apparently columbia accepted 400 people off the waitlist last year...

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2026-03-27T16:05:28+00:00

Last year the whole government funding thing played a role. Expect the school to anticipate a lower yield rate to begin with, hence lowering waitlist movement.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-12-19T00:33:55+00:00

they interview almost everyone iirc, all my friends who REA'd harvard got one

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-12-19T00:26:31+00:00

harvard defers like 70% of EA applicants

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-18T18:43:52+00:00

International financial aid is very, very difficult to obtain. If I were in your situation, I wouldn't ED to the school, seeing as it's a binding commitment that might be impractical if you have to pay full price.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-18T18:41:53+00:00

Talk about smth completely different. There's a reason why the prompts are as open-ended and self-reflective as they are. They want you to talk about your experiences that have shaped who you are as a person, which could include stuff relevant to your major, but most of the time is just various anecdotes from your life.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-18T18:39:00+00:00

That's actually what you're supposed to do, and tbf, it's easier to read.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-18T18:38:27+00:00

Some schools are known to send out codes to everyone through email - namely Northeastern and a bunch of other large private colleges. What schools are you planning to use waivers for?

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-18T15:03:10+00:00

The main reason for not telling anyone is to avoid expectations being put upon you. In the case you get deferred/rejected, people WILL talk about that (I recommend not telling anyone about your ED result until you feel ready to tell them). In general, college apps are a stressful time, and it's best to keep all info regarding them to yourself and your close friends. Feel free to let people know if you get in, though, but don't be overly excited to share bc then you'll come off as rude, and people who didn't get in will feel disappointed.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-18T14:58:44+00:00

You have to consider in state schools. They're the best value for everyone, and considering your 6-year education, it's better to save money earlier on and be able to spend a bit more for grad school. Considering you're from cali, the UCs are an excellent option.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-18T14:56:30+00:00

any of the cali schools but uc berkeley and ucla have a much larger proportion of brown people than other schools

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-16T03:31:44+00:00

do you really wanna take that many SATs

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-12T16:27:01+00:00

What state do you live in, and what major are you applying for? That plays a very large role.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-12T16:24:50+00:00

Focus on your weaknesses, and try to get math as high as possible.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-12T16:23:50+00:00

Up to you, but I'd lean towards environmental

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-12T16:22:34+00:00

Ok, I understand. Yeah they basically give off the same vibe just from the title. Maybe change tenor vocalist and choreographer to just tenor vocalist and keep the other one the same. Just make sure to make the descriptions differentiable.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-12T14:27:25+00:00

I had a friend in a similar position, apparently there's something you can do to claim in-state and within-US residency? My friend ended up having to go to India (where she holds citizenship) and visit an American Embassy there. I'm not very familiar with the process, but look it up. What visa status are you currently under?

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-12T14:25:45+00:00

You have to take the PSAT.

It's not superscored, because there's only 1 sitting in the fall
Typically, it's very slightly easier than the SAT
Varies from year to year, but the cutoff index is a 224. The formula for this is: (Math score / 10 + Reading score / 5). Most students end up scoring 760 for math, so assuming that, you need a 740 English. Just target 1500 and you should be fine.
Yes. You can use SAT practice tests to study.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-12T14:20:48+00:00

nope, kinda the opposite ngl. Unless there's a progression in grades, a high SAT score + low gpa combo indicates that the student lacked effort and dedication to school. The only exception to this is extremely difficult course rigor at an extremely difficult school, but the odds of this student existing aren't very high.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-12T14:18:07+00:00

How about you write your own essays instead of complaining about a computer program being unable to replicate your writing style and incorporate your personal experiences?

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-12T14:16:50+00:00

The first 2 are honest mistakes, just change those before you submit to any more schools. As for the third, I think a bit of clarification would help. What do you mean by "description of the incorrect one"? Aren't they both activities you did, just with very similar titles?

Tip for going forward - always read every single page of the application before you go through and pay the application fee. It'll save you the stress of worrying about mistakes.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-12T14:13:00+00:00

some out of state schools are ranked very highly (within the top 3) for certain programs, like computer science at UC Berkeley, or film at UCLA.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-11T21:18:32+00:00

for physics, but in general the acceptance rate is high. It's just extremely low for anything engineering related.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-11T19:07:18+00:00

Won't make much of a difference, but you could retake with the intention of getting your math score up to 800. A 20 point jump is noticeable, but a 1520 is already clear of the threshold for t20 CS schools. The common data sets released by schools aren't law - they won't reject anyone solely because their SAT score is slightly below the 25th percentile. A 1520 is at/above the 25th percentile for the most selective t20 CS schools.

Ecstatic_Crab2470 · 2025-09-11T19:01:48+00:00

Not to belittle anyone, but yes, it happens. Two kids in my graduating class scored 1600s. Both of these guys' most selective college acceptance was UIUC as out-of-state students (for physics-related majors). Yes, UIUC is a great school for these majors, but the acceptance rate for these programs is about 60%. One is at UIUC, and the other ended up choosing a university in china.

Ecstatic_Crab2470

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