4.4 weighted GPA could put you around rank 327/987, while at another school that same GPA could make you valedictorian. Yet one student gets automatic admission while the other doesn’t. That system feels incredibly unfair.

In my opinion, GPA is only a somewhat reliable measure of academic ability because grading standards vary so much between schools. America honestly needs some kind of standardized academic metric starting earlier in high school.

And yes, I know the SAT and ACT are flawed. They’re not perfect measures of intelligence, and prep definitely matters. But I still think they’re better indicators of raw academic readiness than GPA alone because at least everyone is taking the same test.

That being said, I don’t think colleges should focus only on grades or scores. There are many different types of intelligence. Especially for state schools, I think extracurriculars, essays, leadership, work experience, and initiative should matter heavily too because those things reflect how someone will actually contribute in college and beyond not just how well they can use Desmos on a math section.

I just had a discussion with my parents about our finances and basically have to refine my entire list now. Being in this upper-middle class income bracket (not exactly poor, but not exactly rich either) just screws us over. We aren’t poor enough to qualify for need-based scholarships, nor rich enough to entirely pay tuition without getting loans.

I don’t understand how people can take the risk of going to college and taking out so many loans to afford $40K+ annually (probably more) at a four-year university??? Is there a secret money tip I’m missing? Is it bad that I’m jealous of low-income students who get full-rides and don’t have to pay off loans for 10-15 years of their life? Is it bad that I’m jealous of high-income families whose kids can major in something useless and not worry about paying off their tuition?

This sucks man.

Thanks for scamming my parents out of 60% of our usable income! I will not be repaying your generosity ever :)

For context, I live in western Pennsylvania and am planning to major in mechanical engineering. Before everyone starts telling me about penn state engineering, I know. It’s a great school for, and could be very affordable for me which is great. My problem is I’m sick of pennsylvania. I’m tired of pittsburgh being the most boring city i’ve ever been to. I want to leave this state. I understand that, financially, it makes zero sense. But I can’t imagine spending another 4 years here, and then inevitably probably getting a job here anyways. As I’ve been looking for good engineering schools all around the country, I realize how impossible it is to truly leave the state without going 150k+ in debt. It’s stupid. I want to be on the west coast so badly. I just want to be able to experience the typical 4-5 year college somewhere brand new with new people and new places. But it’s so fucking expensive. It sucks. I know it probably makes the most sense to stay here, but i really don’t want to. It’s just the fact that I only get to choose this once in my lifetime, and I’d rather leave home,and never come back.

I had a friend who ran a nonprofit providing medical devices to kids in places like Haiti and Thailand. He was genuinely kind, down-to-earth, and clearly driven by impact rather than recognition.

One day, I mentioned the FIU guy to a guy that I was working with over the summer who goes to Dartmouth. He looked him up on LinkedIn and said, word for word: “That’s embarrassing. He did all that and only goes to FIU?” As if the school name somehow erased the value of his work.

What made it ironic was that this Dartmouth student applied as a biomedical engineering major, centered his application around that narrative, then dropped it entirely once he got in. He’s now doing electrical engineering and business, which he told me was his plan all along. He was never really interested in working in biomed and wanted to get into fintech to make better money. Meanwhile, the FIU student still runs his nonprofit as the central part of his life, treating his degree as a tool.

So, I guess the main point is that the people who truly want to do good will do it whether they’re at an Ivy, a state school, or no college at all. As smart and as talented as the Dartmouth guy is, how much of an impact will he really make compared to the FIU guy?

In the real world, y'all will realize that someone's character and caliber isn't measured by the college they go to, it's whether they get the job done. So don't stress, have faith in yourself, and live with an open mind.

I see so many posts of people asking "can i get into x school with bad xyz" or "is this xyz good enough to get into xyz school" or on other subs like SAT "can i go from 13xx or 14xx to 1550+ in x timeframe" and the answer is always, if you have to ask then the answer is no. People who attend t20s are 1% to 1.5% of the american college population, and not everyone can be a part of that. Some people just aren't good enough to get the grades or test scores necessary and it's not about just "working harder". And if it is about working harder then you should have been working harder than everyone else since 9th grade like everyone else who gets into a t20, not waking up at the end of junior year and realizing it aint gonna happen.

