I (27) have been working at an abusive, manipulative job for over a year now. I hate it so much yet I haven't been able to apply for a different one that would be better for my physical and mental health. I guess I feel like it needs to aline with my career goals (video production based) but my specific career goals don't aline with a lot of jobs out there or I lack the experience. I don't have the best network and because of my current job, and I've been too exhausted to work on projects that would give me more experience.
Maybe this sounds like a bunch of excuses, but I have a lot of fear that makes it hard for me to just do that needs to be done to help myself. I have applied for several places but they either never get back to me, get back to me a month later, or the job expired. This is just typical for any job, but I have a hard time dealing with it because of the amount of research involved for every job. I have to research the company, figure out reviews from other employees, find out if the location is ideal, is the pay is okay, and then I have to make a resume, cover letter, and maybe even include letters of recommendation. And then they don't tell you sometimes when the job expires so good luck.
THIS is what should have been taught in high school, and there should have been a whole-ass course about applying for jobs in college, because its really what WILL get you the job, along with experience and charisma. I feel so dumb because I know my grammar isn't the greatest, and I mix up past and present tense, even though I only know english (and a bit of ASL), so I feel like my resume might sound weird if someone doesn't check it for me.
How do I stay motivated?

TLDR: Delos Reyes prescribed me the wrong eye grade twice. They gave me an eye grade that's much lower than my actual eye grade. They also made me believe na I have astigmatism but upon checking with a new doctor from a different clinic, wala pala akong astigmatism. Now my eyesight is much worse.
My experience may be different from other people pero hindi ko alam baka may nakaka experience rin nito. So I'm sharing this for awareness.
I've been getting new lenses at least once a year since 15 years old ako, and about last year, nagworsen masyado yung grado ng mata ko. So normally, I needed to upgrade my lenses. My mom's colleague recommended Delos Reyes kasi maganda daw service nila at "high tech" daw. So napa budol kami.
The first time na nagpa consult kami sa delos reyes was at around August 2023. Nanibago ako sa style nila sa pag check ng eye grade kasi they didn't use the usual na eye chart. Instead of using the eye chart, nasa monitor yung numbers na titignan mo. Sisimulan nila sa maliit na letters tapos pag blurred pa, iincrease nila yung grado sa lenses. Parang ganun ata yung ibig sabihin nila sa "high tech" kasi monitor yung ginagamit ng delos reyes, hindi yung eye chart.
Okay naman yung first consultation ko doon pero medyo may kamahalan nga yung overall nabayaran namin. The lenses + other eyeglass features and the frame costed us around 18k pesos total. Yun talaga yung pinaka expensive na eyeglasses na nabili mamin sa buong buhay ko. Pero as graduation gift na rin ng mom ko sa akin, hindi na siya nagreklamo.
Sabi ko sa sarili ko, "napaka worth it siguro nito kasi almost 20k yung nabayaran namin eh".
After 1 week, nakuha ko yung new eyeglasses ko. Napakaganda niya on first impression. Durable yung frame tignan. Pero upon wearing the eyeglasses, I've noticed na yung mga letters na medyo malayo ay may parang blurred edges. So as someone who has worn eyeglasses for a long time, it was unusual na medyo blurred yung letters sa malayo. Obviously, sinabi ko agad ito sa doctor para ma remedy.
First excuse nila: hindi maayos yung pagka lagay ng eyeglasses ko kaya may blurred parts akong nakikita. So pina adjust namin yung nosebridge na area sa eyeglasses para mas fitting sya sa akin. When they did that, may konting improvement naman pero it's not to the point na nawala yung blurred letters. Sinabi ko rin yun. So ang ginawa niya, pinacheck nya ulit yung eyeglasses if tama ba yung grado. Tama naman daw. Chineck nya rin ako ulit if tama ba yung grado ng mata ko. Tama rin naman daw.
So their second excuse: hindi pa daw sanay yung mata ko kasi first time ko daw ma experience yung astigmatism na lenses.
After some attempts, medyo napagod na rin ako. (I should also mention na galing pa ako na hospital a month ago due to a brain injury, pero okay naman ako when i got my eyeglasses). So ginaslight ko na lang sarili ko that time by saying na "siguro dahil lang to sa brain injury ko last month. Maybe after some time mag adjust yung eyes ko".
So we went home and i used my 18k pesos worth eyeglasses with slight disappointment. I used that eyeglasses for about 4 months. Bumalik kami sa delos Reyes last December 2023 kasi nagworsen ulit yung grado ng mata ko. It's worrisome kasi it hasn't been a year, bibili na naman ako ng eyeglass? Tapos 18k?
We went back sa delos reyes to ask if anong problema sa glasses ko. They got my eyes checked tapos sabi naman ng doctor na same lang daw yung grade ng mata ko pero may increase in astigmatism daw. I'm not an eye expert so naniwala lang ako. They told me to get new lenses immediately. I didn't want to change my eyeglasses kasi napakabago pa. I'm also not the type na ma reklamo kaya i just asked them if magkano yung babayaran if i get new lenses pero no more additional features (like UV protection), and I'll just use my frame. 7k pesos daw yung new lenses with "Eyezen" (not sure). Sabi nya need ko daw yung eyezen para hindi magworsen yung eyesight ko especially na madalas ako nagbabasa ng libro. Mahal parin pero it's not as expensive na. So yun na lang kinuha namin.
After another week, i got my new eyeglasses. I was deeply hoping na this will be the last time na I'll upgrade kasi nga napaka mahal. And i was expecting na i will not get the same experience as before. I was wrong. Pagdating sa new eyeglasses ko, nag improve ng konti yung vison ko pero may blurred edges parin akong nakikita sa mga letters sa malayo.
I expressed my concern. They told me the same thing. Yung nosebridge sa eyeglass frame ang problema. Or hindi pa sanay mata ko.
At this point ayaw ko nang tanggapin yung eyeglasses ko. Pero wala na akong magawa kasi they wouldn't process or make the eyeglasses unless we pay full. We can't make a refund narin kasi custom made na to for me eh. And i can't go home without eyeglasses kasi wala na talaga akong makikita.
So i used the eyeglasses for another 4 months.
Now, it's April 2024. I asked my mom for another eyeglasses upgrade kasi mahirap nang mag aral with blurred vision. This time we consulted a different doctor. The new doctor is not new to me. His known clients have great reviews about him and I also got my old eyeglasses from him and napaka ganda rin yung feedback ko about him. (Yes kasalanan ko yung part na i decided to try a different optical clinic. Lesson Learned.) Anyway, this new doctor used the eye chart when i got myself checked. And turns out, wala pala akong astigmatism :)
My eyegrade now is actually 450, and according to him, matagal nang nasa around 400 yung grado ng mata ko, but the previous doctor from delos reyes pinned it as astigmatism. Sabi rin ng new doctor ko na, as much as he didn't want to accuse, it seems like nabudol lang kami sa delos reyes in an unfair way.
So now I'm getting new lenses in a few days na naman.
I learned my lesson na. I will not go back sa delos reyes because of that experience. Twice is enough. Hopefully when we get enough money, I'll invest on lasik surgery kasi I know naman na my eyesight really is getting worse due to my studies na rin and stress. Again, this experience is mine. If you think may kasalanan rin ako, I admit na I should have been more firm na hindi ko tanggapin yung slightly defective yet expensive eyeglasses ng delos reyes. But at that time ayoko ng gulo kasi bawal ako ma stress kasi i was still recovering from my brain injury. I'll just take this as a lesson and sana ma aware din yung iba.

