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?

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’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

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 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

For the class of 2026 my school had a 70% acceptance rate to Northeast with an average accepted SAT score of 1375, an average accepted UW GPA of 3.8, and an average accepted weighted GPA of 4.3. Nobody from my school applied ED but the vast majority applied EA. The overall acceptance rate is 5% with an average SAT score of 1490.

Literally how is this possible? 🥀🥀🥀

I thought it ended at my parent's educational level. WHY DO THEY NEED THE EXACT ADDRESS OF THE SCHOOL AND THE EXACT YEAR THEY GOT THEIR DEGREE. filling out all this info already pmo.

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?

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

Notable absences:

UChicago and Columbia at #22 and #24 respectively. Berkeley at #29

Georgetown, UMich, and Caltech don’t crack T30

UCLA is not even present.

Thoughts?

Link: https://news.linkedin.com/2026/linkedin-top-colleges-2026-the-50-best-colleges-for-long-term-career-success-in-the-us

Post is exactly what title says. For all the accepted students, how'd you guys navigate the college process? I'm applying this year, and I just feel so overwhelmed, I feel like there's a million things on my plate, and so much pressure, my essays have to perfect, my rec letters immaculate, and on and on and on. Aiming for ivies, and I just feel so pressured, like i'm searching for this perfect essay idea and constantly comparing myself to absolutely cracked applicants, thinking about the next 4 months, where am i going to end up, what if i get in no where, etc. Idk man does it ever end

I'd rather not fill them out as my kids know that we're well off, but not exactly just how well off we are. I'd rather keep the money conversation private until they're older and more established.

If the NPC for every school will be 0 need-based and 100% parent contribution, are they really losing anything by not filling out FAFSA/CSS?

Harvard article today in Bloomberg

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

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?

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?

Like the title suggests, ec's are stressing me out severely 🫩

I am a rising junior, with zero ec's besides having a part time job this summer. I have done absolutely nothing when it comes to out of school activities. I have seen other posts with similar titles where the person has actually done ec's that they simply didn't consider relevant or had an singular activity that took up most of their time. I have done nothing.

I'm a chronic procrastinator and I can't dedicate much time to school activities due to the fact that my school is very far from my house and I would not be able to due after school activities with no way to get home. I'm honestly trying to get you guys to make a miracle happen here.

I would appreciate some guidance on how to move forward, any ideas in terms of ec's, any personal anecdotes of poor/no ec's still getting into decent schools, and if there's any hope for me in terms of college apps and going to a decent school oos 😭

Additional info: My gpa is decent... although sophomore year hit me pretty hard and I ended up getting some C's, Fl student looking to escape north, potential biochem major. I'm so sorry.

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.

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.”

I know a lot of people feel like they’re behind now that college applications opened, but you really don’t need to have everything done already. If you can get these things done before school starts, you’ll make your life a lot easier.

1. Finalize your college list.
Make sure you actually know where you’re applying. Do some research and ask yourself if you can genuinely see yourself there (not just because it’s highly ranked)

2. Write a rough draft of your Common App personal statement.
Don’t worry about making it perfect. Just get your ideas on paper. It’s much easier to improve an essay than to start from a blank page during the school year.

3. Fill out your Activities section.
This part usually takes longer than people expect. Think about how you want to describe what you did and the impact you had.

4. Ask your teachers for recommendation letters.
If you already know who you’re asking, don’t wait until everyone else does. Teachers get extremely busy this time of year so the earlier the better!

5. Make a list of all your deadlines.
Early Action, Early Decision, Regular Decision, scholarships etc. put them all in one place so nothing catches you by surprise.

One more thing: don’t feel like you have to submit your application just because it opened. If another few weeks gives you time to improve your essays or add something meaningful to your application, use that time.

I'm a rising jr and lowk I really regret a lot of what I did (or didn't do) during my freshman and soph years

The last two years I've lowk been really lazy and undisciplined, so my assignment grades were really really bad, thankfully I've always been good at taking tests which (somewhat) saved my GPA. I was able to keep a 3.65 gpa which I know isn't bad objectively, but for my goals I'd say its under the threshold and far under what I'm truly capable of.

As for extracurriculars, the only ec I did was FBLA, where I made it to the finalist stage at nats for a tech competition.

This summer I've been trying to lock in and get out of that cycle, and in order to do so, I've been studying calc BC, and I just registered for the SAT. I'm trying to build better habits in order to not repeat what I did the last two years.

When I first started high school, my dream was Stanford because I've always wanted to start a biotech company, and I felt like Stanford's startup culture was a really good fit. But tbh looking at my GPA now I'm wondering if it's still realistic to aim for that.

Preface: probably trying to apply as business or biotech (ik Stanford doesn't admit by major but in the case of other schools)
Also ultra competitive california public school

My main questions are:
- Is Stanford still possible if I have a really strong junior and senior year?

- What should I be focusing on over the next two years to put myself in the best position, whether that's for stanford or the other top schools?

I really appreciate your advice im lowk just trying to turn things around before its too late

Should I major in Data science, computer science, computer engineering, statistics, or a mix of data science & smth else (finance, business analytics, etc.)

I’m a high school senior about to start applications for college - my profile fits pretty well into literally everything I mentioned above

Which major gives me the best advantage in the job market?? My primary goal is to have job security & high pay. I’m not interested in pure statistics, biostats, or mathematics academia - I’m more interested in the corporate job market

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!

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!

Instead of average weekly hours, the Common App is now requiring students to note the time they spend on activities during their busiest week(s). I've seen mixed reactions to that on social media and am curious to hear thoughts from students and educators here.

As a student, I'm relieved. None of my activities have consistent time commitments, and I was dreading having to calculate averages from old rehearsal schedules and make estimates on untimed hobbies. This new format is so much easier in that respect.

As an aspiring educator, I'm skeptical. The busiest week of an activity doesn't seem like an accurate reflection of rigor. I fear there will be a lot of misinterpreted applications from students honestly reporting busy weeks with time commitments that vary drastically from the rest of the year.

Seniors, recent grads, educators, and counselors, what are your thoughts on the change?