I’m here for the next hour to answer any questions anyone has about Harvard or the application process in general! I have a college results post up on my profile if you want to read more about me

so i plan to apply for financial aid from stanford using the isafa form. do i also fill out their international student supplement or is that only for those who do the css profile ? i emailed the financial aid office about this a while ago but never got a reply so i ofc turned to reddit (the supplement says 'supplement to css profile at the top' but i just want to be certain)

Were they supposed to request a non custodial parent waiver? My parents are divorced (divorced in 2019) and I live with my dad, no contact with my mother since their divorce. Also- how would I give the waiver to my other schools who also seem to require it? I'm a little lost.

so I'm writing it right now and after rereading the prompt a bit I feel like I should be writing less and less about the school itself, idk though?

like ik on cut and clear "why do u wanna attend X school" I'm supposed to show my interests and show how I'm a good fit with the school and their programs.

do I have to be as specific with this though? the prompt btw is

want to be sure we are considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background (your identity, your school, your setting, your community, your household, etc.) have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in northwestern's community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise?

Should I then focus more on possibly giving a "short story" about aspects of my life and saying what I'll actually do on a day to day basis there? should I still be as hyper specific as possible? (mentioning specific classes I wanna take, research opportunities, etc.)

I ask cause I caught myself writing "Taking part in X program will help me become the best...." and realized that the prompt isn't asking why I wanna go to the school, take part in programs, etc., but instead how I'll "engage" in the school.

man this probably a stupid post idek what I'm saying anymore.

tldr ig: should I write northwestern's essay like a regular "why us" or do I have to approach it a different way.

Will I actually have more chances of getting in if I apply to IVY's as a CLASSICS/LINGUISTICS applicants (and my ec's, projects, essay are actually strictly related?).

For instance, I speak 5 languages, I've translated classics books from various less-known languages (latin, Ancient Greek, Swahili, Ukrainian, Portuguese), I started a classics club in my school and won some translation from greek contests.

I know these colleges are completely unrelated, but these colleges each would balance my list differently. I want an urban/unique area where I could have a varied life outside the campus.

Vassar, being in Poughkeepsie, doesn’t have a very vibrant area. I already have other liberal arts, but it is probably more of a target which I need on my list.

UVA in Charlottesville is more of a target for me. It’s a bigger university, but I don’t know how much the size impacts the culture of the school. Charlottesville is also a unique but small area.

Emory is probably the best for urban area being in Atlanta. Its size is ultimately what I’m looking for. However, its downsides are probably that Atlanta may not be the safest/clean city and it’s closer to a reach which would limit my targets to a few.

Would someone mind helping me out with some guidance? I’m at a crossroads.

I'm in junior year of high school and here's what my list of reaches and matches looks like:

Reaches: Mount Holyoke, Smith, Wellesley College, Bryn Mawr, Boston University, University of Rochester

Matches: Clark University, Bentley University, Umass Amherst

Currently I have a 3.5uw GPA and I scored a 1450 on the PSAT this year (which I didn't even study for, so I'm shocked! I lowkey think they scored my test wrong because that does not look right lol, but maybe I'm just in denial). I know some colleges say that they're "need blind" but I filled out the "MyinTuition" financial aid calculator and it estimated that I would only pay 4k-6k a year most of these colleges, which is shockingly low and I feel like colleges would still reject me due to the massive loss they are getting if they truly are need blind and meet full financial aid.

I think I'm paranoid but would how likely would it be for me to actually get the financial aid I need from these colleges? My college counselor told me since I come from a unique background (vietnamese, gay, poor, etc.) colleges would still like to bring unique backgrounds to their campus and would take into less regard me paying less to be on campus as a result but idk

So my school has pretty significant grade inflation, and a lot of my classmates (potentially up to 10 out of 200 students) have 4.0s. I currently have a 3.96 because of a B+ and an A- in sophomore year. I understand that it’s not a bad gpa but I feel really guilty for loosing the 4.0 since it’s not that hard at my school :( my school doesn’t do weighted btw.

My question is: could the following factors still make me more competitive for top schools than my peers? -Higher test scores (my sat is 50pts higher than anyone else in my grade) -I was the only national merit semifinalist -None of the other top students in my school have jobs or work experience -To my knowledge, most of these students don’t do much outside of school and I think my extracurriculars are relatively extensive.

These are just the most easily comparable factors I could think of. Obviously there is a lot more nuance to this, but the overall question is can my test scores, extracurriculars, etc. make up for a lower gpa? Please be kind this is a genuine question because my gpa has been stressing me out a lot (please please please keep in mind that my school has grade inflation so a 3.96 at my school is not the same as it would be at other schools. Also, I don’t go to a very competitive school in general). Thank you!!

Just looking for same advice/help. I'm 28 and considering going back to school. I was originally going for business administration and I had two semesters left for my associates degree. I wanted to switch my degree to finance but I'm not sure if its worth going back just for an associates degree. Had conversation with someone and they mentioned in today's world, a bachelors in necessary. I'm single and life at home, currently working. ANY ADVICE IS APPRECIATED THANK YOU.