Hello everyone, this is my first Reddit post, I am not new to this page but I love reading about everyone's experience with recruiting and searching for a job. I wanted to take the time to tell you about my experience while I'm still unemployed for almost two years and hopefully, you all can shed some insights or share your experiences, and if you can use this post to make yourself feel better about yourself then I'm honestly glad it did. I apologize in advance for the lengthy and somewhat misleading post as maybe being an Uber driver isn't technically being unemployed but you get the idea.
(Please let me know if this post belongs somewhere else!)
I have my bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and worked as a MechE for almost three years before I switched to a data science/machine learning engineer type of role. I did an AI boot camp. While doing the boot camp I landed a job at a startup as a data scientist and was there for about two and a half years before I called it quits there because I was working for no pay. It was a very early-stage startup and I was desperate to get into the field and gain experience. I then landed a more corporate job as a machine learning engineer where I was there for about 6 months before I got fired. The company did not have a DevOps team so we were required to do all the production stuff. I honestly did not know anything when it came to putting code into production or using AWS, GCP, etc. I knew somewhat how to use Docker but that was about it and there was nothing in the JD that said anything about DevOps stuff.
Anyway, since then, I have been unemployed and it's been almost two years since I got fired. During this time I took the time to learn and practice more in this field (including the DevOps stuff!) and honing more on my skills. In the beginning, I was getting interviews left and right (even from a few FAANG companies) as I did some pretty advanced stuff while in both companies, it was a real hit but would always get rejected after the final interview. But slowly as time went on I was getting fewer and fewer interviews, maybe because of the widening gap. Then it got to the point now where it's been 4 months and I haven't gotten a single interview (Side Note: I apply to many jobs every single day, adjusting my Resume and Cover letter to the JD. I have also done many Resume restructurings). In the two years, I also have tried connecting with people on LinkedIn and network, only to be ghosted 99% of the time. I do receive DMs on LinkedIn for job opportunities but then they tell me that I do not have the requirements for the role, like, why even bother DMing me then? An unusual amount of jobs I have been interviewed for suddenly stopped hiring for the position, they didn't hire anyone, they put a pause or decided they didn't need anyone for the position, or they decided to hire internally. I've also had many recruiters tell me that they went with another candidate as they had more experience in [something unrelated to the role]. Many jobs I applied for months ago are still up so it makes me feel like the majority of listings are just fake at this point (can shed some light on this?). I also feel like I am stuck in the middle of being over-experienced for entry/junior-level roles and under-experienced for anything higher than that. I've sent my resume to many recruiting companies to have them either ghost me or tell me that I'm not qualified for anything.
Anyway, I decided, to make myself more marketable I should pursue a master's degree. So currently I am working on my Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence from a big university. I have had people tell me that since I am now technically a student again, I won't get hired for any full-time positions and can only do internships (can anyone tell me if this is true?). I don't mind doing internships as I care for the experience, but even then, at this point, I can't even seem to land an interview for an internship. These HR recruiters don't understand the field and talk/ask about technical things that don't make sense (I've had one HR person ask if I'm comfortable with doing statistical analysis in React??????).
I had to move back home eventually (grateful to have supportive parents) and became an Uber diver to make some money. But as time went on with no luck with my field I started to believe this is all I am capable of being. I am 30, living back with my parents (again, very grateful for them), and somewhat dependent on them. I feel them getting irritated with me at this point as I still can't land a job and I just want all this to be over. I see all my friends doing great things and moving on with their lives and I look at myself with disgust and failure.
Looking at all the tips and tricks for applying and landing an interview seems like a big game these days with the "matching keywords to be picked by the ATS system", and "Here is what you should search on LinkedIn and start glazing the hiring manager". Half the "professional recruiters" say to do one thing and the other half say not to do it or recommends the opposite.
I know the tech field (and the whole market) has been horrible but is it THAT horrible or is it just me?

Don't use VPN services.
No, seriously, don't. You're probably reading this because you've asked what VPN service to use, and this is the answer.
Why not? > Because a VPN in this sense is just a glorified proxy. The VPN provider can see all your traffic, and do with it what they want - including logging.
But my provider doesn't log! > There is no way for you to verify that, and of course this is what a malicious VPN provider would claim as well. In short: the only safe assumption is that every VPN provider logs. And remember that it is in a VPN provider's best interest to log their users - it lets them deflect blame to the customer, if they ever were to get into legal trouble. The $10/month that you're paying for your VPN service doesn't even pay for the lawyer's coffee, so expect them to hand you over.
But a provider would lose business if they did that! > I'll believe that when HideMyAss goes out of business. They gave up their users years ago, and this was widely publicized. The reality is that most of their customers will either not care or not even be aware of it.
But I pay anonymously, using Bitcoin/PaysafeCard/Cash/drugs! > Doesn't matter. You're still connecting to their service from your own IP, and they can log that.
But I want more security! > VPNs don't provide security. They are just a glorified proxy.
But I want more privacy! > VPNs don't provide privacy, with a few exceptions (detailed below). They are just a proxy. If somebody wants to tap your connection, they can still do so - they just have to do so at a different point (ie. when your traffic leaves the VPN server).
But I want more encryption! > Use SSL/TLS and HTTPS (for centralized services), or end-to-end encryption (for social or P2P applications). VPNs can't magically encrypt your traffic - it's simply not technically possible. If the endpoint expects plaintext, there is nothing you can do about that. When using a VPN, the only encrypted part of the connection is from you to the VPN provider. From the VPN provider onwards, it is the same as it would have been without a VPN. And remember, the VPN provider can see and mess with all your traffic, and it eats up your bandwidth, from 35 - 75%.
But I want to confuse trackers by sharing an IP address! > Your IP address is a largely irrelevant metric in modern tracking systems. Marketers have gotten wise to these kinds of tactics, and combined with increased adoption of CGNAT and an ever-increasing number of devices per household, it just isn't a reliable data point anymore. Marketers will almost always use some kind of other metric to identify and distinguish you. That can be anything from a user agent to a fingerprinting profile. A VPN cannot prevent this.
So when should I use a VPN? There are roughly two use cases where you might want to use a VPN:
You are on a known-hostile network (eg. a public airport Wi-Fi access point, or an ISP that is known to use MITM), and you want to work around that. You want to hide your IP from a very specific set of non-government-sanctioned adversaries - for example, circumventing a ban in a chatroom or preventing anti-piracy scare letters. In the second case, you'd probably just want a regular proxy specifically for that traffic - sending all of your traffic over a VPN provider (like is the default with almost every VPN client) will still result in the provider being able to snoop on and mess with your traffic.
However, in practice, just don't use a VPN provider at all, even for these cases.
So, then... what? > Wireguard. I will not recommend any specific providers (diversity is good!), but there are plenty of cheap ones to be found on LowEndTalk.
But how is that any better than a VPN service? > A VPN provider specifically seeks out those who are looking for privacy, and who may thus have interesting traffic. Statistically speaking, it is more likely that a VPN provider will be malicious or a honeypot, than that an arbitrary generic VPS provider will be.
So why do VPN services exist? Surely, they must serve some purpose? > Because it's easy money. You just set up OpenVPN on a few servers, and essentially start reselling bandwidth with a markup. You can make every promise in the world, because nobody can verify them. You don't even have to know what you're doing, because again, nobody can verify what you say. It is 100% snake-oil. So yes, VPN services do serve a purpose - it's just one that benefits the provider, not you.
That's how it is....

