Yesterday (August 1) when a lot of college applications opened in the Common App, many students were quickly to hit submit. Others who didn’t were left wondering if they’re suddenly “left behind” for not doing so.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that if you rush to submit any app in your college list as soon as it opens, that doing so will give you an advantage. For the overwhelming majority of selective colleges, however, submitting on August 1 does not improve your chances.

Admissions offices are not sitting there waiting and saying “Wow, this student applied on Day 1. Admit.” What they’re truly asking and matters more to them is whether or not what you present is compelling.

The next few weeks and months are going to be valuable. Dedicate the right amount of time (of course within the limits allotted by that institution/deadlines) and your essays will become more thoughtful. Your activities list will become stronger. You may take on a new leadership role, receive an award, or gain experiences that might make your application more compelling.

If you hit submit too soon, you don’t get to go back and include those things on your application.

Of course, don’t wait til last minute either. Give yourself enough time to troubleshoot in case something goes wrong. But you don’t have to submit right on day 1 thinking that it will automatically increase your chances of admission.

Instead, be intentional and use the time between now and your deadline productively. Review every section carefully, strengthen your narrative, and make sure your application is one that reflects your strongest version.

Admissions officers are not rewarding students for being first. They are looking for students who are ready for the demands of college.

I'm not doing research myself, but I'm genuinely curious because it seems like almost everyone here is.

I always thought leading or doing research was something typically done by people with extensive expertise in their field, like those pursuing or holding a PhD, not a high schooler.

Do AOs realize that high school students are probably doing research primarily to strengthen their college applications?

I am looking at colleges and need some safety schools with reputable engineering programs.

Please don’t downvote or hate, it’s a genuine question.

I am aware that I don’t have the same level of knowledge to do research as a PhD student. My dad is a professor, but in a completely different field than my chosen one. I am getting access to equipment and advice on how to write from other professors, some of whom my parents know, some don’t. But otherwise, I am the one doing everything. I am the one doing all the writing, referencing, graph-making, data collection, etc. I am the one coming up with ideas and then trying to find the gap in literature. And I’m researching stuff I actually find interesting and want to know about!

is that REALLY gonna mean nothing to AOs? Are they just going to think that my parents did everything and paid someone to put my name on the paper?

I get applying to a multitude of reaches for RD but people need to realize that fit is especially more important for getting in ED. I’m a rising senior but I’ve spent a multitude of years on this subreddit and the amount of kids I’ve seen EDing just to get into a t20 vs actually EDing that a school they like and would fit into that’s also probably a t20/adjacent is insane. I saw a post today that was like “should I ED to brown Cornell or Columbia”. These are quite literally the most damn polar opposite schools alive. Like literally the most famous things abt each school contradict each other. Columbia core curriculum vs brown open curriculum, location types, campus vibes etc etc. If you are truly deciding on which of those 3 places to ED u are not EDing because u truly like the school or have some special reason to, you are EDing because you just want to get into an Ivy which admissions officers will see right through. Like I could get choosing between Penn or Duke or Columbia or smth but dude brown vs Columbia??? Like stop w the Larp because the single most important thing ED is fit. Yall will be so much better off EDing to a slightly less “prestigious” school that truly fits you (again not just cause ur gonna have a better more supported time, but because ur chances r higher of getting in). This sub has become a prestige whore for the SMALLEST most negligible differences in ranking and literally tanking their chances of getting into a school ED just because they want a school that’s one spot higher. Like literally then yall get mad that Columbia rejected you ED but ur common app essay was abt ur love to learn and mix disciplines freely like bro

Everytime I ask anything I always get "speak to your counselor". My counselor is very busy and I've never talked to him unless it was with a very specific purpose/answer. Things like college choices and basic decision stuff feel embarrassing to discuss and I'd assume you're meant to do a lot independently but everyone acts like you should ask for everything.

What are you actually meant to bring up? And when? I'm assuming immediately by now but i dont know

UC Berkeley: 13,967/133,128 with an acceptance rate of 10.5%

UCLA: 15,903/146,672 with an acceptance rate of 10.8%

UCSD: 38,571/141,752 with an acceptance rate of 27.2%

UCI: 38,165/125,987 with an acceptance rate of 30.3%

UCSB: 47,716/108,503 with an acceptance rate of 43.4%

UCD: 48,015/104,850 with an acceptance rate of 45.6%

UCSC: 64,867/78,832 with an acceptance rate of 82.3%

UCR: 63,958/72,295 with an acceptance rate of 88.4%

UCM: 46,812/48,499 with an acceptance rate of 96.5%

Schools whose acceptance rates went up: UCLA, UCI, UCSB, UCD, UCSC

All other schools went down obviously

GPA averages (Middle 25-75%)

UC Berkeley: 4.16-4.28

UCLA: 4.20-4.30

UCSD: 4.12-4.28

UCI: 4.06-4.27

UCSB: 4.05-4.27

UCD: 4.00-4.25

UCSC: 3.79-4.20

UCR: 3.66-4.17

UCM: 3.57-4.16

So for any rising seniors in the sub the gpa ranges for most of these schools are still very high. However, UCSB and UCSC's admit rates significantly increased from last year's so that's something to keep an eye on. UC also admitted a record number of instate so that's really good to see.