Sorry brotha, there are students without bad xyz who already have a 1550 and they're gonna get the spot, not you. And if you want it so bad, each ivy gives you a couple essays to sell yourself - instead of writing on reddit, USE THEM!!! actually convince the admissions officers that your bad xyz shouldnt matter and you will still be a successful student and good fit at their school. And if you would rather post on reddit than do that, then you don't deserve to go. Sorry not sorry

Basically what the title says. The past three years, I’ve worked my butt off in high school because of my parents. 1580 SAT, 14 AP/DE classes, skipped two math classes over the summer to take MV Calc this year, President of two clubs and an honor society, State and National officer for an organization, and two passion projects with decent impact. All for nothing.

I’ve just been starting to prepare for college apps this fall and sat down with my parents to discuss. I don’t know what caused my parents to do a complete 180, but just now, they told me that they would only let me go to community college. If I were to go to any other school, I’d have to bear 100% of the cost and they don’t want to cover my application fees. I know community college is a great option, but I’m just incredibly disappointed. I’ve pulled countless all nighters, cancelled hangouts with friends, and lived in constant stress just to stay on top of school and my EC’s for what?

And I’m in a bit of a pickle. They never let me get any part-time jobs during the school year or over the summer so that I could focus more on school. I have $0 to my name and have no way of even covering application fees to apply to other colleges. Also, my family makes 210k (we live in Northern Virginia) so I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t qualify for any substantial need-based scholarships or the Pell Grant. I’m thinking of applying to other scholarships, but I also just learned about scholarship displacement and I’m not sure if those 3rd party scholarships would help me significantly.

I’m just really disappointed and don’t know what to do. Princeton (Tiger 😂) was our dream college together and I don’t know what caused them to change—and they won’t explain themselves. I know this may come across as entitled and ranty, but could someone try explaining their rationale? What are steps I could do now as I’m entering college app season?

Edit: Thank you guys for all of your comments:) i’m really grateful for the support and I’ll definitely take a thorough look into all of the pathways mentioned here. Wish me luck and please send more advice!

https://www.berkeleyside.org/2022/02/14/uc-berkeley-enrollment-drop-court-of-appeal-ruling Some boomer NIMBY piece of shit who lives next to Cal used his free time to deny economic opportunity to thousands of students because he doesn’t like college kids in his college town. He’s also a Cal grad so talk about pulling up the ladder behind you. They’re literally considering cutting the freshman class by 3000 (which means 5000 less acceptances because yield etc) which is a almost 50% reduction since the freshman class is ~6000. I graduated from Cal and have a great job because of it, and I’m really pissed off that future students won’t have this opportunity to climb the economic ladder.

L

Just saw a post on r/yale where the poster is trying to convince their sister in law to go to yale with sticker price vs the full ride at UTD. Additionally they mentioned that the sister in law's end goal was med school (where where you went to undergrad BARELY matters when it comes to med school admissions). Idk it just kinda pissed me off when I saw comments saying bs like "she will regret not going to yale." "she might change her mind and not go to medical school, so if I were her. I would go to Yale first, as it will open so many doors."

400K FOR UNDERGRAD... For something that will have a minimal affect on your goals.

I have a 4.0 GPA, 1560 SAT, president of two clubs, 200+ volunteer hours and my parents legitimately think I'm guaranteed into any school I want. They went to college in the 80s and cannot comprehend that their experience has zero relevance now.

When I tried explaining that I still might not get into any Ivies even with perfect stats, my dad literally laughed at me. My mom keeps comparing me to my cousin who got into Yale in 2005 with a 1450 SAT and zero extracurriculars.

They don't believe me when I say thousands of valedictorians get rejected every year. They think demonstrated interest is made up. They told me not to write about my mental health struggles because "colleges want to see success, not problems" which is literally the opposite of current admissions philosophy.

They keep giving me outdated advice, then get offended when I don't take it. My dad wanted me to write about academic achievements in my personal essay, I tried explaining that's what the activities list is for, he accused me of thinking I'm smarter than him.

They also don't understand why I need safeties because in their minds if you have good grades you automatically get in everywhere. I'm applying to 14 schools including safeties and matches, they think that's ridiculous.

