Anonymous
05/12/2026 20:18
Subject: Re:25 APs not enough for Top 10
Maybe I am missing something, but it looks as if his only foreign language is self-studying Chinese. If that's his family's language, some colleges won't count it towards the required courses for admission. (It may be he just didn't list another foreign language because he didn't take an AP.)
He has a lot of APs, but it's not 25. I doubt it matters because he still has so many but... AP US Govt and Comp Gov't are each a half AP, so together that's 1. Same for micro and macro AP.
He also seems to have take several of the "gut" APs--environmental, Human Geography, Psych, African-American studies. Taking one or more of these is fine if it's a field you've got a genuine interest in. But taking several of the "guts" looks like someone who is just racking up brownie points.
He talked a lot about Yale. Looking at Yale's AP credit policy page, you can see that he wouldn't get any credit for them. https://catalog.yale.edu/ycps/table-of-acceleration-credit/ He also wouldn't get any credit for some of his other AP tests, e.g., Physics 1 and 2.
"Adam" doesn't tell us anything about his ECs, if any.
He has a lot of APs, but it's not 25. I doubt it matters because he still has so many but... AP US Govt and Comp Gov't are each a half AP, so together that's 1. Same for micro and macro AP.
He also seems to have take several of the "gut" APs--environmental, Human Geography, Psych, African-American studies. Taking one or more of these is fine if it's a field you've got a genuine interest in. But taking several of the "guts" looks like someone who is just racking up brownie points.
He talked a lot about Yale. Looking at Yale's AP credit policy page, you can see that he wouldn't get any credit for them. https://catalog.yale.edu/ycps/table-of-acceleration-credit/ He also wouldn't get any credit for some of his other AP tests, e.g., Physics 1 and 2.
"Adam" doesn't tell us anything about his ECs, if any.
Anonymous
05/12/2026 20:10
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:He says right in the video that he took major risks with his essays and at one point, he says he didn’t even answer Northwestern‘s prompt.
Why are people skipping over this? If you don't answer the college's essay question and submit your own "edgy" essay, you didn't do it right.
They weren’t “edgy”, but “risky”, and “high risk high reward”.
My guess is that if someone would have edited and advised him on how to write a good essay, he would have gotten him into a top 10.
For most people dumping on the kid, how many of your own take AP calculus in 9th and have the drive to self study for AP Physics C because the school offers only algebra based physics? The kid has grit, while the downers see grind.
He will do fine at UCLA, and from what I’ve seen it’s a better fit for him than the other colleges he applied to.
His accomplishments that you mention are yawn. Not real accomplishments. What has he been able to achieve by taking Calculus slightly earlier, or by extending physics to include Calculus? He squandered it by doing nothing with it. Huge yawn.
Sure huge yawn, he should have started a nonprofit with mom’s help or compete in science fair with a topic closely aligned with dads PhD.
Taking calculus in 9th is 2-3 years ahead of the vast majority of students, considering the high school is 4 years it doesn’t make it slightly earlier. What should the kid have done with his Calculus Physics knowledge while in high school?
If you take it before college, what is the difference between taking it in 9th vs 11th? Zero difference.
Now if you could list off advanced math classes that he took, far beyond that, it would be a different situation.
The difference is that it allows taking all of the advanced core classes in high school. How many kids do you know that took all of Calculus BC, Statistics, Physics C, Chemistry, Biology, English (Language and Literature), History (US, European, World), Computer Science A, Foreign Language. These are top rigor courses and he got all As and 5s. I’d even add to this Micro and Macro economics.
That’s a real academic accomplishment. He could have done better with support on the college application process, but UCLA is still very good.
That sounds pretty normal. Again, not an accomplishment. These are just AP classes.
That’s not normal or ordinary. How many of these classes did yours take? The kid checked the box on rigor and grades with all these “just AP” classes. Obviously he had some shortcomings, phoning in the application last minute, weak essays, likely weak LOR since he went to three different high schools, but still has a strong high school record especially in academics.
Still I’d think UCLA is comparable with Cornell Ivy where his brother went and he’ll enter college as a Junior. How’s not graduating UCLA in two years an accomplishment? You really need to get out of your bubble.
