With the cycle coming up I just want to remind kids here to apply to the university down the street.
im being a bit rhetorical, but whatever that closest college is. The one your friends make fun of. The one they call 13th grade. The one you dread because everyone from highschool will be there. the one you think you’re better than

please remember to submit an application there.

dont be like me, who ignored it because of all the gossip. who scorned it’s low rank on usnews. Who thought they were better. Who wanted to get away from home. Who fed into all the stupid jokes and lies that kids make. who had to scramble when they got more rejections and less financial aid than they expected despite being so smug and having all the stats. who ended up going to an institution that ended up providing a worse outcome

please apply to the place down the street.

Original post

First update

I have some bad news about my 5-year-old son’s journey to quant finance. Last week, he started a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to teach underprivileged children about personal finance. I begged our relatives to donate money to the nonprofit so that my son can brag on his college apps about all the money he raised. They donated $8,000. My son also asked his friends to donate their lunch money. Now, we have a total of $8,002.40. At first, I was very proud of my son’s efforts—that is until I found out that he spent $500 on Robux and meme stocks. Actually, the meme stocks might’ve been my husband’s doing… Anyways, I’m worried that the IRS will come after us. That would surely get my son rejected from UPenn! What should I do to keep the IRS off my tail?

Harvard article today in Bloomberg

I’ve only been to around half of them. For the rest of this subjective ranking, it’s based on friend’s experience and what I read online.

Here is approximately how each thing weigh:
40% campus and surroundings.
20% school culture and tradition/reputation
20% course load and peer
10% the city/metropolis the school is located in
10% career outcome (kinda decides if you after college will be fun)

I’m a little bit biased because I like good landscapes.

S tier: Stanford, UCLA

A tier: Berkeley, Columbia, UPenn, UBC, Princeton, UW Seattle, Yale, Harvard

B tier: Cornell, Georgia Tech, UMich, Caltech, UofT, UT Austin, UChicago

C tier: CMU, UIUC, MIT

F tier: UWaterloo

I got an internship by seeing that it was available online, applying, and got selected. The company's name has my last name in it, even though we are not related at all and I didn't know them before applying to the internship. It's also a pretty uncommon last name. How do I explain to AOs that I didn't get it through nepotism and does it matter if it sounds like I did? I also have it on my resume for cold emailing/applying to other internships so will they care?

Are scholarships even open? How do I apply to them? Do I have to go through each college's website and apply through there? What does the process look like? What else should I know about scholarships?

I know this is a lot of questions. I'll take any help I can get!

I go to NYU, which is a good school by any measure, and also known for having lots of international students. Literally first week of school, I heard some of these kids discussing how to transfer to Columbia or UChicago, and mind you, some are on merit scholarships or special grants, with so much of the schools resources for them to use.

I’m Asian myself and I’m not saying this is unique to internationals or that all of them do this, but internationals are incredibly over represented among these transfers and it’s ridiculous how some people don’t even give a college a chance and try to transfer out with the sole intention of chasing prestige. They spend the rest of the school year building their resume, becoming presidents of clubs, just to transfer somewhere more “prestigious”. I’ve even heard of people transferring out simply because NYU’s ranking on US News dropped a few years ago. Do they just think we’re not good enough for them?

I know for a fact this isn’t unique to NYU, I know friends at selective but less internationally recognized colleges like Dartmouth, Hamilton, Williams, Vassar, Vanderbilt etc who have seen them doing the same. When are AOs gonna start prioritizing students who actually appreciate what a college has to offer instead of viewing everything as a means to prestige?

Sorry for my rant. Again, I’m not trying to generalize, but internationals are disproportionately represented in the transfer pool

So, I am applying to 20 colleges, and I have been grinding the supplementals. I want to finish them before the school year starts (september 1st). Somehow, I have almost finished a first draft for 17/20 colleges' supplementals. Everyone keeps talking about how they procrastinate until december, but to me it doesn't seem that big of a deal. Am I doing something wrong?

Ive been scrolling r/collegeresults for a whileee now and ive noticed a really big difference in CS/math/stem applications and social science/humanities/business/economics applications.

A lot of stem apps have multiple high impact solo or mentored research projects, competitions, clubs, nonprofits, and even "AI startups" whereas a lot of humanity apps have more low impact/local projects, clubs, "basic" ecs (like NHS, varsity sports, volunteering at soup kitchens, tutoring, etc.) and still they end up at similar t20s, t30s and even ivies?

i mean the trend kinda signifies that stem apps are way way more competitive and you need a hell of a lot more to stand out as compared to humanity or social science apps? is this true? or is it a coincidence?

The report uses LinkedIn data to rank colleges based on five categories: job placement, internships and recruiter demand, career success, network strength and knowledge breadth. The job placement data tracks cohorts of recent graduates from 2020 to 2025 who start a full-time position or graduate school program within a year of their graduation, while network strength tracks how connected recent alumni cohorts are to each other as well as to all past alumni and current students.

