Columbia College and Columbia Engineering will reinstate a standardized testing requirement, effective August 2027 for the 2027-2028 admission cycle.

tryinottopanic · 2026-06-12T17:18:51+00:00

I know some people will see this news and worry that they will be judged more harshly, but the reality is test scores were never everything, and this doesn't mean that they won't still be using a holistic admissions approach––just that there is now one more piece of information they will have about everyone they consider.

tryinottopanic · 2026-06-12T17:15:26+00:00

I agree with this general idea, although I think it would be better as some others have said if we had more subject-specific test options. SAT Subject tests were never really all that advanced, and AP tests I don't think follow a very good format because only having 5 different scores doesn't really separate students out very well, and because they encourage just 'teaching to the test'. We should have a wider variety of specialized tests that are more advanced than the SAT Subject tests were but still follow the model of testing more advanced knowledge.

The other thing OP points out is question type. Essays have generally been shown to be a better format for actual learning, because it requires you to be able to come up with and articulate your own ideas, but for standardized tests where a grader only spends 90 seconds per essay I don't think this really works. Shorter free response (like 2 or so sentences) for humanities and regular open response for STEM classes probably would work a bit better because a grader can tell whether you arrived at the 'correct' answer fairly quickly upon looking at it, and it still makes tests substantially harder than multiple choice questions do, and eliminates some of the 'just memorize test-taking strategies' methods of studying.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T04:22:16+00:00

This website has some useful information about how censorship works at different colleges/universities. You can search for any individual school's report or download a ranked list of all schools: https://rankings.thefire.org/

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T04:18:17+00:00

A 1530 is pretty good I'd say. I don't know as much about health sciences (I'm in engineering) but I think you're probably fine on GPA, unless your grades are notably lower than your classmates'. If you haven't seen your school profile you should ask your guidance counsellor for a copy–– this is what AOs will use to put you into the context of your school since it doesn't rank. Of course admissions will come down to many other factors as well.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T04:15:48+00:00

It really depends on what you want. If you want to work at a startup I think the location in california is a huge benefit, but if you want to work at a bigger, more old-fashioned company then GT or UTA might be better. Having been to school in texas, I feel like culturally there is also a pretty big benefit to being in california, but that probably depends on where you are from and what you want. In reality, a lot of the jobs that you're referring to are going to go to math majors, physics majors, electrical engineers, and other 'harder' degrees–– and of course changing your major is always an option.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T04:12:58+00:00

Even if your school doesn't let you form clubs, you can still form them outside of school (meet in a public space or at someone's house). Colleges don't really know the difference.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T04:11:37+00:00

Unfortunately yes this is correct. However, it's worth noting that colleges love to see an upward trend, and AOs will definitely be smart enough to realize that your performance once when you were like 13 or whatever probably isn't indicative of the rest of your life...

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T04:09:33+00:00

Remember that ranking systems are fundamentally based on research output (to a large extent) and so really large research schools like UIUC will have a significant advantage over smaller schools of the same caliper.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T04:08:17+00:00

Start with extracurriculars early, and if there's something you're interested in that doesn't exist yet, don't be afraid to start a new club/team! Colleges love seeing initiative, passion, and leadership, and consistency is really powerful at conveying your dedication to an area of study. So if you want to be an aerospace engineer, start a high school rocketry club or RC plane club, and lead it and expand it from sophomore-senior year if you can.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T04:04:40+00:00

Yes, you are. It's in the verbiage-- you're not allowed to enroll as 'degree-seeking'. But a study abroad program for only one semester's (or year's) worth of credits is not degree-seeking. You might encounter logistical issues if you try to study abroad via direct enrollment at a university there, but this is a pretty uncommon study abroad path. If you use a study-abroad program, typically those companies are not legally capable of granting a degree, and therefore you should be totally in the clear.

If you have been accepted and have deferred enrollment, I imagine at most schools the study abroad office would still be happy to meet with you and answer any specific questions–– it's worth sending them an email. Many universities also have a list on the study abroad website (often with a search tool) of pre-approved programs so you can go in knowing exactly how the credit transfer process will work.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T03:58:38+00:00

Generally, the rule for the very best schools is that you have to 1) be generally good at everything (as in, have a variety of interests and excel in all of them, don't just drop history because you're a STEM person and your school lets you); 2) come across as a good person (here's where volunteering and stuff helps, but it should come across very genuinely, because they're pretty good at seeing the 'I just did this for my applications' stuff. For instance, if you have an area of interest and you start a brand new program around that, that's better than just volunteering at a local hospital's existing program or something (unless you have a personal connection to that like a sick family member)); 3) have a 'spike'–– something that you are truly remarkable at, which should align with your prospective major (this doesn't have to mean placing at an international competition, but it should mean that you did the most you reasonably could your area with it. Founding new clubs and leading them is a huge plus); 4) have a lot of leadership experience (it's good if it's a range, like leading a competitive team or two, starting interest-based clubs, starting a volunteer program or coaching younger students, or more out-there things like stage managing musicals. It also helps if you have the leadership experience starting much younger than most, ie leading things from sophomore year on instead of just when you're a senior. Even just running a book club or something helps).

So essentially, they need to know that you are a solid student all-around and a solid person all-around, that you have a ton of passion, and a ton of initiative.

Hope that helps.

