Midterms Week but my future is more important

Demographics: International, Female, Black-African 10k EFC - Applying for Aid Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering, Systems Engineering
Languages: Fluent in French, Spanish, Fula, Wolof, and English
Citizenship: Non-U.S. (Senegal)

Academic Achievements:

• GPA: 16/20 (Weighted), Rank 8/30
• SAT: 1500 (710 English, 790 Math)
• Duolingo English Test (DET): 140
• Honors:
  • Gold Medal in Water4Future 2023 Hackathon (International)
  • Full scholarship to a prestigious science-focused high school (Top 2% nationally)
  • Excellence Award for maintaining a 14+/20 GPA throughout high school

Extracurricular Activities:

1. Hackathon Winner: Led a team to create a solar-powered water filter, winning gold at an international hackathon.
2. AI Bootcamp: Selected among 200 students nationwide to learn AI basics and build a drone model for agriculture with a Princeton Faculty.
3. Robotics Camp: One of the only 2 10th graders selected from my school and 100 selected in the nation. Programmed a robot for an obstacle course, won a computer and robot, and donated prizes to CS school club.
4. Student Government: Class President, organized tutoring sessions, and managed a textbook-sharing server that has over 1k visits now (for a 180-person school).
5. Handball Team Captain: Led team to a school cup victory, scored 19 points in 10 matches.
6. Arts Club Founder: Hosted interschool dance events with 70+ people and taught creative writing and photogra phy for 1 hour/week all school year long
7. Virtual Label Co-CEO: Managing a music label with 47 trainees, working on two albums for release in 2025.
8. Family Book Club Mentor: Helped siblings with reading difficulties and donated 50+ books to a local primary school.
9. Documentary Producer: Created a philosophy documentary addressing stigma, aired it to local authorities, and won "Best Club Project" in school.
10. Blog Manager: Grew a personal blog to 200+ followers and 35k+ views, focusing on mental health, productivity, and study culture.

Tried to link every ec to my passions of CS and help others with authenticity. Essays:

• Personal Essay: Wrote about embracing my middle name, "Dix," that means ten (as in the number), as a symbol of family legacy and self-confidence and how I learned to make a name for myself from it.

-Supplemental Essays: Focused on my passion for engineering, AI, philosophic understanding of books I read, triethnicity, and community impact.

Recommendations: -Strong letters from Physics/Chemistry and Scientific English teachers -Average Counselor rec bc he doesn't really understand much english (had to help) College List:

• EA: Stanford (rejected)
• RD: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Vanderbilt, Tufts, Grinnell, Macalester, Bowdoin, Colby, Case Western Reserve, Lehigh, Union College, Wheaton College (MA)

#gettysburg

Does NYU offer fee waiver for intl students who wish to submit their css profile? has anyone been waived for this fee?

dawwgg this is my third rejection and if I'm not getting accepted in universities with 50% scholarship what are my chances for uni's below that acceptance rate? chat am I cooked....

All the essays seem optional and the info says

The following optional essays will be used to determine your eligibility for supplemental scholarships for leadership, community involvement, and departmental area of interest, if available for your selected major. The deadline for the submission of essays to be considered for leadership and community involvement scholarships is December 15.

and

The priority admission application deadline to be considered for academic merit scholarships is December 15. 

Is there any merit to submitting these essays now or can I just go without??

Much appreciated

Hi everyone,

I’m not sure if this is the right subreddit, but I could really use some advice.

I did an internship in the U.S. a while ago, and ever since then, I’ve been wanting to go back. I’m currently in a master’s program in Germany and figured the easiest way to return would be through studying abroad. Six months ago, I applied for scholarships and an exchange program. I got into the program, but unfortunately, I was rejected from all scholarships.

The good news is that I don’t have to pay tuition since I’ll be an exchange student. However, I’m still facing significant costs like flights, housing, and living expenses. I did the math, and I could probably manage it if I live very frugally, but I’d come back home with almost nothing left in my bank account. Plus, I’m worried about hidden costs I haven’t accounted for.

What’s making this decision harder is that this semester abroad won’t necessarily bring me closer to my long-term dream of living in the U.S. permanently. I’m starting to wonder if I’m just forcing it too much. The whole process, especially the financial burden, is really stressing me out, and I’m questioning whether I should even go through with it. But at the same time, it feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I don’t want to regret passing it up.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you handle it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

TL;DR: Got into a U.S. study abroad program (no tuition), but no scholarships. I can afford it if I live super frugally, but I’d come back broke and worry about hidden costs. Not sure if it’s worth the stress since it won’t help me live in the U.S. long-term. Should I go or skip it?

I have already sent my supplemental essay and CSS profile for Reed college but it needs to be manually reviewed in order to be confirmed :/ Im a bit worried because the deadline it says is Feb 1. have done everything I could do on my side. Does anyone know whether they will be accepted? Thank you!

International asking for aid! Ive applied to 10 unis with css, should i just be expecting rejections from everywhere. Ive applied (4-5lacs, 5 t20 unis)

ASAP any school

hey, anyone who has applied to Boston University? I recieved the e-mail for teacher's evaluation and the teacher who is going to fill it out was asking me how long the form is because she'd previously done something similar for a student and that was about 30 pages long.

so anyone who has applied or has an insight on how to go about it through the common app, can you please guide me through it. thanks!!

