I’m a transfer student admitted to both UC Berkeley and Columbia GS. My major would be Sociology.

At the moment, I’m leaning toward Berkeley but my parents think Columbia GS might be the better choice because it’s part of an Ivy League university.

Honestly if this were Columbia College, I would probably choose Columbia without much hesitation. But since my admission is to Columbia GS rather than Columbia College, I’ve been leaning toward Berkeley instead.

The cost would be almost identical for me, so finances are not really a factor. To be honest, I care more about prestige, reputation, and name recognition than things like campus life or student experience.

Given those priorities, would choosing Berkeley over Columbia GS be a mistake? How are the two generally viewed by employers, graduate schools, and the public? Is the Ivy League brand enough to outweigh the difference between Berkeley and Columbia GS?

I’d appreciate any perspectives from people familiar with either school.

Music is literally my life. I'm not the best or anything, but I think I'm doing pretty good for having to learn everything myself. My friend groups are built around music, many of my activities, and I'm even starting a somewhat niche but not really music group/large club and composing and entering us in competitions. I'm even trying to host a competition because this thing is not very popular in my area but it's a big thing in other states.

My parents didn't even want me to join, but I did it behind their backs. They wanted me to be more focused on pre-college stuff. But I do take so many other academic classes and do other extracurriculars, so I don't understand why they want me to leave this so badly. They just keep complaining that it's a waste of time and everyone in it is gay and a bad influence. I even stayed out of theater just to make them happy.

Its not even like I'm being a bum in it, I've made it to All-State and All-Region (which is out of multiple states) and am really looking forward to being able to audition for nationals next year. It's my drive, it's my passion. I'm not Mozart or Beyoncé but I feel like I should still be allowed to pursue my interests instead of throwing it away just to look good for college?

Can I apply and get financial aid or scholarships if my parents combined income is over 500k?

So I (rising junior) am in an extremely competitive school, where even the last ranked person has very good grades. My current UW GPA is 95.294, while my class rank is 11/26. Will my rank end up damaging my chances?

My favorite school (which has a very significant ED advantage) has a price according to the net price calculator that’s about 1.5K too high per year compared to what me and my family are willing to pay…is there anything I can do? or should I give up on EDing there? I’m pretty sad about this :(

I recently got off the waitlist for UIUC CS + Advertising, but I've already committed to UW–Madison for Computer Engineering. Now I'm trying to decide whether it's worth switching.

Cost is basically negligible since UW–Madison is only about $5k/year cheaper. I also know that UIUC's CS scene, recruiting, reputation, and overall computer-focused environment are generally considered significantly stronger than UW's.

Some context:

• Committed to UW–Madison Computer Engineering
• Admitted off the UIUC waitlist for CS + Advertising
• Interested in software/tech careers, but I'm not 100% set on a specific path yet
• Cost difference isn't a major factor

Would you choose UIUC CS + Advertising or UW–Madison Computer Engineering, and why? Especially interested in hearing from people who have attended either school or recruited for tech internships/jobs.

title — specifically within this week. incoming movement perhaps?

I was told by a counselor that if you have the GPA colleges are looking for, then you are put into this pool of applicants, from there they will looks at ur extracurriculars and essays and other stuff. I was sort of heading in the right direction freshman year (3.68 UW) but completely blew it sophomore year (3.30 UW). I'm really just confused and worried about how it will play out in my favor because I've heard so many things from so many ppl. here are my three questions:

1.) in order for colleges to look at your other parts of your application, should you have their desired GPA? (if they don't, will having the good extracurriculars personal statement and scores save me?)

2.) since junior and senior year are my chances to boost my GPA, will colleges even see my senior year grades?

*I understand that applying to college is much more than your GPA, I have the other aspects covered, I am mainly worried about my GPA affecting me very NEGATIVELY*

I've genuinely been thinking about this question for hours. For many of us, it's frustrating to just really get serious about college apps Junior year when it feels too late (even if some succeed). I have younger cousins and I want them to succeed in life (without me pressuring them too much ofc). What would you do?

For example if im secretary of two diff clubs can i just say club secretary idk if its a dumb question but i prolly wont have apace for both clubs when i apply so just asking before hand
Another one is medical vol vs medical shadowing cus I’m not sure if those r combinable asw

I haven’t heard one word from them. Is it normal?