Hi there! I’m considering applying to a masters program and I know I have to submit three letters of recommendation. When I reach out to my supervisors/Professors, is there anything I should be mentioning about what needs to be included? I’ll share my personal goals with them as well but am curious if I’m overthinking this.

Hi! Does anyone know if using Interfolio (as I am still subscribed) requires contacting my recommenders again? I have them all saved from the previous year 2023-2024 and waiting for the newest 2024-2025 cycle to open up again, and am wondering if the site will just allow me to re-upload them without making any changes to them.
Also another question, is it necessary to change one of the letters if I am reapplying?
Thank you! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have been out for several years now. Initially I did a CSP program to become a tower tech. 2 years later I was sick of that industry, the hours and the employeemployee relationship was worse than anything I have seen in the military. I am older now, all "used up" you could say physically. I want to work in tech specifically Cybersecurity. Last year I tried a semester of community college with a Major in CS. Got discouraged (never liked traditional classroom lectures) failed calculus ended up dropping all my courses, math was never my strongest subject. I applied to the VET TEC program ignorant of that fact that it was coming to an end, I received my COE acceptance letter the day that program ended. I have applied for V and RE with the VA waiting on that.
Are there any other options to accelerate me being able to get entry level employment in Cybersecurity? What bootcamps do people recommend? I have read tons of old threads from years ago and many people say degrees or certain certs are better obtained outside of those bootcamp programs. Anyone who can give me guidance I would greatly appreciate it. I have been unemployed living off of 60% disability for two years and desperately need something even if its just part time, I don't need the highest paying best position just something so I don't feel like such a failure while I am losing time.
​
TLDR - I am in desperate need of employment. Due to my disability, skills and interests I would like to get into cybersecurity ASAP. IDC if its low pay or part time I will find my way to advancement later on.