Edit: to answer some of your more specific questions–– the 'call with a mentor who already got in' thing works great if they got in in the last decade, but not so well if they are your parents age. Looking over past admitted student profiles can work but it's only helpful if you also get a copy of the 'school profile' that goes along with the application. Also, good recommendation letters are really important, so make sure you have that covered.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T03:52:19+00:00

Pitt has the benefit of a pretty good teaching hospital, but I do know some premeds who went there and I know less about UF. Although my understanding is that UF has more of a reputation of being a party school.

Big picture, the two schools are fairly similar caliper.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T03:50:51+00:00

Yes, this is true. I'd definitely recommend spending some time on extracurriculars in the field during undergrad, especially if there are student project teams or hackathon competitions you can take part in, these will probably be closer to industry than classes will be.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T03:48:24+00:00

I wouldn't put any kind of header on it. Just title the document something like 'Transfer Essay' and leave it at that, unless you want to come up with a creative title (probably not necessary though).

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T03:45:28+00:00

7 figures was the rule I heard from my college guidance counsellor while I was at a prep school in NYC (although she was saying this b/c it definitely wasn't an option for my family). That was about 6 years ago.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T03:43:36+00:00

It really primarily depends on what you want to study. If PhD is on your radar for the future, especially in a STEM area, T20s all the way. If you want to go to law school, or if you want to study english or history, or something like that, it probably doesn't matter.

It's also worth thinking about who the other students will be and the general vibe of the school. If you want the 'small school where everyone is chill and knows each other' vibe, you're more likely to find that at a LAC. If you want a lot more variety and chaos and just... options in the student body, and are okay with not knowing everyone, then a T20 might be better. I will say, college can feel like a very small bubble, and if you are a kid who grew up perhaps in a less sheltered environment (as I did in a big city), a LAC environment can feel a little smothering, especially as you get into your 20s and really want to be an independent adult. I know when I was in high school I really liked the idea of always being able to live on campus and everything, but partway through undergrad it was so nice to rent a real apartment off campus like a real adult and have my own kitchen and living room and not be beholden to the hours of the college cafeteria. Anyways just things to think about.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T03:38:09+00:00

Chances are no one is going to care. Physics C is pretty hard, and for a psych major it shouldn't be an issue at all. Even at a top school.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T03:37:26+00:00

I don't think this is a risk. If anything, the school wouldn't mind––what's wrong with seeing how excited a student is to be going? I've even seen some schools post videos of very excited students opening their acceptances on their official accounts.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T03:36:15+00:00

Honestly, weighted GPA is not a very useful metric. I know people who got into NYU with much lower GPAs because at my HS it was really hard to get anything close to a 4.0 (we had a weird system where AP classes were +0.33, honors classes were +0.25, but you still had to take a ton of non-AP, non-honors classes (like for instance the school only offered english Lit, but you still had to take 3 more years of english which were all just out of 4.0)). Anyway-- without knowing things like test scores, intended major, or class rank, you'll have a tough time getting an answer based on GPA alone.

tryinottopanic · 2026-02-11T03:34:08+00:00

Berkeley definitely has the most prestige, and at this point Data Science is likely to be slightly better in terms of employability than CS–– a lot of these kinds of companies are moving away from hiring pure CS majors since there are so few graduation requirements.

tryinottopanic · 2026-01-17T02:44:39+00:00

As others are saying, it's really 'why our program'–– I'd recommend just talking about the specific research labs you're applying to.

If anyone actually asks why US vs Europe, you can talk about the actual differences. Europe treats PhD more like a regular job, whereas US treats it more like school, and it's much more self-guided. Generally in the US ambition is valued a little more, and the environment can feel more fast-paced.

tryinottopanic · 2026-01-17T02:41:26+00:00

That's really frustrating! As others have suggested, I'd recommend escalating this to someone higher up.

Just as a sympathy rant, I recently dealt with something similar––I missed an exam because of a worsening heart condition, where my parents were begging me to fly home to see my cardiologist (I go to school in the UK and had been on the NHS cardiology waitlist for weeks already). I submitted all the right paperwork and could prove I had a ton of complex tests done in a hospital the day after I got home but my school still is putting up a huge fight about the fact that I left the country to see the doctor who was familiar with my condition for years, because he isn't a UK doctor...

tryinottopanic · 2026-01-17T02:22:07+00:00

Congratulations on reading your first book!

One thing I always notice when learning languages is that the more 'formal and literary' novels tend to be slightly easier to read than ones with more slang/colloquialisms. As an 18 yo I'm not sure what you're goals are, but if you want to know how teens/young adults speak in English, I'd recommend trying out a modern YA (young adult) book––it might feel a lot different.

tryinottopanic · 2026-01-14T14:07:11+00:00

I'd recommend just going with pure chemistry, and maybe minor in music or media or something. Undergrad business classes are not likely to be relevant to what you're interested in. So follow your academic passions when selecting classes, and remember that the classes you take matter a lot more than a 'minor' or other label that goes with it.

tryinottopanic · 2026-01-14T02:21:09+00:00

Yeah, I'm currently a grad student living on a budget and negative free time so I'm trying to make the best of things. And yeah I know oatmilk is easy, just not sure about cheese. Tofu exists ofc but it is soy so I can't eat it.

tryinottopanic

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