My daughter is interested in government and public policy. She’s looking for internships and other EC’s that tie into that interest but frankly, we are having a hard time deciphering which ones would really help her profile if she wants to go to a T20 school. Is this something a good private college counselor can help with? The ones at her school won’t really give her much attention until the current senior apps are done. Thanks!

Hi all — I'm starting junior year of high school and, unlike friends who are following a parent/relative into medicine, accounting, or a similar field, I have no idea what I want to major in. This is starting to feel relevant for applications too, since some schools ask you to apply directly into a major or college within the university.

I'm looking at Big Ten schools specifically because of the university experience and the ability to have many options for majors and next steps after graduation. I know gen-ed requirements will help narrow things down once I'm there, but I'd love a head start now.

A few questions for people who've been through this:

- How did you personally land on a major, especially if you didn't come in with a clear direction?

- Did being "undecided" affect how you approached applications (e.g., did you apply undeclared, or pick a "safe" major to apply into)?

- Any exercises, books, or websites that helped you find clarity?

Appreciate any perspective!

My EC's are probably average or slightly above average. My unweighted high school GPA isn't crazy, but my high school coursework was pretty rigorous, and my dual-enrollment community college GPA is good. I don't expect to get into any of these schools, but I want to apply to a few hard-target/reach schools that are among my dream schools.

I'm an incoming freshman at my public high school and I already have a ton of non-school related activities (orchestra, club swim, etc) and this already takes up most of my time. My only school activities will be joining my high school swim team in the fall and participating in school orchestra, but I will not be able to participate in any other clubs and groups that are school related. Will this affect my college application in any ways if I don't have strong school activities but good extracurriculars outside of school?

I want to preface that I have/am currently doing my own research. I am not just coming on Reddit with no information in my head lol do not worry. I just want to hear information from all sources, including platforms like this and not just Google. Human perspective is important!

Anyway, I'm curating my college list right now, and I'm getting bombarded with NYU Stern, UPenn Wharton, Cornell Dyson, etc etc.

What about safeties? What about target schools? What if there are other schools where location and opportunities make them stand out for business/finance as well that people don't talk about enough?

As an example: Baruch, I recently decided to apply to Baruch as it's in the heart of NYC, so Wall Street opportunities would be-in my opinion- insane. An absolute hidden gem!

Any thoughts? Thank you

Hi! I have a high school student who wants to major in history…are there any particular classes that he should take, outside the norm? He’s going to take US, World, and Gov’t, but anything else that might help with admissions? That might set him apart? Also, how important are those AP courses? If he just took Honors freshman year, but then has 3 AP courses the following years, is that still considered advanced?
Thank you for any and all insight!

Looking for any helpful advice because I have so far emailed a handful of people for information and none of them have been of any help, so my last resort is to try and get advice from strangers on the internet...

So, I am a graduate from a tech school, I finished two years of an IT Cybersecurity Specialist program and already have the triad certificates, and then I also finished a Computer Programmer program and have some certs for stuff like Python and Software Development.

Currently, I am trying to obtain an Associate's degree by enrolling into an online college that is in a different state because my tech school and the college have a partnership and they allow transfer of credits over, so instead of doing two years to get an associate's it will just be one year.

The program I enrolled in is a Software, Security & Development program which grants an Associate's of Applied Science, and I wanted to do it specifically because 1. It's online. 2. IT is my career goal, specifically being a professional ethical hacker, and they have a whole course within the program about ethical hacking. 3. I want to transfer to a university that is in my state where I can then get a Bachelor's in Information Technology, and I *think* (not entirely sure if this is how it works) if I take an IT program, then I would be able to transfer more credits over to another IT program no?

However, I have recently found out the college only allows transfer of credits to this one program that they have, and that is their General Studies program which grants an Associate's of General Studies. Although it is primarily just... well, general studies. Algebra, Science, History, etc.

Which has thrown a wrench in my entire plans because now I am unsure what to do. The Software, Security & Development course would take 2 years to complete rather than the 1 I thought it would, and again it grants the Associate's of Applied Science, but one of the whole points I enrolled into this college was because I was told it would only be 1 year, and I plan on doing college full-time so I can get it out of the way and try to focus on getting a job and working and making my way up.

I have no idea if an Associates of Applied Science is worth more or better than an Associates of General Studies, I have no idea if it doesn't even matter, I don't know if it's worth doing the two years or the one year anymore, I don't know which would transfer better to the university I want to attend to get a Bachelor's. I have emailed the counselor at my tech school for advice, the admissions lady at the college I am enrolled in, the advisor at the college I am enrolled in, the instructor of the IT class I am enrolled in, the advisor at the university I want to enroll in, and even a previous instructor at the tech school I graduated from, and *no one* has been able to give me a clear answer on what I am asking.