I personally took every single one of those APs you mentioned and never considered it an accomplishment. It was normal. My accomplishments were other things that I did
Furthermore, the kid has not graduated college in 2 years. You are making that part up. Graduating college early only makes sense if you have something great lined up afterwards. Otherwise you are just unemployed.
lol. Sure you took every single one of them, honey, it was just normal for you. Online everyone is top rigor with national level awards and recognition. Care you share what major and at what college you ended up?
While he didn’t graduate in 2 years, the kid said he’s entering UCLA as a Junior, putting him solidly on that path.
You sound so silly, you’re likely still in high school, if not middle school. Graduating early will save him about $100k. Dumb kids with useless majors will be unemployed after college, but I guarantee he’s not one of them. You on the other hand, I’m not so sure.
Why is taking a normal AP course load so hard to believe? All of my peers during high school did the same. I ended up double majoring in college since it was pretty easy to do and going directly into grad school.
Do you have any evidence that taking 15 of the hardest APs is normal, besides the claim that “you and your peers took every single one of them”? College Board statistics show that about 0.2% of all students manage that feat, so it’s hardly “normal”.
What undergrad and grad school did you go to? Were they “better” than UCLA? What major and what field?
Was the kid misguided to take 25 APs? Yes, and to some degree a waste of time, but he set himself this goal, however imperfect and managed to accomplish it by working hard over 4 years of high school. That’s better than the vast majority of fabricated passion projects, nepotism internships, and fake impact metrics.
People that have some life experience realize that UCLA won’t hold this kid back in the least. If grad school is his interest, he can get in anywhere from UCLA, including HYPSM or whatever people consider elite. Nobody will deny him a job interview because he went to UCLA instead of Cornell.
If anything, he did a lot in high school and managed to get into one of the top universities in the world. Understandable he is disappointed, but honestly he has no reason to be. At 18 he lacks some perspective and that’s ok, he’ll do fine.
There may have been some slight variation across the specific APs of my cohort but roughly equivalent.
My college and grad schools are well liked on this board. Without getting into specifics, I have two doctorates and am well compensated.
UCLA is a fine college though.
Did you also win the Nobel prize and Fields medal? Just so you make it slightly more believable.
No but I have met a few people who have Nobels. Not everyone on here is a troll. I am a real person.
Is that supposed to be impressive?
You sound like a dumb troll jerk dumping your own frustration in life on an 18 year old.
I have met lots of interesting people, and a few have had Nobels.
You might want to reflect why you react the way you do here. My life is great and we could have had a more productive interaction here.
AP coursework is just very basic and doing 15, 20, or 25 of them doesn’t change that it is all introductory material.
I’m exiting this thread now.
The thing is, if one goes to a good enough college like UCLA, the intro classes are much harder and cover much more than those corresponding AP classes. I personally would retake some of the core required classes even if the school let your AP classes fulfill the requirements.
This.
My daughter just finished her first year at a "good" college and the AP super jocks from public high schools who skipped the intro courses are getting TANKED in the classes they "placed" into.
Anonymous
05/12/2026 19:30
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:He says right in the video that he took major risks with his essays and at one point, he says he didn’t even answer Northwestern‘s prompt.
Why are people skipping over this? If you don't answer the college's essay question and submit your own "edgy" essay, you didn't do it right.
They weren’t “edgy”, but “risky”, and “high risk high reward”.
My guess is that if someone would have edited and advised him on how to write a good essay, he would have gotten him into a top 10.
For most people dumping on the kid, how many of your own take AP calculus in 9th and have the drive to self study for AP Physics C because the school offers only algebra based physics? The kid has grit, while the downers see grind.
He will do fine at UCLA, and from what I’ve seen it’s a better fit for him than the other colleges he applied to.
His accomplishments that you mention are yawn. Not real accomplishments. What has he been able to achieve by taking Calculus slightly earlier, or by extending physics to include Calculus? He squandered it by doing nothing with it. Huge yawn.
Sure huge yawn, he should have started a nonprofit with mom’s help or compete in science fair with a topic closely aligned with dads PhD.