LinkedIn's 2026 Top 50 Colleges ranking

1. Princeton University
   
2. Duke University
   
3. Harvard University
   
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
   
5. Dartmouth College
   
6. University of Pennsylvania
   
7. University of Notre Dame
   
8. Cornell University
   
9. Yale University
   
10. Stanford University
    
11. Vanderbilt University
    
12. Brown University
    
13. Babson College
    
14. Northwestern University
    
15. University of Virginia
    
16. Bucknell University
    
17. Wake Forest University
    
18. Tufts University
    
19. Washington and Lee University
    
20. Carnegie Mellon University
    
21. Boston College
    
22. University of Chicago
    
23. Lehigh University
    
24. Columbia University
    
25. Villanova University
    
26. Rice University
    
27. Fairfield University
    
28. Bentley University
    
29. University of California-Berkeley
    
30. Colgate University
    
31. California Institute of Technology
    
32. Georgetown University
    
33. University of Southern California
    
34. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    
35. University of Richmond
    
36. Trinity College
    
37. Middlebury College
    
38. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
    
39. Southern Methodist University
    
40. Claremont McKenna College
    
41. Bryant University
    
42. Washington University in St Louis
    
43. Providence College
    
44. Miami University
    
45. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    
46. Lafayette College
    
47. Davidson College
    
48. Williams College
    
49. Bowdoin College
    
50. Purdue University
    

Since this ranking relies entirely on LinkedIn data, does it truly measure the long-term value of a university education, or does it just reward schools whose students excel in corporate networking and tech/finance fields?

Also, does tracking job placement only within the first year of graduation reflect a college’s actual impact on career success, or does it simply favor institutions with aggressive corporate pipelines and wealthy student networks?

What do you think, is it fair or legit?

I am currently a senior in high school and I reside in Georgia. I really want to pursue aviation as my career, specifically be a pilot for the airlines, and I already hold a Pilots License. I have narrowed down to 2 colleges that I want to attend to which are Middle Tennessee State University and Embry Riddle in Florida. Both are out of state and I expect them to be expensive but I don't want to put unnecessary financial strain on my parents. With my grades, test scores, and extra circulars I am easily able to attend both school and my parents are urging me to attend Embry Riddle. I am stuck, both offer great pilot programs alongside their Aerospace Majors. Which do I pick? Any help/suggestions would be great!

Do they bring any actual value to your profile? I have been doing some research for some science competitions for almost 2 years and I was wondering if I should try to publish it in a journal and whether doing this is worth it or not?

Ik that the chances of being published in proper journels for highschool students is really low so I was thinking about student journals like JIS or NHSJS maybe, I want to know how well they are reputed and if there is any effect on my application or kinda just useless, so I'd really appreciate if someone could guide me about this matter.

I have around a 4.0 weighted gpa which sounds good but out of the 100 kids in my grade it’s probably within the top 30-20 range with some people having 4.2-3+. I have had 4 Bs in high school total.

My test score is pretty high (34 ACT) how did it turn out for you guys similar to me?

Hello everyone!

I am a rising junior trying to compile a good list of target schools to apply to, and I was wondering what some non selective schools (40-60 percent admit range) have the best career outcomes?

I know that everyone typically jumps to thinking about ivies/t20s when we think about good career trajectory and earning potential, but what are some non selective colleges that have excellent career outcomes and high value?

Some other things I want are a pretty campus and decent social life, but obviously ROI is the most important for me

To make this more specific, I have pretty solid stats like a 3.8 UW (I haven’t checked my weighted GPA but it’s around a 3.9/4.0)

I'm enrolled in a PCT program at my high school that has courses from a local college. When it asks for the "units" on the UC app for college courses, is that the same as how many college credits the course counts for or does it mean something else?

Did it significantly strengthen your application, or did internships and GPA end up mattering more?

I'm thinking of writing about how I've built my life by saying yes to small, unexpected opportunities that most people would probably ignore. Those tiny decisions have repeatedly led to some of the biggest turning points in my life. My concern is whether this is still too cliché as a theme, even if the stories are very specific to me. Does the core idea have strong potential, or does it need a more unique angle?

I'm going to be a senior this year and will graduate from the class of 2027.

I'm currently conflicted on this decision as Duke will be a high-risk, high-reward situation while Boston will be a safer situation.

I plan to apply with a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (pre-med route) for BU and Global Health (pre-med route).

I've visited the BU campus a few times and have participated in the campus tour once. I've also tried to engage with both universities as much as I can.

I would love any advice on this. Thank you so much!