Hello, my name is Jonathan Kerr and I’m looking for help paying for a mistake in my life. Growing up I had always had two dreams: 1. Becoming a great husband and father 2. Becoming a cardiovascular surgeon. The most important of the two was that I wanted nothing more than to be a great husband and father, and make sure I did everything to provide for a happy and stable family after growing up a child of divorce myself.
I chose to become a cardiovascular surgeon because the heart has always fascinated me and I had the mental fortitude to succeed in classes as well as a desire to fix many of the issues that we have in healthcare today... I’m sure we’ve all encountered a doctor worn out by the long hours.. exhausted by the same cases day after day. Sometimes ignoring the things we’re trying to tell them.. And instead of treating us as human beings, we are treated as a task to check off. This has led to most patients becoming nonchalant about their health because when asked questions they need to settle worry, they are brushed off. I wanted nothing more than to become a part of changing that..
On my journey, I excelled in my undergrad but had only applied to 3 schools albeit on my part it wasn’t the smartest choice to apply to so few.. but money was always tight and I just couldn’t afford 100-200 dollars for every application. I tried to stay as close to home as possible, growing up in a split home.. made me want to keep my family as close as possible. Long distance wasn’t something that I thought I could handle.
After the first time I decided to talk to an admissions dean and they suggested nursing to get clinical experience and boost my applications experiences there, so I did. I worked in an OR on a lung transplant team. I loved my job, I had an amazing partner that I thought I’d live the rest of my life with ( I even bought an engagement ring for when she was ready— because I had money I started saving from our first date to get my dream ring I started designing at 8yo and could afford it), there wasn’t really anything missing but the feeling that I could offer more. I watched some surgeons slack off, some excellent at their job, some take time to talk to patients, some ignore them entirely. I decided this would be a great place for me to start doing more to get that second dream and be more of a solution.
So my partner supported me, she was magnificent at all of it. Helped me study, helped me pick schools, helped me practice interviews, everything I needed to succeed and I did. Issue was that even though I asked to only apply to schools she was comfortable with me being at distance wise, I ended up at the farthest one. I was nervous it could affect our relationship but she assured me we would be okay and it was only temporary. Within the first two weeks at the school I was written up for a professionalism violation because I, albeit with an upset tone but without any rude language or raising my voice, asked a professor what kind of doctor she was —implying (PhD or MD- we had both and it’s the first weeks so how was I supposed to know) because she had told everyone the answer to a question earlier in the week and it was on the quiz she marked that same answer incorrect and refused to acknowledge what she told/taught us, just told everyone to study better. I was trying to tell her that you can’t lie to patients in clinic. I had some experience from nursing and it isn’t fair to our patients not to own up to our own mistakes, even if you mark us wrong please admit it or you’re teaching these young students that behavior is okay.
Even though within 10 minutes we hugged and I apologized to the professor after talking to my partner and she explained that my phrasing may have been offensive, 2 weeks later I was told I could possibly be expelled and would need to do a 1 year professionalism program, drug screening, IQ test, mental disability test, and physical. I complied with the program, but felt very isolated at this school from the start due to a fear that any verbal mistake or lack of perfect phrasing could get me expelled. So it was hard to make friends. My parents being over 5 hours away visited a combined 3 times in 2 years. My partner was very attached to her family and I told her it was okay, saw me roughly 30-50 days out there in 3-5 day chunks that slowly got shorter and farther apart over the 18 months.
I started missing family events to study to pass exams or giving up sleep/studying to make a drive back for a birthday party. It slowly was breaking me, I cried everytime I came home that I was afraid that this career would give me 1 dream but destroy the other and I’d never be there for my family. My partner assured me that it was only a short time and continued supporting me back to strength no matter how many times I tried to fold. I listened to more surgeons talk about making the most of the time with their kids or waiting weeks to see their partners in other states. I witnessed more doctors on rotations that would just say “oh well” about miscommunications between specialists or it’s written down they’ll find it. I witnessed nurses over using sedatives on patients for “agitation” and the descriptions of agitation were just raising voices or doing weird stretches. I witnessed physicians tell me I took too long talking to patients when I tried to understand their underlying issues and one patient that this came up had been an alcoholic with liver disease and through our discussion he came to ASK ME to get him help with his drinking to better his health. In other cases I watched people who had their “capacity for decisions” taken away and when talking with them it seemed very questionable if this was just stated to force a treatment on them or hold them in the hospital. The things I was witnessing were weighing heavier on me: if I’d ever be able to be a solution passing orders down to nurses? Would they follow them or even over use them? would correct decisions be made if communication by all physicians isn’t the same level of effort? And much more ran through my brain.
With the way I commit to jobs and activities I push myself to keep going until the problem is fixed or finished to the best of my abilities, I started to see all the extra hours I’d start putting in to fix this and the hours with my future family disappear. During this time I called that partner, because her sister said she was worried about her, and she broke up with me over the phone. I won’t do specifics, because I still really don’t understand what happened, but I’ve found my peace through prayer and breakthrough, as well as witnessing what I’d call some miracles.
I attended school for a little longer after this, but the fire wasn’t there. I helped patients and felt great in my last few days pushing myself to do more when the others seemed to be done with a case, I even got complimented by an attending that I would be a great clinician and have a great skill set.
Sadly for that attending and his compliments, I decided I needed to take a leave of absence to figure things out. So I left school and I’ve been home a few months and seeing therapy to discuss everything. I came to the decision that this dream isn’t worth losing my most important dream, because a career will always be just a career and I can do so much at point of care as a nurse.
When my grandmother got cancer last year I thought I’d lose her and called her weekly but now I see her every day and it makes me monumentally happier. She’s recovering well and just got news a few weeks back we don’t need radiation or chemo! I’ve developed more self esteem and self love over this time as well. I’m not sure of anyone’s beliefs but I’ve found comfort in Gods answers for me and I’m sure life will lead me back to that second dream if I keep pushing forward. The reason I’m on here, starting other posts to different Reddit pages and developing a gofundme is that i have ~$300k in student loans.
I’ve written letters to prominent religious figures for prayers, letters to prominent wealthy figures in media for assistance, and I have interviewed and got a new job to start tomorrow April 29th as a cardiovascular nurse and they even offered to train me for first assist in surgery.
My dad is allowing me to stay with him to save on rent and put all my money towards my loans that I can and help take care of my grandma, like I said I want to and enjoy working hard Im not asking for all my loans just help with the new large sum added by the degree that was a mistake, at this rate even with assistance programs i wont be able to do anything but pay on them till my late 30’s. I don’t want to keep imposing on my father as kind as he is and I want to pursue my true dream, after proper healing of course, of being an amazing partner and father that can be there for his children without pushing for overtime constantly. I want to be the dad at all the sporting events, the uncle at every birthday, visit my grandma often, the husband who cooks for his wife after work because she shouldn’t have to every day.
If there’s anything even a dollar it would help me immensely every day, and I will continue to find every way possible to keep pushing for ways to succeed in getting that dream. If you’d like to make a contribution to the loan account directly feel free to reach out and ask for the information. I passed all the book courses for anyone curious and I’m free to answer any questions if you text me at 724-302-9272, please ask anything you need I will have to respect the privacy of people involved though. Don’t forget though, while their are many stories of ways that I saw the system fail physicians and them in turn start to give up on the patients or lack effort, there are plenty of physicians out there I’ve seen giving up everything to see patients health prosper and make a solution out of the most dire situations.
I just can’t commit to giving up my family to make that happen. God bless you all, and I hope everyone finds their dream no matter how big or small.
https://paypal.me/silverjon?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

Hello, I'm a non-EU student with a 1260 SAT score, 99 GPA, and a letter of recommendation from an economics professor at Cambridge. What are my chances of being accepted to Bologna or Sapienza ACSAI? Which programs can I get into at Bologna?

Hello, I'm a non-EU student with a 1260 SAT score, 99 GPA, and a letter of recommendation from an economics professor at Cambridge. What are my chances of being accepted to Bologna or Sapienza ACSAI? Which programs can I get into at Bologna?

Demographics
Gender: Male
Race/Ethnicity: East Asian
Residence: Ontario, Canada
Income Bracket: 125k~ USD/yr (need financial aid, and i'm international)
Type of School: Public School
Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): None rly, Potential walk-on athlete?
Intended Major(s): Biology
Academics
GPA (UW/W): 3.25 UW/3.9 W (unofficial GPA, school doesn't calculate or send GPA)
Rank (or percentile): School doesn't rank

of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: Full IBDP, AP Calculus BC (5), AP Stats (5)

Senior Year Course Load:

1. IB2 English HL
2. IB2 Chemistry HL
3. IB2 Biology HL
4. IB2 Math AA HL
   
5. IB2 History SL
   
6. IB2 French B SL
   
7. Grade 12 Physics
   

Standardized Testing
SAT: 1550 (760 English, 790 Math)
June 2023 (1st attempt, didn't retake)
Extracurriculars/Activities
List all extracurricular involvements, including leadership roles, time commitments, major achievements, etc.

1 - Senior Boys Basketball Team Member for 3 years, Regional All-star sr year

(Only received recruiting interest from Canadian Schools)

2 - Biochem Research Assistant at Local University (presented a portion of the research I completed at science fair)

3 - Local Gym Club Founder

4 - Gym Tiktok (if yk me don't dox me) (20k~ followers)

5 - Family Responsibilities

6 - Local Basketball Youth team Coach

7 - Investing

8 - Hospital Volunteer

9 - Paid Math tutor (not for long)

10 - Math Circle Member (Community)

Awards/Honors

1 - CMO Qualifier (2023) - {top quartile in 2023, invited to write IMO TST, did not go tho}

• Documented in my Rec letter from math teacher
  
• also qualified for 2024 CMO, not in app tho, did worst than last year
  

2 - AMC Distinction (2022) - {AIME Qualifier in 2023}

• also qualified for AIME in 2024 and barely qualified for USAMO (120 AMC, 13 AIME 250 index), updated unis following qualification and sent AIME I '24 score of 13 in February 2024.