Taking calculus in 9th is 2-3 years ahead of the vast majority of students, considering the high school is 4 years it doesn’t make it slightly earlier. What should the kid have done with his Calculus Physics knowledge while in high school?
If you take it before college, what is the difference between taking it in 9th vs 11th? Zero difference.
Now if you could list off advanced math classes that he took, far beyond that, it would be a different situation.
The difference is that it allows taking all of the advanced core classes in high school. How many kids do you know that took all of Calculus BC, Statistics, Physics C, Chemistry, Biology, English (Language and Literature), History (US, European, World), Computer Science A, Foreign Language. These are top rigor courses and he got all As and 5s. I’d even add to this Micro and Macro economics.
That’s a real academic accomplishment. He could have done better with support on the college application process, but UCLA is still very good.
That sounds pretty normal. Again, not an accomplishment. These are just AP classes.
That’s not normal or ordinary. How many of these classes did yours take? The kid checked the box on rigor and grades with all these “just AP” classes. Obviously he had some shortcomings, phoning in the application last minute, weak essays, likely weak LOR since he went to three different high schools, but still has a strong high school record especially in academics.
Still I’d think UCLA is comparable with Cornell Ivy where his brother went and he’ll enter college as a Junior. How’s not graduating UCLA in two years an accomplishment? You really need to get out of your bubble.
I personally took every single one of those APs you mentioned and never considered it an accomplishment. It was normal. My accomplishments were other things that I did
Furthermore, the kid has not graduated college in 2 years. You are making that part up. Graduating college early only makes sense if you have something great lined up afterwards. Otherwise you are just unemployed.
lol. Sure you took every single one of them, honey, it was just normal for you. Online everyone is top rigor with national level awards and recognition. Care you share what major and at what college you ended up?
While he didn’t graduate in 2 years, the kid said he’s entering UCLA as a Junior, putting him solidly on that path.
You sound so silly, you’re likely still in high school, if not middle school. Graduating early will save him about $100k. Dumb kids with useless majors will be unemployed after college, but I guarantee he’s not one of them. You on the other hand, I’m not so sure.
Why is taking a normal AP course load so hard to believe? All of my peers during high school did the same. I ended up double majoring in college since it was pretty easy to do and going directly into grad school.
Do you have any evidence that taking 15 of the hardest APs is normal, besides the claim that “you and your peers took every single one of them”? College Board statistics show that about 0.2% of all students manage that feat, so it’s hardly “normal”.
What undergrad and grad school did you go to? Were they “better” than UCLA? What major and what field?
Was the kid misguided to take 25 APs? Yes, and to some degree a waste of time, but he set himself this goal, however imperfect and managed to accomplish it by working hard over 4 years of high school. That’s better than the vast majority of fabricated passion projects, nepotism internships, and fake impact metrics.
People that have some life experience realize that UCLA won’t hold this kid back in the least. If grad school is his interest, he can get in anywhere from UCLA, including HYPSM or whatever people consider elite. Nobody will deny him a job interview because he went to UCLA instead of Cornell.
If anything, he did a lot in high school and managed to get into one of the top universities in the world. Understandable he is disappointed, but honestly he has no reason to be. At 18 he lacks some perspective and that’s ok, he’ll do fine.
There may have been some slight variation across the specific APs of my cohort but roughly equivalent.
My college and grad schools are well liked on this board. Without getting into specifics, I have two doctorates and am well compensated.
UCLA is a fine college though.
Did you also win the Nobel prize and Fields medal? Just so you make it slightly more believable.
No but I have met a few people who have Nobels. Not everyone on here is a troll. I am a real person.
Is that supposed to be impressive?
You sound like a dumb troll jerk dumping your own frustration in life on an 18 year old.
I have met lots of interesting people, and a few have had Nobels.
You might want to reflect why you react the way you do here. My life is great and we could have had a more productive interaction here.
AP coursework is just very basic and doing 15, 20, or 25 of them doesn’t change that it is all introductory material.
I’m exiting this thread now.
The thing is, if one goes to a good enough college like UCLA, the intro classes are much harder and cover much more than those corresponding AP classes. I personally would retake some of the core required classes even if the school let your AP classes fulfill the requirements.