Hey everyone! I’m currently in Year 12 with predicted A-level grades of A, A, A, and B, and I’m hoping to score over 1400 on the SATs (1400 has been my lowest score on multiple practise tests )I’m really interested in studying in the USA, and I’ve been looking into universities like: • University of Kansas • Arizona State University • Penn State • University of Arizona • university of Miami

A bit about me and my extracurriculars: • Digital Champions UK: I help elderly people navigate technology and feel more connected to the digital world. • NHS Cadets (Level 1 & 2): Completed both levels of the NHS Cadet program, where I got hands-on experience in healthcare and volunteering. • Weekly walks with an elderly neighbor: I make time to spend with a neighbor, offering companionship and helping with anything they need. • NHS Interview: Took part in an NHS interview, which gave me a lot of insight into healthcare and reinforced my desire to pursue it. • Age UK Certification: I earned certifications in elderly care, which have helped me develop empathy and better communication skills. • History Essay Competition: I won a history essay competition and got a chance to visit Auschwitz, which really expanded my understanding of history. • Work Experience at Lloyds Banking (Leeds HQ): Did a week-long work placement at Lloyds Banking, where I learned about business operations and customer service. • Swimming & Brass Instruments: I spent a year swimming and playing brass instruments, though I had to stop due to health issues. It was a great way to develop discipline and teamwork. • Leeds Cathedral Reading (Age 10): Had the opportunity to do a reading at Leeds Cathedral, which boosted my public speaking confidence.

•i also took part in the university of Cambridge biology programme

•	Piano: Played piano for two years, building patience and perseverance.
•	Fundraising for Schools: Actively participated in fundraising for my high school, helping raise money for different causes.
•	Gym: I regularly go to the gym to stay focused and healthy, which helps me stay disciplined.
•	Tutoring Younger Children: I tutor younger kids in various subjects, which has really helped me develop communication and teaching skills.

these are just some of my ec im in the process of doing volunteering at my local hospital and more throughout summer.

the 1400 on the SAT is predicted based on multiple practices tests this was my lowest score .

I’m reaching out to anyone who can give me advice on different colleges to apply with my grades and ec.

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences or any advice you have.

Here's how my LMU acceptance letter reads ( I got almost no scholarship btw, only about $12000 as scholarship and my COA is $94000, insane ):

Does 1600/24000 mean the acceptance rate really was 6.6% ? Historically, the acceptance has only been around 40-50% so I highly doubt what the number actually represents.

Dear ______, Wonderful news! You have been accepted for admission to Loyola Marymount University and to the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering for the Fall 2025 semester. The faculty in the department of Computer Science is looking forward to your arrival in August. With over 24,000 applications for just 1,600 places in the first-year class, your academic preparation and potential, personal qualities, and individual achievements distinguish you as the type of student who will excel here and make important contributions to the life of our community and beyond. Your enrollment at LMU requires maintaining the ethical and moral standards that distinguish LMU Lions, including showing academic integrity by completing any program you are currently attending, and obtaining a student visa, which most international students require to enroll at LMU.

Hello,

I just submitted optional essays to W & L. Is it too late?

I haved got decision from Gettysburg College with 52000 Eisenhower scholarship but My efc is about 15 k.I have filled my isfaa with efc 15k.I haven't got anything or any grant or loan except separate Eisenhower scholarship that i have applied. Is there anybody who go through this process?Has somebody had any idea about this?

I have 1510 SAT and 3.97 UW GPA

I have pretty solid ECs for a Nigerian boi

Can I get it?

So i uploaded my national tax form onto idoc, but when it got processed it shows up as “Non-US Other”, and the national tax form is still being requested on my idoc. Do I reupload it?

Acceptance, Rejection, Deferment, Waitlist, Accepted (but not for the right major).

I have no clue how I have managed this.

who got in???

A lot of people I know got into Purdue for FYE. Additionally, last year, the acceptance rate was 46.1% for College of Engineering. So why do people say Purdue is difficult to get into?

ACCEPTED

Does anyone have a DET fee waiver code? I want to apply NYU 😅

Hi, so recently I got in... however I would like to know if do you know of some external scholarships/ funds because I really love here, but I need almost full aid ;)

any ghanaian here with strong wassce grades hit me up🫶🏼

My EFC is like the max I can pay for everything literally (+Transport let’s say) but now I’m finding out there’s expenses like Health insurance (2.5K) and others which are adding up to like 5-8K. What can I do about this

i just got admitted into sbu for data science and ub cs with honors undergrad for fall 25

as an intl student, i will have to take a loan regardless of which school i attend but it wont be very hefty as each gave me a pretty good scholarship.

i want to choose ub as the honors program would give me somewhat of an upper edge to my profile, but ive heard stony is better? my top priority is getting a good job.

if any current students or alumni could give their review on opinion on the schools, that would be great

title

I cannot afford to pay for the css financial aid profile, so I decided to fill out the alternate financial aid file for Harvard that they provide, if I complete the financial statement in this alternate application do I also have to submit an IDOC aswell?

FYI I’m student from UK