3 - Regional Science Fair Bronze Medalist (2023) - Qualified for National Science Fair

4 - Canadian Chemistry Contest Distinction (2023)

5 - USACO Gold

(Updated Schools with USAMO Qualification + some other smaller Math/CS contests results in February of this admissions cycle)
++ included some lesser known math/cs contest results in additional information section
Letters of Recommendation
IB French B teacher (9/10) - super chill she let me write it, wrote a lot about me being funny and actually caring about the class a bit despite nobody gaf about french at my school
IB Math teacher (10/10) - wrote about my strength in math and problem solving, how I made the class hella fun to be in, and how im a person everyone likes to be around. Bro blessed me tf up, but tbf i was prolly the best student he ever has had in terms of math strength. I also talk to him about the NBA regularly and he talked about that too. Really well written was acc super happy he wrote me such a good letter. He showed me it and I was pre surprised that he blessed up like that.
School Basketball Coach (9/10) - wrote this myself. Short and sweet stating im a hardworking player and great teammate/leader. pre well written tbh, some anecdotes too
Research Mentor (8/10) - wrote about my professionalism and strong logic/reasoning abilities combined with my aptitude/passion for science
Interviews
Dartmouth (6/10) - 25 mins, cool interviewer but short and just asked scripted questions lmao
UPenn (8/10) - 1 hr, pre cool guy, he was an athlete and we talked about a bunch of diff things
Princeton (4/10) - 25 mins, interviewer just asked scripted questions, didn't even smile or anything so robotic and lame
Harvard (9/10) - 3 hours, Investment banker dude who loves basketball, talked about a bunch of stuff esp basketball and he told me he would put in a superb note for me
Essays
Personal Statement (9/10): Spent a lot of time on this mofo, at least 50 hours (idk why I was such a perfectionist). Topic is deeply personal but reflected my growth as a human. Semi trauma dump, but also one that showcased lots of intellect id say.
Supplements (8/10): Friends/teachers helped me edit these, i'd say they were very unique. Wrote about biotech, the basketball community and a bunch more topics. I always told a story through these. My english teacher said they were very pleasing to read.
Decisions (all RD, was super busy in the beginning of the year)
Acceptances:
Harvard
Waterloo CS (Canada)
UofT CS (Canada)
UBC CS (Canada)
some other safeties in Canada
Waitlists:
UPenn
Rejections:
Brown (applied for need as intl)
Columbia (applied for need as intl)
Dartmouth
Princeton
Yale
MIT
Amherst (LAC)
Bowdoin (LAC)
Additional Information:
Didn't care about grades in freshman year and had all barely passing grades except for math/science so like equivalent to a 1.7~ something GPA in grade 9.
but yeah. got harvard with my shitty ass transcript. IG USAMO + breadth in ECs + not applying for CS/math helped. good interview + sat also played into my favour. 21 people from my school applied and a lot of them have lame ass personalities and im sure that reflected in their essays. even though my grades sucked in grade 9, they were roughly equal to everyone elses in my school for grade 11 who applied which is the most important year i hear so yeah thats that.
got decent finaid so i will be attending.
At a certain point in February even after scoring highly on AIME, I thought I'd have no chance so I was just ready to commit to a Canadian school which is cheap and provides a strong education (i got into waterloo early bc i did rly good on all their math/cs contests and had a decent top 6 course average) Waterloo CS is like roughly equal to t5 cs in the US and is crazy for industry placements.

Hello, I'm a non-EU student with a 1260 SAT score, 99 GPA, and a letter of recommendation from an economics professor at Cambridge. What are my chances of being accepted to Bologna? Which programs can I get into?

Hello, I'm a non-EU student with a 1260 SAT score, 99 GPA, and a letter of recommendation from an economics professor at Cambridge. What are my chances of being accepted to Bologna? Which programs can I get into?

Hello, I noticed a user in this community mentioning that the rankings have been released. As a non-EU student, I was aware that the deadline was April 29th, so I planned to apply today, am I too late to apply?. I have a 1260 SAT, 99 GPA and a letter of recommendation from an economics professor at Cambridge, what do you think my chances of being accepted are?

24f. I’m still kind of in shock. I just got a text from my boss(attorney) today( Sunday) saying that he is firing me due to “financial setbacks”. I’m having trouble believing that because he hired 3 people in the last 2 weeks, and hasn’t fired any of the girls I know (they are also legal assistants). I have no idea what problem he had with me because I’m very good at my job. I’m constantly told this by my manager (she works under the boss). Im also sweet and get along with everyone. My boss is a really friendly chatty guy, and when I first joined he would come in to my room and chat with me often. He would talk to me about how he soon wanted me to take up more responsibilities and even help out with litigation/analysis and marketing, instead of doing mundane data entry work. He even asked me to accompany him to court even though he has never asked anyone that before. In fact, I got the job by just walking into the office and asking for a job. He had hired me on the spot without even asking for a resume. I never got to go to court with him because on the day that we were supposed to go together it got cancelled and he never asked me again. About a month ago he kinda just stopped coming to my room to talk to me and we didn’t communicate at all after that. I did feel like that was strange because he just stopped talking to me altogether and I never reported to him directly after that. I was just always given mundane data entry work( opening/closing cases, entering data into excel). He never spoke to me about getting into more specialized work like he did at the start.I was really good and fast at what I was doing though. I’ve also heard that he has never fired anyone unless they did something horrible lol. P.S-Forgot to mention that I’ve been working there for 2 months. This is the text copied and pasted-
Hi ——, this is ———. I wish I was reaching out to you with better news. Based on the changes in the law last March, our PIP practice has slowed down dramatically and due to that down turn we are forced to make some very difficult decisions to ensure the sustainability of the firm. It is with a heavy heart that inform you that we have had to cut your position and Friday April 26th, 2024 was your last day with the firm. This is purely a result of financial pressures that are beyond our control. We will be paying you through this payroll cycle in the hope of lessening the negative impact on you and your family. It was hoped that some circumstances would have changed over the weekend to impact this outcome, but unfortunately that did not happen. I apologize about reaching out via text with this news but I wanted to reach out to you prior to your arrival at the office tomorrow and in the hopes of saving you a drive in rush hour traffic. Your final payroll will be processed via direct deposit. I would be happy to give you a recommendation or write a letter of recommendation for any future employment positions you may seek. I truly do wish you the best of luck in the future and appreciate your time with the firm.