Anonymous
05/12/2026 19:23
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Unless he majors in Economics (not Bus Economics) or another non-STEM pathway with a low threshold of required coursework, he’s not graduating from UCLA in three years, much less two years, unless he takes a min. of four classes in summer sesh. The AP credits are only relevant for a first year writing and math requirements (classes he’ll likely be required to take will have satisfied those requirements anyway), foreign language requirement (there’s value in that), and filling in any sub-180 unit gaps once he’s met all of his pre-major and major requirements.
He’s looking at 3 years and 1-2 additional quarters if he hustles …
He said he’s getting his Cal-GETC certification this summer (I’m guessing through a community college) that will allow him to start UCLA as a junior. There’s also the option for credit by examination if he knows the material already.
What’s the point of doing 25 AP classes just to essentially do a CC to UC transfer route?
Anonymous
05/12/2026 19:17
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Unless he majors in Economics (not Bus Economics) or another non-STEM pathway with a low threshold of required coursework, he’s not graduating from UCLA in three years, much less two years, unless he takes a min. of four classes in summer sesh. The AP credits are only relevant for a first year writing and math requirements (classes he’ll likely be required to take will have satisfied those requirements anyway), foreign language requirement (there’s value in that), and filling in any sub-180 unit gaps once he’s met all of his pre-major and major requirements.
He’s looking at 3 years and 1-2 additional quarters if he hustles …
He said he’s getting his Cal-GETC certification this summer (I’m guessing through a community college) that will allow him to start UCLA as a junior. There’s also the option for credit by examination if he knows the material already.
Anonymous
05/12/2026 18:59
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:He says right in the video that he took major risks with his essays and at one point, he says he didn’t even answer Northwestern‘s prompt.
Why are people skipping over this? If you don't answer the college's essay question and submit your own "edgy" essay, you didn't do it right.
They weren’t “edgy”, but “risky”, and “high risk high reward”.
My guess is that if someone would have edited and advised him on how to write a good essay, he would have gotten him into a top 10.
For most people dumping on the kid, how many of your own take AP calculus in 9th and have the drive to self study for AP Physics C because the school offers only algebra based physics? The kid has grit, while the downers see grind.
He will do fine at UCLA, and from what I’ve seen it’s a better fit for him than the other colleges he applied to.
His accomplishments that you mention are yawn. Not real accomplishments. What has he been able to achieve by taking Calculus slightly earlier, or by extending physics to include Calculus? He squandered it by doing nothing with it. Huge yawn.
Sure huge yawn, he should have started a nonprofit with mom’s help or compete in science fair with a topic closely aligned with dads PhD.
Taking calculus in 9th is 2-3 years ahead of the vast majority of students, considering the high school is 4 years it doesn’t make it slightly earlier. What should the kid have done with his Calculus Physics knowledge while in high school?
If you take it before college, what is the difference between taking it in 9th vs 11th? Zero difference.
Now if you could list off advanced math classes that he took, far beyond that, it would be a different situation.
The difference is that it allows taking all of the advanced core classes in high school. How many kids do you know that took all of Calculus BC, Statistics, Physics C, Chemistry, Biology, English (Language and Literature), History (US, European, World), Computer Science A, Foreign Language. These are top rigor courses and he got all As and 5s. I’d even add to this Micro and Macro economics.
That’s a real academic accomplishment. He could have done better with support on the college application process, but UCLA is still very good.
That sounds pretty normal. Again, not an accomplishment. These are just AP classes.
That’s not normal or ordinary. How many of these classes did yours take? The kid checked the box on rigor and grades with all these “just AP” classes. Obviously he had some shortcomings, phoning in the application last minute, weak essays, likely weak LOR since he went to three different high schools, but still has a strong high school record especially in academics.
Still I’d think UCLA is comparable with Cornell Ivy where his brother went and he’ll enter college as a Junior. How’s not graduating UCLA in two years an accomplishment? You really need to get out of your bubble.