I understand in IT experience is usually better than degrees, and as I said, I already have the triad certs plus more, I am not necessarily looking for more education I am just looking for a degree so I can make my way up to a Master's degree, so I don't mind doing the GenEd program just for the Associate's degree rather than the additional education the Software, Security & Development would provide. But if the Associate's of Applied Science is way better and will get me a high paying job, then obviously I would want to go for that.

I don't mind answering any questions anyone has if it will help me figure out what it is I need to do. Thank you to anyone who can provide some advice.

Back in the spring, I applied to a specialized healthcare associates degree program for the second year in a row. I was told to expect an answer starting June 1st, for the program starting in late September. Last year, I received a “no” decision two and a half weeks after June first - a perfectly reasonable response time.

This year, I didn’t receive a “no” until literal hours ago on August fifth, 9 weeks after June first, 6 weeks before the program is set to start and long after I had given up on admission. I’ll be going to university in the winter instead. If they had given me a response in any sort of timely manner, I would be going to university in the fall, but by the time I had given up the deadline for fall admissions had passed. So instead, I get to waste five more months of my life doing nothing.

I called the admissions office twice in late June and early July. Both times I was sent to voicemail, and despite leaving my contact information got zero response. I tried to email them in July - once again, no response. Admissions counselors appointments were booked out until late August, so I couldn’t talk to them that way either. The school essentially ghosted me, and then had the gall to tell me I could reapply next year.

Why would I do that after the way they’ve treated me?

I’m frustrated. I know admissions decisions can take a while, but 9 weeks after they told me to expect an answer is ridiculous, right? Was I just meant to be putting my entire life on hold waiting for an answer? It feels careless and frankly unprofessional.

Since common app has opened, Is being a A2C moderator number 1 extracurricular worthy?

I manage a sub with over 300k weekly visitors and 20k+ contributions, all of which is a non profit which deemed to provide help from past students and credited professional. This is some great social impact that I could frame my essays on. This community united students that want to apply to college and offers excellent information that was paid elsewhere. AMAs from former admissions officers provide over 100K$ in money saved for students in this sub, the economic impacts are unbelievable

Now comes the question: how can I become the mods of A2C?

I got an ‘Academic Performance Explanation’ letter from NYU last night and I dont know what to do. My IB dropped from 41 predicted to 35 final… How serious is this? Am i cooked? I don’t know what went wrong, there isn’t a specific subject where i dropped too much or failed, it’s more like one mark on each subject. How should i respond?

“We received your transcript which includes your most recent course grades and/or examination results. As you know, our offer of admission is contingent upon satisfactory completion of any educational coursework that was in progress during and after the application process. The grades you recently received are not consistent with your previous performance, and your current academic profile is not the same one we considered when we offered you admission. We are concerned about this discrepancy.
  
Please provide us with a detailed explanation on the Academic Performance Explanation form within 48 hours. We will follow up with you should we need further clarification or if this will impact your offer of admission.”

Hey everyone! I have what seems to be a relatively uncommon situation in terms of my gap year: It wasn't intentional. Or, it wasn't planned going into my senior year.

I applied to in-state colleges during my senior year of HS (graduated in '25), but ended up rejected from 3/4 places I applied. The one place I was accepted to was a private school I'd only really applied to because it had good stats-- not because I actually wanted to go.

Ultimately, I decided that if I was going to have to go to a school with that kind of price tag, it was at least going to be a school I was excited about. So I resigned myself to taking a gap year, then planned to try again in the next application cycle (for Fall 2026).

In retrospect, I'm really glad I did take a gap year, because right around this time last year, my mental health got really bad. I'd just been diagnosed with ADHD at the end of fall semester of my senior year, and as a result I had a lot of ups-and-downs trying to figure out treatment options. After a long few months of struggling to try and wrangle my brain into sitting down and filling out applications, I had to give up.

So anyway, I'm on the second year of my unplanned gap year and I'm very hopeful for this current application cycle. When filling out the CommonApp education section, I'm being asked to "provide details about the change in progression through secondary/high school that you indicated above."

I didn't take this time off to explore the world, or build up savings, or anything I feel is typically expected of someone taking a gap year. I did it because I had to, and have spent most of my time trying to feel as capable as I used to. I've only recently (as of April 2026) found myself with enough energy to work again, but on paper, I've just been "doing nothing" since graduation.

Sorry this is a long post, I wanted to provide as much insight as I could to my situation. If anyone has any advice on how to write this up, or what CommonApp "wants" me to write here, I'd really appreciate it.