24f. I’m still kind of in shock. I just got a text from my boss(attorney) today( Sunday) saying that he is firing me due to “financial setbacks”. I’m having trouble believing that because he hired 3 people in the last 2 weeks, and hasn’t fired any of the girls I know (they are also legal assistants). I have no idea what problem he had with me because I’m very good at my job. I’m constantly told this by my manager (she works under the boss). Im also sweet and get along with everyone. My boss is a really friendly chatty guy, and when I first joined he would come in to my room and chat with me often. He would talk to me about how he soon wanted me to take up more responsibilities and even help out with litigation/analysis and marketing, instead of doing mundane data entry work. He even asked me to accompany him to court even though he has never asked anyone that before. In fact, I got the job by just walking into the office and asking for a job. He had hired me on the spot without even asking for a resume. I never got to go to court with him because on the day that we were supposed to go together it got cancelled and he never asked me again. About a month ago he kinda just stopped coming to my room to talk to me and we didn’t communicate at all after that. I did feel like that was strange because he just stopped talking to me altogether and I never reported to him directly after that. I was just always given mundane data entry work( opening/closing cases, entering data into excel). He never spoke to me about getting into more specialized work like he did at the start.I was really good and fast at what I was doing though. I’ve also heard that he has never fired anyone unless they did something horrible lol. P.S - I forgot to mention that I’ve been working there for 2 months. This is the text copied and pasted-
Hi ——, this is ———. I wish I was reaching out to you with better news. Based on the changes in the law last March, our PIP practice has slowed down dramatically and due to that down turn we are forced to make some very difficult decisions to ensure the sustainability of the firm. It is with a heavy heart that inform you that we have had to cut your position and Friday April 26th, 2024 was your last day with the firm. This is purely a result of financial pressures that are beyond our control. We will be paying you through this payroll cycle in the hope of lessening the negative impact on you and your family. It was hoped that some circumstances would have changed over the weekend to impact this outcome, but unfortunately that did not happen. I apologize about reaching out via text with this news but I wanted to reach out to you prior to your arrival at the office tomorrow and in the hopes of saving you a drive in rush hour traffic. Your final payroll will be processed via direct deposit. I would be happy to give you a recommendation or write a letter of recommendation for any future employment positions you may seek. I truly do wish you the best of luck in the future and appreciate your time with the firm.

• 34M, 6'0", 205lbs, White/Caucasian
• Primary Complaint: Chest pain, tightness in chest, trouble breathing, acute fatigue.
  • Chest pain is primarily in left side of chest, just to the left of the sternum, but not quite at the pectoral muscles. This is also where the tightness seems to stem from, spanning across the center of my chest. Another pain point appears to exist in the left side of the chest, around the mid/lower ribcage. This one can sometimes be irritated when moving certain ways, and almost feels muscular in sensation. I haven't been able to manipulate these points of concern or identify sensitivities with surface-level touch or massage, beyond just adding uncomfortable pressure.
• Secondary Complaints: Significant heartburn, intermittent skin rash (small itchy bumps appearing on hand/knuckles/testicles/elbow for the past 2-3 months), muscular pain/fatigue, intermittent lightheadedness.
• Past/Current Diagnoses: Idioventricular arrhythmia, GAD, ADHD, possible SAD/MDD, IBS
• Drink? 0-3 drinks per week (often 0). Smoke? No. Drugs? No.
• Medications (was taking none prior to this event):
  • Bupropion XL 150mg: Began 1 week prior to medical event, stopped after chest issues.
  • Esomeprazole Magnesium 20mg: Took two-week course, ending 3/4/24. Resolved heartburn in that time, but did not affect chest symptoms. Heartburn returned after this.
  • Propranolol 10mg: Prescribed off label for possible bodily anxiety. Took two weeks, now on hand for as-needed use. Saw intended improvements for bodily anxiety (my brain still reacted to anxiety-inducing events, but my breathing and heart rate remained normal), but the chest symptoms were unaffected.
  • Lorazepam 0.5mg: Prescribed in effort to treat chest pain. Currently trialing. Tried a 0.5mg dose so far, and noted slight calming effects, but no impact on chest issues. Planning to take a 1mg dose today to confirm results.
  • Arnuity Ellipta 100 MCG/ACT inhaler: Currently waiting on pharmacy to receive stock.

​
First, a quick background leading to the medical event.
I've been seeing a psychologist on and off for 3.5 years, but no other medical professionals in this time. The work done here was pretty basic--talked through a couple breakups, but typically met once per month for proactive work around daily life. I have a history of probable SAD (received a MDD diagnosis ~10 years ago) that began to interfere with my life around OctobeNovember 2023, so my psychologist recommended seeking a psychiatric prescriber.
I had an upcoming appointment with a new primary care provider, where I wanted to discuss ongoing fatigue since I had COVID in April 2023 (possible "long COVID"?), so I decided to discuss medication here as well, with the idea that they would have the whole picture in mind while treating me.
I'd tried SSRIs twice around 8-10 years prior and didn't love the sexual side effects, so I asked about Viibryd and Wellbutrin, which were recommendations I'd received. I mentioned hesitation around Wellbutrin, given a history of cardiac issues (ultimately diagnosed as an arrhythmia) and medication/stimulant sensitivity (and orders from my past cardiologist to avoid caffeine/stimulants), but my new PCP insisted he was comfortable prescribing it to me, so off I went with a 150mg bupropion prescription, taking my first dose on 12/4/23. They also ran an EKG that day, simply because I had worked with a cardiologist in the past and hadn't had one since then (outside of occasional Apple Watch ECGs), which was interpreted as normal, and I was referred to a sleep specialist for possible sleep apnea (later confirmed, and I'm now trying to figure out how to sleep with a CPAP).
Here's where the symptoms began.
One week later, on 12/11/23, I hadn't noticed any effects from the bupropion, either positive or negative. Around 7:40pm, I was relaxing on my couch in good health, playing a relaxing turn-based game (so no apparent stressors), when I felt intense pain in the left side of my chest. This lasted for 1-2 minutes, when the sharp pain subsided, but an intense tightness remained, which came with a sensation of some difficulty breathing.
I probably should have taken a trip to the ER, but I didn't due to fear of cost (poor choice, I know). I felt things out a bit and eventually went to sleep, hoping to feel better in the morning.
I did not feel better in the morning. I woke up with the feeling of tightness still present, along with feeling a bit lightheaded. I nearly passed out after getting up and moving around, but I barely avoided it by lying down in the floor and elevating my legs. I've passed out maybe 5-8 times in my life due to what is assumed to be anxiety/vasovagal in nature (from medical needle work/IVs, one reaction to numbing or dilation drops at optometrist, one reaction to an oncoming IBS event with lack of restroom access, one vaccination experience (of many before and since that went fine), and once while overdoing it when I had COVID), so I'm assuming that's what happened here. I've experienced occasional lightheadedness in the time since--maybe 5-6 days of frequent lightheadedness, but I haven't actually passed out in this time.
I managed to grab a same-day appointment with my PCP that morning, so I went in to see him, fully expecting to be referred to the ER or urgent care. He told me he wasn't worried about it being a heart attack, to continue taking the bupropion, asked when I was seeing my therapist next, asked for an update in a couple days, and sent me home.
With no change, I saw my PCP via telehealth two days later.
He advised me to continue taking the bupropion, but I reframed my inquiry around that to ask if it was safe to stop entirely. He said yes, so the dose taken earlier that day was my last. He referred me to get an x-ray and blood work. These came back normal, apart from a granuloma/calcified nodule in the left lung.
At this point, he asked me to come back in one month with a journal, which felt much too long, given the symptoms and their impact on my life. He also wrote me a work note recommending remote work while working out a treatment plan.
Currently, there has been no improvement--my chest still feels tight and/or in pain essentially all the time, with severity coming and going. At this time, I was also experiencing acute muscular pain/fatigue across my chest and arms, like I had gone to the gym and way overdone it on those muscles. It was mostly focused on the chest, and the muscles around the armpit. I also began to experience GI symptoms (primarily severe heartburn, but initially accompanied by excessive burping and notable gurgling/activity in the stomach that has since subsided).