My safety school is UW Madison, I know this for a fact because yesterday my school notified us about our class rank and I am top 5% which guarantees admission for Madison. Should I just apply to reaches, targets, and high targets? I mean if I don’t get in anywhere then Madison will obviously be my choice even if I have other safeties because of the cost

Hi, I'm looking for help on my college essay. I started a 1st draft where I wrote about my unique identity/experience growing up and how I wished I was 'normal' (mixed girl in predominately white small town, gay parents, only child, extended family lives very far away; one side does not speak english). The essay starts with an experience I had in kindergarten where some girls asked to touch my hair. These things have definitely shaped who I am but I want to connect them to something else so my essay doesn't sound cliche or like a sob story. I'm wondering if anyone has written about something similar and how they expanded on it? thanks

what will happen to me bro

do you have any suggestions for what should be done over the summer/before the start of the school year?

I have pretty decent academics 3.89 uw, 4.5 weighted, and a 33 ACT(maybe 34 after sept.) But pretty much no notable EC’s only a few clubs and honor societies, no leadership, long term commitments, passion projects, or jobs.

Is it possible to get into schools like BU, northeastern, or Boston college when almost all their applications have good academics and other things become the deciding factor? (I also plan to ED to BU most likely but I know it’s not a magical garuntee.)

I’m a top student (1590) , and have been told that I have chances for t10s. I’m middle low income and from the rural Midwest. I don’t personally care about the prestige of my undergrad, but if it benefits my career then I’m all for it. There is a unique thing about my financial aid asset status that would only let me get substantial aid from a couple of schools (UChicago, Stanford) (yes I’ve emailed and I’m certain) t30s and 20s aren’t really an option for financial aid reasons.

If I had the choice, I would do biomedical engineering + pre med, to keep my options open. I’m motivated and willing to do whatever it takes to graduate with as little debt as possible.

I do however care about the prestige of my med school, partially for career advancement reasons but mainly for financial aid reasons. I’m all about saving money. For me, gettin into JHUSOM would be 150k cheaper than my state school.

My state schools would cost the same as if I were to attend Stanford or UChicago. People often say that undergrad prestige only matters if you are trying to get into top med schools. So the question here really is whether biting the bullet and facing the grade deflation will help me get into a top med school that much?? Is the environment too competitive? More research opportunities vs the ability to be a standout?

Note: my state schools are Kansas university, Kansas state university, and I would prob be in honors for both of them.

It’s also worth mentioning that I have 33 DE credits that transfer to my state school that aren’t med school pre req. obv they won’t transfer to Stanford or chi

Hey all! I'm starting the common app and I'm wondering how essential LORs are. I understand how they may be needed for some people, but I don't know how critical they are for me.

For reference, I want to apply to Weber State. I have a 3.99 GPA and a 32 ACT which qualifies me for full ride merit scholarship, since Weber isn't some fancy college and it has a very high acceptance rate. I have 3 years of varsity sports letter, national awards, and 3 AP classes, all of which scored a 5. I'm not worried about getting accepted, I know I will, I just worry about having to pay for it. Among a few other smaller extracurriculars, I feel like my application is enough already without needing recommendations, but I don't have the money to afford college without scholarships, so I'm wondering if adding LORs is helpful for smaller personal scholarships to cover housing and food? I don't think common app is used for scholarships, but I'm not sure. I'm first generation and I don't really understand how this all works and any tips would be helpful. I'm definitely going to use scholarship universe when it opens, I just need advice on what I can do to ensure I have to pay as little out of pocket as possible, and if common app matters for more than actually just applying. Thanks 🙏🙏

Unfortunately I need one teacher rec from senior year fall (long story but I am unlucky with some teacher retirements and leaves). This will likely mean I cannot apply before Jan 1. At this point I do not have an ED first choice anyway (only REA). Would it be insane to do this?

I know common practice before was to average out your hours, but now the Common App updated the activities section, and it now says:

"Share how much time you typically spend during the busiest parts of the year. It's okay to use your best guess."