I personally took every single one of those APs you mentioned and never considered it an accomplishment. It was normal. My accomplishments were other things that I did
Furthermore, the kid has not graduated college in 2 years. You are making that part up. Graduating college early only makes sense if you have something great lined up afterwards. Otherwise you are just unemployed.
lol. Sure you took every single one of them, honey, it was just normal for you. Online everyone is top rigor with national level awards and recognition. Care you share what major and at what college you ended up?
While he didn’t graduate in 2 years, the kid said he’s entering UCLA as a Junior, putting him solidly on that path.
You sound so silly, you’re likely still in high school, if not middle school. Graduating early will save him about $100k. Dumb kids with useless majors will be unemployed after college, but I guarantee he’s not one of them. You on the other hand, I’m not so sure.
Why is taking a normal AP course load so hard to believe? All of my peers during high school did the same. I ended up double majoring in college since it was pretty easy to do and going directly into grad school.
Do you have any evidence that taking 15 of the hardest APs is normal, besides the claim that “you and your peers took every single one of them”? College Board statistics show that about 0.2% of all students manage that feat, so it’s hardly “normal”.
What undergrad and grad school did you go to? Were they “better” than UCLA? What major and what field?
Was the kid misguided to take 25 APs? Yes, and to some degree a waste of time, but he set himself this goal, however imperfect and managed to accomplish it by working hard over 4 years of high school. That’s better than the vast majority of fabricated passion projects, nepotism internships, and fake impact metrics.
People that have some life experience realize that UCLA won’t hold this kid back in the least. If grad school is his interest, he can get in anywhere from UCLA, including HYPSM or whatever people consider elite. Nobody will deny him a job interview because he went to UCLA instead of Cornell.
If anything, he did a lot in high school and managed to get into one of the top universities in the world. Understandable he is disappointed, but honestly he has no reason to be. At 18 he lacks some perspective and that’s ok, he’ll do fine.
There may have been some slight variation across the specific APs of my cohort but roughly equivalent.
My college and grad schools are well liked on this board. Without getting into specifics, I have two doctorates and am well compensated.
UCLA is a fine college though.
Did you also win the Nobel prize and Fields medal? Just so you make it slightly more believable.
No but I have met a few people who have Nobels. Not everyone on here is a troll. I am a real person.
Is that supposed to be impressive?
You sound like a dumb troll jerk dumping your own frustration in life on an 18 year old.
I have met lots of interesting people, and a few have had Nobels.
You might want to reflect why you react the way you do here. My life is great and we could have had a more productive interaction here.
AP coursework is just very basic and doing 15, 20, or 25 of them doesn’t change that it is all introductory material.
I’m exiting this thread now.
Anonymous
05/12/2026 18:51
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Unless he majors in Economics (not Bus Economics) or another non-STEM pathway with a low threshold of required coursework, he’s not graduating from UCLA in three years, much less two years, unless he takes a min. of four classes in summer sesh. The AP credits are only relevant for a first year writing and math requirements (classes he’ll likely be required to take will have satisfied those requirements anyway), foreign language requirement (there’s value in that), and filling in any sub-180 unit gaps once he’s met all of his pre-major and major requirements.
He’s looking at 3 years and 1-2 additional quarters if he hustles …
He’s looking at 3 years and 1-2 additional quarters if he hustles …
Anonymous
05/12/2026 18:42
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:He says right in the video that he took major risks with his essays and at one point, he says he didn’t even answer Northwestern‘s prompt.
Why are people skipping over this? If you don't answer the college's essay question and submit your own "edgy" essay, you didn't do it right.
They weren’t “edgy”, but “risky”, and “high risk high reward”.
My guess is that if someone would have edited and advised him on how to write a good essay, he would have gotten him into a top 10.
For most people dumping on the kid, how many of your own take AP calculus in 9th and have the drive to self study for AP Physics C because the school offers only algebra based physics? The kid has grit, while the downers see grind.
He will do fine at UCLA, and from what I’ve seen it’s a better fit for him than the other colleges he applied to.
His accomplishments that you mention are yawn. Not real accomplishments. What has he been able to achieve by taking Calculus slightly earlier, or by extending physics to include Calculus? He squandered it by doing nothing with it. Huge yawn.
Sure huge yawn, he should have started a nonprofit with mom’s help or compete in science fair with a topic closely aligned with dads PhD.