• From my journaling, here are the activities correlated with my symptoms:
  • Lack of sleep. This is the most impactful by far.
  • Physical exercise/exertion, including short walks. This can be especially bad, but it's also one I have a bit more control over managing.
  • Driving, especially when heightened alertness is needed, such as in heavy traffic.
  • Remaining in one physical position for too long. Lying on my back is the worst, with lying on my sides, sitting upright at a desk, standing also providing discomfort. Sitting on the couch, where I can lounge and shift position more easily seems to be the least problematic spot for me, but rotating resting positions is the best thing for it so far.
  • Being in social settings for extended periods--even something fun and low-energy, like a couple friends coming to see me, feels taxing after a while. I suspect this has to do with my limited bandwidth, and the passive tension I experience as someone who experiences social anxiety, but it's noteworthy either way.
• It's worth noting that a lot of these symptom correlations don't occur immediately, but in the hours following, and symptoms can be elevated for days at a time if I overdo it too much. It's less like having the body feedback from a broken limb that says, "Don't move that way," and more like the timeline that comes with something like heartburn/IBS (you ate/did the wrong thing and are paying for it on a delay).

It took me multiple requests to get a cardiologist referral, which I directly requested, given my history. He also recommended lung function testing, so I scheduled that. Every time I've spoken with my PCP, he's brought up mental health and referred me to my psychologist, who has determined this is not a mental health issue, as I've never had anxiety present in anything close to these symptoms. We even tried some additional exercises around calming and anxiety, and they helped in the sense that if you have physical pain from something like a broken limb, being able to calm yourself and relax a bit is better than being anxious/agitated, but it does nothing for the actual symptoms (either in the moment or in the following hours).
As soon as I could, I made appointments with a psychiatric prescriber, a cardiologist, and a pulmonologist.
I onboarded with the psychiatric prescriber to explore the bupropion's possible role in this. I was told that given my medical history, prescribing the bupropion at all was not a good idea for me, and especially in an XL format at 150mg. The initial hypothesis was that this could have thrown my body into a "feedback loop" of bodily anxiety that persisted after stopping the medication, but after the symptoms didn't respond to a couple different prescriptions (see above), the determination was that this should be exhaustively diagnosed as a physical health issue. Long-term, this prescriber wants to try stimulants for ADHD treatment, but said this is on hold until the chest issues are resolved and a cardiologist has given approval.
The cardiologist I saw didn't want to see a 12-lead EKG (my latest was from the initial PCP visit before symptoms began). He scheduled an EKG stress test, which was actually the first time I got wired up since my symptoms began. He has also declined to view the medical records I acquired from my past cardiologist on more than one occasion, which detail my past diagnosis and testing (including another stress test, nuclear imaging, echo, and Holter monitor results).
I powered through the stress test as best I could. I experienced resistance in my chest as my breathing increased, but my symptoms got much worse as I returned to rest, and the following 3-5 days were especially bad. The good news is that the results came back good, but the cardiologist has advised against any further testing, despite symptoms persisting with no identified cause.
Here are the X-Rays taken last week after my lung function tests.
I saw the pulmonologist, who has maybe been the most thorough provider I've worked with so far (aside from the sleep specialist, who was excellent, and the psychiatric providers I've worked with outside my PCP's network). He mentioned the calcified nodule on my left lung remained static between the two rounds of X-Rays, and was likely a result of a past fungal infection, or similar. He said my lung function results were good, but noted my lungs held on to air a bit too long, which was possibly a sign of asthma (though unlikely, given I haven't presented accordingly in the past). He prescribed me an inhaler (see above) to try for a couple weeks, at which point he wants to refer me to a GI specialist for the heartburn and have an echo to check for pericarditis (he declined to refer until I've trialed the inhaler).
Feel free to skip to the end from here!
This next bit may be more about poor provider interactions, though I would absolutely invite advice.
About a month ago, my workplace requested a renewal for my remote work recommendation. It's been a good accommodation that allows me to work in light of the physical limitations I'm experiencing (without having to resort to a medical leave, which my psychologist recommended, but I can't afford), and there are no issues in performing my job remote. My PCP asked me to return in person before issuing another note, so I scheduled that and went in (with a different doctor this time). I was assessed, asked again repeatedly about mental health, and told a note would be written. I later found some very inaccurate notes that misrepresented much of what I said during the visit.
The following day, I received a message asking how I'd like the work letter formatted. I provided details and didn't hear back for a week. I nudged them, asking if they needed more details. This led to an interaction with my usual PCP, who asked what limitations I was experiencing... I returned to square one and laid them all out, as above in this post. He then asked why I hadn't seen a pulmonologist as discussed during my visit with the other doctor--this hadn't been brought up at all before now (and I scheduled my above detailed pulmonary visit after this interaction). He then again asked how my mental health was, and what my new psychiatrist recommended (which I had detailed previously). He then recommended I ask my psychiatrist for a work note instead, said that his office would reach out to their office, and noted that I would be charged for the message interaction, because it was initiated by me... despite it being a follow-up interaction initiated by his office after my last appointment. I relayed that I sent my psychiatrist a release form, but noted I wasn't sure how helpful a work note from their office would be, given the ruling that this is a physical issue unrelated to mental health. He requested I return in person yet again.
Against my better judgment, I agreed and set my appointment. The first thing he did in person was act confused and ask why I came in (this is not the first time we've had an appointment he requested begin this way). He then pointed out that I have a care plan via the pulmonologist, threw up his hands, and presented that in an "Okay, end of story, now go home" sort of way. I'm pretty uncomfortable advocating for myself, but I gave it my best shot. I explained that I'm still in pain and can't do the things I want to do, at work and beyond, and that I desperately want to return to normal health, or at least get some answers. He said that some things don't have a solution, and the stress test came back fine, so I can resume normal activity, and his biggest advice was to exercise.
I was baffled by this suggestion, so I explained that I would love to be able to resume exercise (I have a bike and paddleboard collecting dust, and I am not happy being stuck at home nearly all the time, feeling terrible while I manage my symptoms), but it's not something I'm able to do right now. I walked through the fact that I have a significant amount of pain that gets worse as my activity level increases, and we haven't identified a cause... which tells me that I shouldn't push things until I know what I can push. His response was that it would be fine. Specifically, he said that I'm an adult who can make the choice to push through discomfort, and his recommendation as an internal specialist was to exercise through it.
I should add that he was severely agitated and appeared on the verge of yelling this whole conversation, and I was shut down any time I attempted to discuss my symptoms or ask for help.
For example, I wanted to ask about the heartburn and where I need to draw lines on medicating for it, as I currently take famotidine 10-20mg as needed until I can do another round of Nexium, but am concerned with doing this for too long, especially if there may be a better approach to resolving it (and whether it may be related to the chest issues). I've actually brought my heartburn up with him a few times, and have been brushed off each time.
Now for the wrap-up (finally).
Apologies for the large volume of text there, but it's been a journey, and thank you to anybody who stuck through this far. Right now, I'm exhausted, in pain and intense discomfort, and I'm having a hard time being taken seriously or finding a provider who seems to care. If anybody has seen something like this or has a recommendation on what sort of providers or treatment/diagnostic work I should seek out, or even just advice on how to navigate the medical system in light of my experiences here, I'm very open to ideas.
I'm not sure what to make of it, given that I'm of course not a medical expert, but symptoms coming on from nothing at all to full symptoms in an instant, and sustaining for months after seems odd. The timing of the bupropion is also pretty suspect to me, but the issues persisting so long after stopping it is also odd. I've had hiatal hernia mentioned as a possibility, but with no improvement from the Nexium (beyond just the heartburn while actively taking it), I know that makes it unlikely to some extent. It feels like we're looking at a lot of "not very likely" possibilities at this stage, though, so I don't know where I should be looking.