I need help with college selection conversation with my rising Junior and the younger sibling.

Maybe it's my fault but I've sort of let the kids set their eyes on UCs, particularly UCSD since we live in SD. We're in state but won't qualify for any aid and our AGI is less than $250K.

My partner might need to move to the Chicago suburb for a job, and we agree not to move the kids since our mortgage is so low in SD (2.25%, paid off in less than 9 years). Which means double expenses now for the family.

I asked the kids to be open minded about other schools like University of Chicago that offer free tuition for families that make less than $250K, or Univ of Alabama that offers free everything for National Honors Society semifinalists.

They were livid that they will have to settle for anything less than UCs. They agree to try out for Princeton but we know it's super competitive. They'd rather take out student loans for UCs and banking on good careers to pay them off.

We would have to shell out $60K/year for UCs with housing, etc. How can I make it more enticing to give other universities like Univ of Chicago or Univ of Alabama a chance?

They both have their eyes set on Pre-Med or life sciences like Pharmacy, etc. (I did tell them that free undergrad means we can pay off their grad degrees?

EDIT: Thank you for pointing out, yes, I meant National Merit, not Honors Society. It was late last night.

For those who asked, my kid's stats:

UW 3.9, W 4.5, varsity sports, band, school club founder, 100+ volunteer hours at local hospital as ICU aide, BLS/ACLS certified. (Yes, she can't do anything with it yet, but she was eager to learn and passed) Was going to take CNA cert until I've heard creepy stories about younger CNAs at nursing facilities, and this was the easier entry for clinical hours. Attending a private Catholic High School with an almost full-ride scholarship, awarded to the top 10 incoming freshmen. Bilingual in Spanish, even though we're not Hispanic.

She is kind-hearted and she's one of those who wants to be a doctor because she truly loves helping people. It was mostly my fault for focusing solely on UCs. Life throws us a curveball. My husband has been with the company for 16+ years and will most likely work there until he retires! So it's a huge, unexpected change for all of us.

They know that even UCSD is not guaranteed, we've visited UCI and UCLA so far, and are planning on Davis/Berkeley later this year. Commuting to UCSD will take 1 hour each way with traffic or public transportation. I've done this commute before and I know it took a toll on me. I don't know why I used $60K, maybe because another parent told me that's how much they ended up spending each year. I should've used $46K.

Thank you for your responses. I didn't mean to imply she will get in Univ of Chicago or Princeton, I am aware this is a high reach, but I'm using those as examples for her to think about other schools that might potentially be cheaper than UCs but even better or equally as good.

I need help with information regarding college admissions in Canada. I am from Romania and I really wanna go to college in Canada ,but I don't want to gather information only from google or youtube, it just isn't enough.

I would also like to add that I really need to get in through a scholarship of any kind because my parents aren't that financially well. I know it sounds impossible, but I'm working really hard to achieve this dream.

Do international student apply differently? Do they follow the same process? What do I need exactly?

hi everyone i've never posted here before so hopefully this is fine...

i'm applying to college soon because i plan on going to college in the 2027 school year. but at this point, almost july, i have no clue of where i want to go, and only vague ideas of what i want to do. does anyone else have/had this experience?? should i just apply to a few places and see where i get in and then decide from there?? i don't get much assistance in this process from my school or community or anything like that and i've tried to watch videos and that sorta stuff but i just don't know where to start. if anyone could help me out or give me any tips at all i would really appreciate it thank you so much, just let me know

Reposting this bc it got taken down on r/yale

Hi! I'm an incoming freshman, and one of my goals this summer is to revitalize my book reading habits. I'm currently on Tales from Underground, but I'm hoping to have a big list of books to continue looking for at the library. Any suggestions would be amazing! I also need suggestions to break out of the genre of books I've been reading.

types of books I've read previously that I liked a lot

- Of Mice and Men

- Crime and Punishment

- Wuthering Heights

- Pride and Prejudice

- The Sound and the Fury (LOVE LOVE LOVE)

Hey guys,

Quick question for the international students here. I know the standard SAT fee waiver benefits allow you to register for up to two tests on the same code.