Just got back from my MIT interview, here's the questions I was asked and how it all went down:

I showed up to the coffee shop a bit early, to be ready to meet him as soon as he walked in the door. I immediately ran up to greet him - we ended up going outside bc there were no seats inside. We made small talk about interview locations, the coffee shop itself, etc. I was mad stressed at first bc I forgot my credit card and I thought we'd be drinking something, but thankfully we were only inside for like 5 seconds. Now here's what he asked me:

Why MIT?

• I talked about what I looked for in a college (had this down to a tee) and then I talked about the MIT-specific opportunities and how they align with what I look for. A big part of what I talked about was research, which allowed a segue into the next question.

You've talked a lot about future research, do you have past research experience you'd like to touch on?

• My time to shine. I yapped about my research internships - this guy works at the lab I interned at, so while he didn't know anything about my team and projects specifically, he was familiar with the systems. His group actually had a member doing something very similar to what I did, so we yapped about research (his and mine) for a while.

Any further questions for me?

• He led with this a bit early, and I was kinda worried that the interview would end short, so I knew I had to yap. I asked what he remembered the most about his time at MIT (he graduated over 50 years ago).  He yapped A LOT here, and we had a nice conversation about values. Then he talked about the community aspect of MIT and how they look for people who can collaborate, and I was like, oh shoot, I haven't talked about collaboration yet at all. Luckily that was his next question.

Have you worked with a team and collaborated with others?

• I yapped about clubs and research, and eventually transitioned to teaching kids. Here we had a nice conversation since he used to teach youth athletics at my age (as do I now), so we both talked a lot about our experiences.

Any further questions pt. 2

• I asked were about whether he was involved in any student groups/clubs (which allowed us to talk about our interests). He also talked a lot about student life here.

I know you're busy from the stuff you've told me; what else do you do for fun?

• I yapped about jogging and chess. He's a swimmer and I'm a runner, so we talked about triathlons for a while bc we both know people who have done them. Got sidetracked a lot here.

Further questions pt. 3

• I asked him what advice he would give to himself when he was entering MIT (ie what would he change). At first he said he didn't have many regrets, but as we talked further he said he wished he took advantage of more opportunities MIT gave him, and also that he connected with his professors more and asked questions outside of class.

Anything you'd like me to tell the AOs that they don't already know from your app?

• I said no, I think the app did a great job of condensing who I am at my core. Then we yapped about the MIT app for a while, and different colleges and opportunities there. He said as long as you take advantage of all the opportunities you're given and put in a lot, you'll be fine no matter where you go to college. We talked a bit about our local college, which we've both done research at.

Any questions about financial aid?

• No. Pretty simple. We talked a bit more after this, but it was all superficial and it had been about an hour, so we parted ways.

All in all, it definitely felt more like a conversation than an interview - we just talked about our interests, and anytime there was a lull in the conversation, I kept coming back to ask him questions about his experience. Definitely wasn't an interrogation or anything like that - felt way more like 2 people having a pleasant back and forth. I think it went well - he told me he could definitely see me at MIT and that I was a good fit, but they get so many applications that 3/4 of the people who are good fits don't get in. He said the process felt like throwing darts at application files, which I thought was funny coming from an interviewer. I was also a bit surprised that he didn't ask me "why major" since I had a great answer prepared, but he just seemed to accept that I was interested in math (which I touched on in "why MIT") without asking why.

If I had any advice, 100% know a lot of stuff about the school. Envision yourself on campus - what classes you're excited for, what clubs you'd join, what labs you'd do research at, etc. Even if you only get to bring up 10% of it, better safe than sorry. I felt uber prepared, so I got to pick what I wanted to highlight. If your interviewer is older, use the opportunity to get wisdom - if they're younger, use it to understand the current student life. Treat it like a friendly conversation, don't be too nervous, speak slowly and clearly, and bring water.

Good luck to my fellow applicants!!

i've worked so hard on my academics and my ECs basically since I was conscious to the point that now I feel like "I'm the best of the best" at everything I do (not in a cocky way but from a statistical standpoint). Now, every accomplishment I earn doesn't feel like its important and I have no emotional happiness from it even though I really do care about earning that accomplishment.

I am terrified of ivy early decisions in december and then regular decisions later on.

What if all this work was for nothing? What if I sacrificed so much sleep and happiness and free time in the pursuit of some wrongly idealized view of success?

Is anyone else going through similar senior scaries (as i like to call them)?

From my understanding of the Coalition App, you first submit your profile (grades, EC’s, etc) and then a couple days later you receive a portal login from the school which is where you submit your Supplemental essays? Does this mean you have to submit your profile before the actual deadline so you have adequate time to receive your portal login? Or do you get extra time to submit supplementals after the actual deadline? Thanks

just curious haha

Are there any summer programs for those interested in poli sci or law in high school, but that can look good on a app and they aren't ran by a college to make money

So I’m an idiot and forgot to register for my AP Psych Exam. The deadline elapsed on Friday. I put on my EA’s that I was gonna take them but as you can tell I clearly did not. Should I alert my colleges or is there another way I can take them outside of my school?

the question i chose was

Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.

i'm connecting composting to my love for environmental science

I honestly hate having to type this, but I do need some emotional support.