Does anyone else have parents who refuse to accept that college admissions has changed? How do you get them to understand without it turning into a fight?

i did everything right, got the gpa, the sat, the extracurriculars -- i grinded my essays until they were 10/10. i think i'm less annoyed about getting waitlisted at ucsd and ucla than the false promise that was told to me when i started high school, that if i did everything the way i was supposed to (and i did!) i would have a fair shot. i knew the college process wasn't fair but today it has hit me that it really, really isn't and i wish someone had told me earlier that so many AP classes and a 1570 can end up meaning nothing. the admissions choices feel arbitrary, not for any larger reason. i can't believe ucla is going through 150000 applicants trying to figure out which ones are the best for their gigantic class. it's really luck. and i guess that's okay. really. just wish i had been told that earlier before i lost my youth to a process with zero guarantees. that's why i feel cheated.

U.S. News and other rankings have caused lasting harm to higher education by turning colleges into competitors in a rigid prestige hierarchy rather than institutions focused on learning. Because schools know their reputation, selectivity, and spending influence the rankings, many have shifted priorities toward gaming metrics—encouraging more applications to lower acceptance rates, spending heavily on amenities, and emphasizing prestige over affordability or teaching quality. Additionally, everyone wants to go to the most prestigious school because of their high rankings: i remember when I was younger, everyone wanted to go somewhere warm or fun, now it seems that everyone wants the highest on US news, or subsequently no longer wants the school that has fallen off

im sitting here crying while checking this stupid fuckass page every day and it's hard for me to not to feel like complete shit. everyone around me is getting into t25 schools, and i’ve only got 2 safeties, 3 rejections, 1 deferral, and 1 waitlist. even waiting for the rest of my decisions to come in is agonizing, it consumes my mind.… i know i shouldn’t be jealous because they worked hard, but i can't help wishing i was one of them, making my family proud. now i have to get my ass up to apply RD to 10 more schools cause I feel like I’m not doing enough. i’m so tired of this… i want this process to be over

this has got to be one of the most disrespectful ways to release decision. like what do you mean you’re releasing the accepted students earlier than others, making students wait in complete AGONY just to see the rejection letter last. extremely unprofessional and incompetent way of doing it. also really disrespectful, kinda lost my respect from this ngl

So I got accepted to my absolute dream university, the only school I toured before sending out my apps in fact, but some of my overachieving friends disagree with my choice. They ALL got into some amazing universities like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and UCLA (they are cracked bro istg), and were kind of judging me when I said I‘m going to Georgia Tech. I tried explaining that its like top 5 for my field (data science) on US News and that its #32 overall, but the guy who got into UCLA just snickered. Then my close friend who got into both Harvard and Yale said I would be better off going to my state school than paying oos tuition for another state’s standard college. I also said I preferred warmer weather and wanted to be in a big city, but the UCLA guy laughed again and said I’m going to a university, not vacation. This really infuriated me because like, isn’t Georgia Tech good?? I thought people thought highly of the school.

The worst part is that I’m not even technically in Georgia Tech yet. I was waitlisted and they offered me a transfer pathway, where I do my first year abroad, keep a B average, and guarantee transfer in. I didn’t tell em that tho cuz they would have just clowned me more. I told my mom about what happened and she said shes sees their point. In her opinion I should have chosen our state uni (rutgers nb) or gone with the honors college at UIUC (LAS, not grainger). Rutgers didn’t seem like they had good undergrad stats and math departments, and UIUC only seemed good if I switched my major from stats to stats + cs (this is notoriously very difficult and one of their hardest majors to laterally transfer into). I also visited UIUC after gtech waitlisted me and didn’t really like the bitter cold and how isolated Champaign was.

Idk when I lay it out my decision makes sense to me, but nobody sees it that way. And thats fine, but then why are they being so judgmental?? Are they seeing something I’m not?

NOT a shitpost. I thought the worst news I would get yesterday was getting waitlisted from NYU (which is genuinely a soft rejection because barely anyone gets off the WL and hella people are on the WL) but no. A few hours later I learned I have bone cancer in my leg and I need to start chemotherapy to try and prevent it from advancing. Genuinely bottom 3 day of all time 😹 at least I can write about this in my waitlist form I guess and maybe they’ll pity me and let me in but I couldn’t even write this in my additional circumstances in my original applications so idk if they’ll even believe me or if they’ll even care.

(also ik it’s ed2 but it’s still my dream i just needed more time to get my lor’s)

Currently a grad student at Yale. They put my email on the department website so I get these offers to "tutor" kids or do "research projects" with them for like $100/hr from tutoring companies.