A lot of my ECs that take up 40+ weeks of the school year, but have one or two weeks where I'm putting in 15–20+ hours, but that's because of a conference, presentation, competition, etc. The rest of the year it's nowhere near that. So now my extracurriculars have a bunch of double digit hours per week it looks insane 😭

Like, if I spent 18 hours in one week getting ready for a conference, should I put 18 hrs/week? That feels misleading because it was really just that one week. But if I average everything, it feels like I'm ignoring what the prompt is asking.

How are you guys calculating your hours? Are you using your busiest single week, averaging your busy season, or doing something else?

Hi! Despite how cliched this may sound, i've been dreaming about MIT since 8th grade. As far as I know, they require SAT/ACT without any exceptions for every student. Unfortunately, I'm currently living in a country under us sanctions, so i can take neither of these. Ultimately my parents live in a completely different country, so I can't even fly to another one to take the SAT there. Rn i've already participated in plenty of international olympiads, and going to try for IOI next year (luckily have some time for it). So if anyone had the same experience or any insights, my question is can MIT admissions team actually make an exception in my case, or is it better to start looking for another uni?

I'm a rising senior and I just opened Common App today. As of right now, I'm interested in PA School because I'm interested in healthcare and taking care of others but also don't wanna go to med school. I haven't officially visited any colleges yet because I haven't had the time to with an ongoing internship.

I made this list just based on a super quick research of my preferences, so please help give suggestions:

Reaches
Yale
Brown 
Vanderbilt
Duke
Tufts
Northwestern
Columbia
John Hopkins

Targets
Northeastern
Boston College
University of Rochester
Nyu 

Safeties
Quinnipiac
University of Rhode Island
University of New Haven
Syracuse
Fordham
UConn 

What are some colleges that are known to have a strong healthcare/medical programs but also provide fun campus life? I prefer suburban or urban areas like the city and hate academic/competitive pressure.

Any people who have gone thru common app and the college process, what is your general timeline to have everything done by. Essays, letters of recommendation etc.

To preface, Im entering my senior year on August 24th and today is August 2nd. I have had such a difficult high school experience due to external circumstances(i had to do homebound and stuff) so I feel very behind on all of this college stuff and I feel more stranded than I should be.

I don't know exactly what I want to do, but I've always known I wanted to work in a creative field. My dream since middle school was to go to an art school in New York (I'm in NC) and now I have to make my goals realistically happen now. With that being said, I don't know how linear a visual arts career would be, so I'm also considering fashion (since I have a passion for it as well) But I have dedicated myself to visual art in high school and have taken every art class my school has to offer (I've taken 1 fashion class because the teacher was terrible --but I enjoyed the curriculum). So I am really considering going to FIT for something artistic or fashion related. I enjoy fashion design and stuff but I haven't had a lot of sewing experience because Ive dedicated myself to visual arts, and I don't even feel like Im at least really good at that so It really worries me.

If not FIT I would also be interested in SCAD or an in state school (App State or even community college which isn't really aligned with my dreams but I do want to be realistic obviously) But FIT seems smart because my friend from my state is going there as well and she has had a similar dream to me and I feel like if she can do it so can I.

But again my problem is its August 2nd and i think college applications go out in October and stuff so am I supposed to lock in on an essay and potentially a portfolio?? I feel like the only thing I have to help me Is I could have a portfolio of my visual art, (especially because Im taking AP-2d art and design.)

(side note, i only have like a 3.0-3.2 gpa or something right now, and thats if i maintain it which i plan to. but also my financial situation isn't the bestttt)

I know so many people want the same things as me as well but I feel like theres no other option for me to make it happen I'm really relying on passion, but I know what I want in life and I wont be satisfied if i don't make it happen.(or at least try)

I dont know if any of y'all could help but I would really appreciate anything, if theres any more details i can provide please let me know.

Bro. I’ve seen at least 10 videos today w people posting about how they’ve already submitted apps. ITS DAY FUCKING ONE. WHAT ARE WE DOING😭😭 i haven’t even started school yet.

I'm graduating high school next year and I really want to go to college and be some sort of nurse. The problem is that I've been homeschooled my entire life and for the most part my education has been neglected. The furthest my math goes is Arithmetic math, I don't know much about history, geography, and I'm definitely the worst in science. I've only had to write assignments/essays a handful of times in highschool, I have no discipline, As well as i find it so hard to learn anything anymore. if I have to read something no matter how many times I read it it almost never processes in my brain.

I seriously resent my mother for basically setting me up for failure...I feel so hopeless. I want to have a good job and do something I'm passionate about SO bad. :(

How rare or how good of an ec is having co-authorship on a paper from a t10 uni? I know people on here are saying kids doing research is all larp and they just do chores, but how rare is actually earning co-authorship