I'm really low income (FGLI) and I applied ED to my top school and EA to another school. I'm really worried about my chances of getting into college though, considering I'm first generation and didn't have a lot of help with the Common App. I've used two free college admissions services to help me draft supplements, but I feel like I need to get into the school I applied ED to in order to get substantial aid.

My family is low income (like REALLY REALLY low income) and I live with a single parent rn. But the school I applied ED to is pretty competitive, and though I had demonstrated interest (and they consider it) I feel like my chances of getting in are slim since I'm a test optional applicant. I also applied to QB and didn't become a finalist, and that kind of threw me off track. I'm also interested in majoring in a liberal arts field in college.

I guess the flair in my post isn't completely accurate; I do want emotional support, but also some advice. I want to know what I should do if I don't get in ED. I know I can just apply to my safeties, but even then, most of them won't give me good aid (simply because they can't afford to) and the ones that will are pretty far away. My main concern is travel though, because even though I can get into a top school with financial aid, the cost of having to buy train tickets/commute is a lot for my family and I.

Any advice from parents/college students who can relate would be appreciated. I'm just trying to make something of myself guys <33

Most EDs are coming out within the next month or so...what are you guys planning to do?

Are you guys planning to open it alone or with friends/family? Anything scheduled at the same time as the announcement? Any plans for what you're going to do after, whether you get in or not?

I might just come home and immediately take a nap and set an alarm to wake up at the decision release time LOL

I plan on applying as music major, but with a focus in things like audio engineering and music technologies (which I have many extracurriculars and experience with, and it’s something I really enjoy), but I am also a performer on the high schools states level for the euphonium (3rd best in state junior year) but I don’t consider myself remarkable at it, and I certainly don’t have a collection of videos that I consider exemplary (or any for that matter). And I’m trying to apply to some pretty prestigious schools in general, and I worry about submitting something that I don’t think is as strong as the rest of my application.

For more context, I'm transferring from a community college and these are specifically for the UC PIQs.

I already struggle to write about myself, so I looked up guides and examples, but they were all basically just brag sheets in essay form. Like I have extracurriculars but I'm not in the cabinet of any clubs and I've never gotten any awards or won competitions or anything like that. Like no matter the prompt the essays always circle back around to lists of quantitative accomplishments. And I don't really have any that were particularly impactful or impressive. Like I honestly don't really have many hobbies either, mostly because I haven't had time for them.

So how do I spin this kind of lackluster record into an essay ? I have absolutely no ideas.

Can anyone send me some scholarship programs available for international students ?

“What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?”

Does the song i chose have to be in english? Should it?

Edit: there are 50 words available

Title. So many weird complications and a lack of good instructions. I've never quite felt like having so many questions that maybe only three other people in the world also have, even though I know that there are many like me.

YouTube videos came in clutch, but echoing other people's sentiments, I still think it's ridiculous that the application for financial aid requires a fee to send. I qualified for a fee waiver automatically, but that was not the case for my non-custodial parent, who also happened to live in a country where the value of the currency doesn't scale nearly as much to the dollar, where $25 is a ridiculous amount as a processing fee.

Does anyone know if any fly-in programs for high school students (junior) are still open to apply to?

Does anyone know any colleges/universities for about $10k/year for an international student???
other than German universities btw

I have such a bad stutter the second I started recording it acted up. and I just said basically the most generic shit ever there’s no way im getting accepted

title

I'm a polisci major, probably going to either minor or double major in economics. I have a film and media background too. I've been accepted to the Bush School at TAMU and Drake University, and my list is University of Virginia, Amherst, Bowdoin, Gettysburg, Grinnell, Haverford, Middlebury, Pomona, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Buffalo, Swarthmore, Syracuse, Trinity University, Williams, and William & Mary.

All of these schools vary so much in size and prestige, but they're the highest ranked outside of Ivy League for poli sci and financial aid if I get in. I just don't know which ones to visit, since most decisions come out around March besides my EAs (UVA, Gettsyburg, Trinity), and I feel like I'm going to run out of time to visit if I wait until then. Which ones should I try to visit, and will that affect admissions?

I don't know if I want a large or small student-to-faculty ratio, but I'd like a school where I can actually discuss policy and poli sci theory, hopefully with research opportunities. Internship opportunities are important to me too, since I'm trying to get into the federal government for jobs (not as a politician, but as an administrator, analyst, pr rep, nonprofit manager, or interest group worker). A school with a good social atmosphere, not too in the city, and mostly walkable or at least with good transportation is what I'm looking for. If anyone has experience with these schools and can give me input on what to prioritize I'd appreciate it!

Edit for clarity; I'm from Texas

I have an early application deadline for a college that is on November 15th. Is it ok to wait until the last date to see if my November SAT score improved and then submit? Basically I am just wondering if it’s guaranteed that November results will come out on the 15th and also that it is ok to submit common app on the last day of the deadline.

i feel like the title explains it...guys i'm so scared, when are decisions being released? i need to talk to someone about this because the nerves are eating me alive :D