Is this the new meta for getting into top n schools? We went from admitting kids who were rich to admitting kids who are rich and also full of it? At least back then, people got admitted for being good at fencing or polo or whatever

I’ve been literally helping my best friend out so much these past few months: brainstorming with him and editing his essays, giving him advice on extracurriculars, everything. I comforted him when he cried to me about how he was so scared to get rejected from his dream Ivy because his parents would be ashamed of him. I‘ve been such a good friend.

And what does he do to me? While he’s over at my house, and I’m helping him craft his essays, I go to the bathroom. And when I come back, I catch him ready to click “withdraw” on my submitted application (We’re applying to the same school, but I submitted a week early, while he hadn’t applied yet.)

I can’t even believe he did that. I know both of us have the “T20 or bust” mentality, but I’m a lot nicer about it than he is. He’s a lot more manipulative than me.

I was soooooo mad. I asked him if he was seriously going to withdraw my application behind my back, and he admitted it. I couldn’t even look at him, so I told him to leave, which he did.

Later, I texted him and told him I wasn’t going to edit his essays for his dream school. (He’s not a good writer at all).

But then he called me at midnight in tears, apologizing and begging me to edit his essays. He just kept repeating “I’ll get rejected. I’ll get rejected,” and he could barely even talk.

Me being such a pushover, I ended up consoling him and, yes, I did edit his essays. God, I hate myself.

My major is Earth Science and half of my application is about making climate change models

I am a current junior at an Ivy League school, and I am still struggling to find an internship/ full-time job.

Once I got in to the Ivy League, I thought I was set for life. I get good grades and am involved in a lot of things on campus, but I’ve been rejected to almost every job I’ve applied to.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my school, and I’ve made amazing lifelong friendships. I just wish the Ivy League name would carry me further, because it’s added no value to my job applications so far. I worked so hard to get in, but I’m not seeing any ROI.

Three years ago, I was very active on this subreddit. Back then, the Ivy League was my end goal. Now that I’m here, I’ve realized it’s not all that it’s chalked up to be.

Lowkey, I’ve just been really depressed about my future lately. I just want to let other people know that getting into a good school won’t guarantee a post-grad job.

What was the point of grinding my ass off in high school? It’s gotten me nowhere.

I hate college board. I hate LinkedIn. I hate high schoolers publishing research that are similar to guardian articles. I hate non profit organizations raising 50000 dollars of parents' money. I hate college board again. I hate unconstructive resume experiences. I hate fake passion projects. I hate passion.

(literally what is passion?? you can feel curiousity or love towards a subject or an activity, or you can find it meaningful, but passion is an obvious LIE that nobody is ashamed of telling. like, a life-long commitment to a major or an aim is not a 30 second clip of beautiful mind with a romantic soundtrack.)

I hate devaluation of EVERYTHING from biggest problems on earth such as climate change to science in the hands of high schoolers cunningly wording their resume. I hate coffee. I hate why us essays. I hate phony job titles. I hate CEOs of high school team projects. I hate Holden Caulfield. I also hate this sub.

It honestly bugs me when people say they don’t deserve to be rejected and then flex their stats: 4.0 UW, 5.0 W, 1600 SAT as if that should guarantee admission or change the outcome And then, of course, they say:

“I saw people with lower stats get in.”

Newsflash: you’re applying to top schools that care way more about the whole application than just numbers. Your stats just need to hit the baseline (around 3.7+ UW and 1400+ SAT). Lower GPA? Boost the SAT. High GPA but low SAT? Go test-optional.

Getting rejected doesn’t mean you “don’t deserve it.” Stats aren’t everything, and acting salty at people with lower stats is honestly annoying or saying things like they got accepted bc they r DEI

Anyway, good luck with apps, y’all.

EDIT: Since some idiots (sorry) can’t read, I’m not talking about people who are rejected and come to this Reddit to express their frustration, that is totally valid. I AM TALKING ABOUT INDIVIDUALS WHO TALK DOWN ON OTHERS WHO GOT ACCEPTED AND SAY RUDE STUFF LIKE “DEI” OR “FGLI” 🤦‍**♀️ I didn’t think I would need to say that, who would hate ok highschool kids for being **sad