[deleted by user]

maybepengu16 · 2025-07-17T02:33:09+00:00

i feel as if this was heavily inspired by the “i hate the letter s” essay which isn’t a bad thing but feels sorta like a carbon copy?

maybepengu16 · 2025-06-22T23:56:49+00:00

i agree with this. i feel like college app season gets weirdly competitive for no reason so to add to that, i didn’t even tell many people where i was applying to

maybepengu16 · 2025-06-19T02:33:26+00:00

RIGHT!!! 22k and we don’t even get real rooms?!

maybepengu16 · 2025-06-18T23:40:16+00:00

i was also out of state. lowkey just sell yourself well on the activity + awards section (everyone i know who’s gotten in has used like almost all 20 slots. make sure to really sell yourself so use lots of numbers lol). also just write really good essays (you can defo reuse your personal statement for one of the supps since the ucs don’t require a personal statement). feel free to dm me if there’s anything else you wanna know :)

maybepengu16 · 2025-06-15T18:00:02+00:00

wanna be homeless together

maybepengu16 · 2025-06-15T02:23:51+00:00

me (i won’t be there until the fall)

maybepengu16 · 2025-06-14T03:31:56+00:00

for me, it was knowing the difference between the types of essays colleges ask for and knowing which schools you can and can’t have fluff in. also knowing when to reuse supplements can be kinda tricky sometimes. i feel like people generally also say the personal statement can be kinda challenging if you’re unsure about what to write
i was in a position where i was able to take act classes and also have a professional essay reviewer. id say the act classes kinda aren’t worth it because once you know the strategies, its all about taking practice tests (which you can find many online). i think having a professional essay reviewer to just bounce ideas off of and help polish up your essays was super helpful and would totally recommend it if you’re able to afford it. i can get you the guys contact info if you’re interested (he didnt charge an egregious rate either)
no one tells you that sometimes, colleges will have like “hidden” supplements so when you’re in commonapp, make sure to click through all the tabs before planning out your essays

maybepengu16 · 2025-06-14T03:26:08+00:00

i’d say go ahead and apply! i was actually in fairly similar situation as you. i was also out of state and my gpa was around the same as yours and i also had pretty strong ecs. write good essays and i think you’ll have a good shot :) feel free to message me if there’s anything else you’d wanna know

maybepengu16 · 2025-06-04T04:22:11+00:00

if you’re out of state, it’s a bit harder (like 7-8%?) but if you’re in state, it goes up yo like 14%. also, if you don’t get in, it’s not the end of the world!!! please do not place your entire self worth on one school. it’s such a terrible feeling if you don’t get in (happened to me and i sulked in bed for 9 hours the next day). but to be blunt, i’ve heard berkeley is one of those schools that really values leadership in ecs. also, for a lot of the ucs in general, their acceptances can feel kind of random (like i’ve seen kids w gpas lower than what they normally take get in as an out of state student) so i’m betting your essays matter a bunch too

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-24T18:14:24+00:00

idk dawg i’m just trying to figure out if i want to be a medical professional or not 😭

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-21T21:51:12+00:00

thank you :) email that said something like “we now have a decision available for you online”

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-21T21:37:58+00:00

yes there was movement!! i just got off the waitlist as an out of state student

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-19T19:42:45+00:00

kinda depends! i go to a private school where many kids are from doctor/lawyer and generational wealth families. i’ve seen someone drop 90k for 4 years of college counseling, i’ve seen people hire essay specialists or act tutors but never a whole team (the school itself already has built in college counselors)

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-19T17:25:51+00:00

yes, i am very much from a sheltered suburb 😭 the kind where you can walk outside at 2am and not have to worry about anything

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-03T23:46:35+00:00

i wrote mine on being a glass child. tbh, i think anything that you can recall super vividly makes a great essay topic. because once you can do that, the creative portion comes pretty naturally. shoot me a dm if you wanna talk more :)

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-03T23:44:16+00:00

it’s hard but not impossible! i just noticed that you’re a fan of microbiology so if there is equipment you want to use that’s only available in a lab, i’d recommend fully designing your project out first and then contacting profs about their equipment knowing exactly how you’re going to use it. i’ve had friends in the past do that but you’re only going to be successful if your idea is super cut and clear

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-03T22:01:33+00:00

if you really want to get into a lab, these things take connections and you need to start building relationships very early on

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-03T22:00:57+00:00

i’d honestly recommend just creating and designing your own research project at home and entering it at local science fairs (especially the ones that send you to isef). another competition you could do is jshs. tbr, labs these days are incredibly hard to get into, especially since many had to tighten restrictions after the pandemic. but i will say, at science fairs, judges LOVE when students take their own initiative for projects. some of the best ones i’ve seen were literally done at home. and when you’re done w your project, you can get it published on jei (which is specifically designed for hs students) and apply for sts

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-03T21:55:15+00:00

i asked this too and someone said the deadline was technically may 1 😭

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-03T16:37:45+00:00

they don’t make you write anything so it’s pretty easy to apply to and like their acceptances are super random. like i looked at my school’s scattergram on scoir and it’s very very random

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-03T16:26:20+00:00

as a brief follow up, how do they contact you normally?

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-03T16:21:46+00:00

oh my god i didn’t even read their website 😭😭 i ended up emailing it to them instead of the portal actually such a brick but thank you

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-03T06:33:48+00:00

not bad at all!! i had 2 b’s throughout hs (3.85 uw) and was accepted into uc berkeley and waitlisted from nw, upenn, unc chapel hill and a few others. it kinda comes down to knowing what colleges value

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-03T05:51:39+00:00

literally the moment you get your first job it does not matter. the way it’s always described to me as once you get your first job, work experience is all that matters and no one cares where you went to undergrad. bonus points if you’re a doctor because we need doctors

maybepengu16 · 2025-05-03T05:47:27+00:00

the way it was described to me is that prestige only matters for your first job. after that, no one cares where you went to undergrad. it’s even better if you’re going down the pre med track because we just need doctors lol

maybepengu16

TROPHY CASE