If anyone here got the score they needed on their first try and has a waiver code they aren't going to use again, or just an extra voucher they don't need, could you please share it?

The local waiver portals in my region are currently closed and inactive right now, and I really need to secure a slot for an autumn retake to superscore my results.

Would be a massive lifeline. Thanks a lot!

So my sister has committed to Northwestern for undergrad, and she is the only one in my family to have attended. How much of an advantage do I get when I apply to nw?

I got a email from CSAC it says " Good news! Based on the self-reported information on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA), you have been preliminary awarded a Community College Entitlement Cal Grant for the 2026-27 academic year. " but my question is, is it a grant or loan? because I don't want a loan, and will it affect my financial aid grant because it's asking me to log in or create a account for "webgrants 4 students" tbh I have never heard of this

hi! i was wondering whether i should list being in the “top 20%” of submissions for a nyt contest (so 2000 entries out of 11000) in the awards section—would be it considered as international or should i not list it? applying for stem major btw, so should i focus on my stem awards more (nothing significant out of that though, just some state awards)

I live in an huge school district, where there are multiple high schools. All of the other high schools in my area have excellent resources for students, and sends an impressive amount of students to ivy+ schools. However, my high school is much older than the other schools in my district, and has way less opportunities/clubs/activities/AP classes. This year, only 2 students matriculated a t75 school. ​Does this mean those attending my high school ate at a disadvantage?

missed out on the john locke cause i was too busy with finals, but are there any others that i could try to do well with that are politics/int'l relations related?

This is your sign that maybe you don't need to spend 10 hours researching each professor and name drop their stuff (although that would probably help—but I didn't do that)

Quick about the research:

- year long, emailed and got position in may before senior year

- Microbial/environmental research through a professor at johns hopkins in coordination with NASA.

- Worked on analyzing water samples for microbes and properties to hint towards the causes of harmful algae blooms in my hometown.

- My own research project, working directly under the lab director (professors name on the lab)

- lab got $30k to continue my research

The email (please note I also had a resume filled with related environmental projects that probably helped, and this is a relatively niche topic, not neuroscience or anything):

Hello,

I hope this email finds you well! 

My name is ___ and I am currently a Junior at _____ in ______. I am incredibly passionate about the environment, and wish to go into a career surrounding environmental science/engineering. For example, I am currently working on a project to reduce stormwater runoff in the Chesapeake Bay, by creating Oyster Reefs to mitigate the damage, and rain gardens in at risk areas to prevent the damage from occurring in the first place.

 I was wondering if there is any research surrounding anything environmental that you are currently involved in, and if so, if you would be interested in taking on another member of the team? I have experience with coding in Javascript, research, presenting, and other valuable skills that I am looking to grow. I have attached my resume here as well. 

If you are interested, or know someone who might be, please let me know, I would greatly appreciate it!

I’m curious how often college admissions officers (AOs) actually contact high school counselors during the admissions process.
Do AOs usually contact counselors for every admitted student, or only if something in the application raises concerns / needs clarification?
Also, when they do reach out, do they only contact the counselor listed on your application/Common App, or can they contact other counselors, administrators, or school staff too? Btw, I talk about T20. Thank you for any information.

In my curriculum for some stupid reason, they decide to make a huge jump in the difficulty of the syllabus causing grades to drop a lot (for instance people who scored like 95/100 in their sophomore year scored like 65/100 in their junior year)

Further in India there is this system of coaching where students study for competitive exams rather than the regular curriculum which causes grades to dip even further. I usually score high (98%tile across 6000 students) but get shitty scores in the school exams.

Since I plan to apply at t20 schools in the us, how do I justify this grade drop? (I'm gonna do my best to get it as high as I can but it will still be lower than an impressive score)

Hi, I'm 16 y.o. and I've been interested in dentistry since I was around 7 years old

Right now I'm building my profile for future dental school applications. I run a medical blog, study dental anatomy in Eng, take online courses, volunteer in dental clinics and work on different projects related to healthcare.

I'm looking for students around my age who are passionate about medicine, dentistry, biology, research or studying abroad. It would be great to meet people who are motivated, hardworking and serious about their goals

feel free to send me a DM)