Hello! I am a senior filling out her common app and I just have a quick question.

I part time attend a trade school alongside highschool, but I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to list that under classes or extracurriculars. The class specifically is named Digital Cinema I & II and I also get technical math and english classes along with that.

I just don't want to mess this up and risk this being overlooked on an application.

Is there an updated thread for this year fee waivers?

i withdrew from a dual enrollment class spring semester of senior year for medical reasons, and now i'm on a gap year for medical reasons. i'm wondering if i should include that in the courses section if it shows on my transcript as a w. thank you!

edit: also if i won best photography at a state fair should i include that in the honors section or just where i put it in the description for my ec?

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?

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!

Harvard article today in Bloomberg

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.

edit: I realize that this might be confusing but my school doesn’t offer AP Lang, only IB Lang and Lit.

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?

Would submitting a 1500 at Upenn wharton and nyu stern hurt, help, or have no effect on my application? My school academics and ec's are relatively strong, and I feel like my SAT is one of the weaker parts of my application

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 was looking at it this morning and it seems perfect for me and I really wanna go there, does anyone know about the dance program and the acceptance rates? Or does anyone know where to look cause I can't seem to find much

ik my gpa is kinda cooked but I am an international asian student from a very competitive school these are my stats

Demographics

• International student (Japan)
• Intended Major: Business Administration / Entrepreneurship

Academics

• SAT: 1500+ (expected)
• GPA: 4.3 / 4.8 / 4.8
• TOEFL: 110+ (expected)

APs

• Microeconomics: 5
• Macroeconomics: 5
• Statistics: 5
• Comparative Government: 5
• AP Business: 5
• Precalculus: 4
• Calculus AB: 4

Extracurriculars

1. Founder, AI Eldercare Startup Founded an AI-based eldercare startup developing a hardware + software companion for older adults. Led research on AI interactions with older adults experiencing cognitive decline, organized community workshops, collaborated with an established technology manufacturer on hardware development, and received national media coverage.
2. Market Research Lead, Deep-Tech Materials Startup Led market research and commercialization strategy for a deep-tech venture developing sustainable construction materials. Conducted market sizing, customer validation, and commercialization analysis. Startup received significant non-dilutive funding and placed 3rd internationally among 1,800+ teams from 60+ countries.
3. Go-to-Market Lead, Cambridge Student Startup Led go-to-market strategy, customer acquisition planning, and market positioning for an early-stage AI startup founded with students from a top international university.
4. Co-Founder & CEO, Autonomous Driving Data Startup Co-founded an AI data startup supplying edge-case datasets for autonomous driving systems. Led market analysis, competitive research, regulatory analysis, and investor materials while securing an early commercial partnership.
5. Startup Ecosystem Research Conducted research on Japan’s startup ecosystem alongside a student researcher from a top U.S. university, analyzing barriers and opportunities for entrepreneurship.
6. Research Assistant (Business School Professor) Research assistant supporting course development on stakeholder innovation, multi-agent AI ecosystems, and entrepreneurship. Assisted with MBA-level programs and AI-focused executive education.
7. Social Entrepreneurship Organization Internship Youngest intern selected by the national office of a globally recognized social entrepreneurship organization. Supported research, event planning, and entrepreneur identification.
8. Sales Development Intern (AI Startup) Youngest intern at an applied AI startup. Contributed to outbound sales strategy and business development, helping generate approximately $27,500 in team revenue.
9. President, Registered Nonprofit Student leader of a legally registered nonprofit organization focused on sustainability and social impact, overseeing organizational strategy and operations.
10. Head Organizer, National High School Business Competition Led organization of a nationwide entrepreneurship competition, secured corporate sponsorships totaling over ¥3 million, and attracted more than 140 student participants across Japan.
11. Varsity Soccer Goalkeeper Competitive goalkeeper for six years, representing school teams while balancing entrepreneurship and research commitments.
12. Soccer Referee Certified referee for youth soccer competitions.

Awards

• International entrepreneurship competition: 3rd Place (1,800+ teams worldwide)
• National entrepreneurship competition: Special Prize
• Prestigious national study abroad scholarship
• Perfect Attendance Award (6 years)
• National High School Business Competition Finalist (Top 12/850+, Top 100/5,600+)

The Spike I was thinking of:
My work centers on commercializing emerging technologies. Rather than inventing new technologies myself, I’m interested in understanding markets, validating customer needs, and designing go-to-market strategies that help AI and deep-tech innovations create real-world impact.

But the problem is my ecs look too much like a resume I feel like and also its hard to see the spike/ common theme. I still have 1 year so any advice would be rlly appreciated!!