I am currently a senior in high-school who is about to graduate. I did poorly in highschool (2.8 gpa UW and 3.6 weighted). I went through a lot of hardship like almost becoming homeless, my grandma’s death due to cancer, and just many other struggles. Technically I’m classified by my state as an unaccompanied homeless youth. Due to the nature of my mom’s work, I often live alone for months at a time around the year. My dad isn’t really in the picture as he lives in a different country due to circumstances I won’t disclose. He does financially support around 1k every month for the last bit of my senior year which has made it a lot easier as I don’t have to spend extra time budgeting. I also talk with him every week through text and FaceTime.
I also just gave up on HS and became severely depressed and almost took my life because of how stressed and impossible it all seemed. Luckily, i was fortunate enough to have a good support group in my friends who helped pull me up.
However, that didn’t make up for my very lackluster achievements in education.
At least compared to my family. All of them have earned significant academic achievements in their life. My sister is currently completing an MD/PHD at northwestern, my dad had a PHD from Wharton, my mom was valedictorian of her HS and went to Fudan in China (top 10 in China I believe).
It was only until midway through senior year that I realized I enjoy education. I noticed that whenever I was able to attend class and actually understand the material, I took fulfillment and enjoyment from it.
I’ve begun to read many books in hopes to learn more. I’ve read books like the stranger by Albert Camus, meditations by Marcus Aurelius, hidden potential by Adam grant, flow by mihaly csikzentmihaly, outliers by Malcolm gladwell, and just many other books.
Now I’m at the point where I’m going to attend CC for 2 years and hope to transfer into the Ivy League or a top university. For a couple of reasons.

1. I want to learn more about the world and about different subjects. Why? Because it’s fun. But why the Ivy League? I know I can learn anywhere if I set my mind on it, but I think the resources at the Ivy League in terms of professors and students are unmatched. By surrounding myself with people who are much smarter than me I can grow so much more than if I were to stay at a commmunity college.
   
2. I want to prove to myself that I can do it. Not in the grindset mindset sort of way but just to show to myself that if I put my mind to something then nothing is impossible.
   
3. This is sort of a shallow reason as it’s external rather than internal but I want to live up to my family and make my mom proud. She works very hard for me and has to suffer a lot, yet I have nothing to show for it. I want to live up to my potential and show her that she has something to be proud of.
   
4. I want to set an example to other people like me that it isn’t hopeless and that it’s possible to accomplish something if you set your mind to it. I wonder how many students if they just had one book or one person to believe in them could accomplish great things and be fulfilled. If I could be that person to them I’d be so happy.
   

I know the transfer rates are extremely low. But I want to know what it would take to to get accepted. I know it’s more complicated and there’s no set formula. Plus I don’t really want to follow a set formula as that defeats the purpose of my reasons.
I know it takes a minimum of a 4.0 gpa, honors college, deans list, strong letters of rec, and insane ECS to even be considered.
My question lies in the ECs.
I want to make a difference in my community in general through business. But idk where to start. I have a door to door sales paid internship over the summer because it’ll pay well and I believe the skill of selling is valuable. I’m also talking with an AP environmental teacher on continuing a tradition of visiting a waste water sewage treatment facility to give students a chance to see an amazing sight and also learn more. (The AP environmental teacher that started the tradition is retiring.)
Other than that idk what else I should do or where to start. I’m hoping for advice and feedback or at least some ideas.

Hiya
I’m a student from New Zealand, interested in applying overseas to top schools in the US but I’m really nervous about my grades.
Basic rundown is I really wanna study Statistics at a post grad level in the US and at some really good schools too, Yale, Berkeley, Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Ann Arbor to name a few. Masters then Phd would be my goal.
I first did a conjoined degree for 5 years (normal time of completion). I did it in Commerce (major Economics) and Arts (major Stats). My first four years were average to bad. I mainly got Bs or B+‘s. I also I failed one class and got two C’s, one in a probability course and one in Maths course.
It was in my 5th year that everything sort clicked and I began to do really well. I did the the more advanced versions of those probability and maths courses I got a C in, and this time I got an A+ and an A. That year I also either got an A or A+ on the rest of my courses.
I then did some post grad in Stats, honours level. This is basically the first year of Masters in the US (also not equivalent to UK honours for the Brits reading, but equivalent to an Aussie one). I pretty much aced this, straight A’s or A+’s, including an A on a whole year research project.
In Stage 3 Stats (most advanced undergrad level) I got 5 A+’s, 2 A’s and a B. Then in my honours year (Stage 7 Stats) I got 6 A’s and 2 A+’s
My overall 6 year GPA is like a 3.5 US, and my post grad honours GPA is a 4.0 US.
I’m really anxious about those first 4 years of study, including that fail and two C’s. Will these grades ruin my chances of getting in to a top school, be honest, is it worth applying? What can I do to have them focus on my final 2 years of study, which went really well and are the reason I wanna do post grad in the US.
Also I have some good letters of recommendation lined up, so hopefully that helps
tldr: I did 6 years of study, 4 with average grades, then 2 with great grades. Will I have any shot of getting in to top schools?