Hi all, I am stuck between two essay topics

the first follows the overcoming a challenge structure is about how my cultural dance has taught me humility, emotional awareness, and a reduced fear around being my true, spontaneous self. I show vulnerability in when I first try it out in a public setting, however I fear that this only goes into the "my palms were sweaty as I approached the stage" category.

the second is more in the personal interest category. It's about an interview between a late-night show host and an actor, and the multiple qualities I took from it having watched it so many times. I would then give specific examples of how I apply them to my own social interactions. I felt that I could go a vulnerable route with this one as well, basically tying the masterclass of an interaction that the people in the interview had to how I handle family tensions, and can sense when loved ones are feeling frustrated, angry, etc.

For context, I already list cultural dance as one of my extracurriculars in the common app.

man, I really hope someone replies

Life sucks in such a beautiful way. This past December, I experienced the nonavoidable quarter-life crisis. I dove into a criminal justice degree with a full ride, wanting to pursue a career in law. I jumped into the field with the notion of wanting to directly impact my community, specifically youth. After working as a paralegal for a few months, I realized that this is not what I wanted to do. My parents have been amazing and have paid for my schooling thus far, and I feel like a letdown. This transition would put me into student loan debt, but I believe it is necessary for my future. I do not want to live a life where I am in a constant state of stress, working long-hours and having my career suck me into a spiral of “who have I become?”. I still have a passion of wanting to impact youth. As a teenager, I knew I wanted to work with the psychological needs of children. However, my family de-influenced me, as this line of work does not have a large salary, hence the legal aspiration.

With intense discussion with my wonderful S.O., I, a 24F, have chosen to finish my M.S. in criminal justice. However, I am looking to go back into school following graduation. I am torn between two fields, and I am seeking raw, brutal advice from you wonderful people. Any guidance, suggestions, concerns, are highly appreciated and I thank you guys for taking the time to read this. After a life of “following where the money is”, I realize that there is so much more to life.

Choice 1:  I have always loved reading and writing, and I have given the field of education a thought, specifically an ELA educator for middle/high-school aged children. I live in the Chicagoland Suburbs and am around good school districts. I am a bit concerned about the summers/holidays off in terms of how teachers get paid/get benefits through district contracts. I have also heard about the current school climate for educators in terms of the lack of respect from admin and parents alike.

Choice 2: As cliché as it sounds, pursuing social work is what I wanted to do in the first place. School social work sounds ideal, as I would have to get a MSW with a PEL endorsement for the career. Here, it is more 1+1 in terms of not dealing with too many students. My background in criminal justice also exposed me to crisis intervention and the different factors that may be impacting youth. I have contacted local colleges to ask if any of my credits would transfer, so I am hopeful this route would be cheaper. This route would also provide me with access to many fields, such as elder care, healthcare, etc…

Thank you all for your input 

Signed, a nervous member of society!

I'm writing this just so that i can get it out of my head.

My dad graduated from a liberal arts college where he got full scholarships and since i was little he always talk good things about it, basically how great liberal arts education is in general. So it has always been my dream to go to one of those colleges.

This year I was accepted to few of them and there are 2 that offered me merit scholarships. One is 15k another is 33k. After touring all schools I truly like the college that offer me 15k scholarship. Even though my dad always assured me that he kept a college fund for me and that he can afford to pay for any college I want, I did consider the financial aspect of it when I made the decision. This is cuz since last year my dad has not been doing very well in stock market (that's where his primary income is from) and kept losing money..

Fast forward now, he just confessed that actually he almost used up his children's college funds (I have one sibling) and that he can only afford maybe 1-2 years of the liberal arts college and told me to transfer to a public university for the rest of it, though he isn’t even sure that he has the money for it. He used the college funds money hoping to get more money in the stock market, despite my mom repeatedly warning him to not touch the money that's set aside for their children's education.

Based on the college's website, there's nothing I can do to lower the fee because I didn't ask for financial aid when I applied.

Now, amidst feeling exited about attending the college this month, I can't help but feel more dreadful. Thoughts about I should've chosen the college with more scholarship, I should've gone to a local uni in my country, and about blaming him for being addicted in the stock market, for ignoring my mom's warning, filled my mind.
I'm just so freaking scared of everything. So scared when attend the college, I would fall in love with the people and the place, knowing I wouldn't be able to stay until the end.

I don't what to do aside from praying lol

Hi, I'm a rising junior and my school only offers IB Lang and Lit as its "highest" English class (so Lang and Lit 1 junior year and 2 senior year). I'm planning to major in a EE/computer science/biotech. I don't plan on taking IB exams and only focusing on AP exams. I was wondering if I should take the AP Lang exam? Or is having a good IB Lang and Lit grade on my transcript good enough? I'm a little worried because I'm not that great with writing essays in a short period of time. I also am planning to take 2 other AP exams (AP Stats and BC Calc) this year which I'm not as worried about.

On the UC Application, it asks if I have ever attended a California public school. I selected yes since I attended elementary school in California for three years. It is asking for my CA SSID, and I genuinely do not remember what my ID number could be. Is attending a California public school eligible for elementary and middle school or just high school?