Taking calculus in 9th is 2-3 years ahead of the vast majority of students, considering the high school is 4 years it doesn’t make it slightly earlier. What should the kid have done with his Calculus Physics knowledge while in high school?
If you take it before college, what is the difference between taking it in 9th vs 11th? Zero difference.
Now if you could list off advanced math classes that he took, far beyond that, it would be a different situation.
The difference is that it allows taking all of the advanced core classes in high school. How many kids do you know that took all of Calculus BC, Statistics, Physics C, Chemistry, Biology, English (Language and Literature), History (US, European, World), Computer Science A, Foreign Language. These are top rigor courses and he got all As and 5s. I’d even add to this Micro and Macro economics.
That’s a real academic accomplishment. He could have done better with support on the college application process, but UCLA is still very good.
That sounds pretty normal. Again, not an accomplishment. These are just AP classes.
That’s not normal or ordinary. How many of these classes did yours take? The kid checked the box on rigor and grades with all these “just AP” classes. Obviously he had some shortcomings, phoning in the application last minute, weak essays, likely weak LOR since he went to three different high schools, but still has a strong high school record especially in academics.
Still I’d think UCLA is comparable with Cornell Ivy where his brother went and he’ll enter college as a Junior. How’s not graduating UCLA in two years an accomplishment? You really need to get out of your bubble.
I personally took every single one of those APs you mentioned and never considered it an accomplishment. It was normal. My accomplishments were other things that I did
Furthermore, the kid has not graduated college in 2 years. You are making that part up. Graduating college early only makes sense if you have something great lined up afterwards. Otherwise you are just unemployed.
lol. Sure you took every single one of them, honey, it was just normal for you. Online everyone is top rigor with national level awards and recognition. Care you share what major and at what college you ended up?
While he didn’t graduate in 2 years, the kid said he’s entering UCLA as a Junior, putting him solidly on that path.
You sound so silly, you’re likely still in high school, if not middle school. Graduating early will save him about $100k. Dumb kids with useless majors will be unemployed after college, but I guarantee he’s not one of them. You on the other hand, I’m not so sure.
Why is taking a normal AP course load so hard to believe? All of my peers during high school did the same. I ended up double majoring in college since it was pretty easy to do and going directly into grad school.
Do you have any evidence that taking 15 of the hardest APs is normal, besides the claim that “you and your peers took every single one of them”? College Board statistics show that about 0.2% of all students manage that feat, so it’s hardly “normal”.
What undergrad and grad school did you go to? Were they “better” than UCLA? What major and what field?
Was the kid misguided to take 25 APs? Yes, and to some degree a waste of time, but he set himself this goal, however imperfect and managed to accomplish it by working hard over 4 years of high school. That’s better than the vast majority of fabricated passion projects, nepotism internships, and fake impact metrics.
People that have some life experience realize that UCLA won’t hold this kid back in the least. If grad school is his interest, he can get in anywhere from UCLA, including HYPSM or whatever people consider elite. Nobody will deny him a job interview because he went to UCLA instead of Cornell.
If anything, he did a lot in high school and managed to get into one of the top universities in the world. Understandable he is disappointed, but honestly he has no reason to be. At 18 he lacks some perspective and that’s ok, he’ll do fine.
There may have been some slight variation across the specific APs of my cohort but roughly equivalent.
My college and grad schools are well liked on this board. Without getting into specifics, I have two doctorates and am well compensated.
UCLA is a fine college though.
Did you also win the Nobel prize and Fields medal? Just so you make it slightly more believable.
No but I have met a few people who have Nobels. Not everyone on here is a troll. I am a real person.
Is that supposed to be impressive?
You sound like a dumb troll jerk dumping your own frustration in life on an 18 year old.
Anonymous
05/12/2026 18:11
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:He says right in the video that he took major risks with his essays and at one point, he says he didn’t even answer Northwestern‘s prompt.
Why are people skipping over this? If you don't answer the college's essay question and submit your own "edgy" essay, you didn't do it right.
They weren’t “edgy”, but “risky”, and “high risk high reward”.
My guess is that if someone would have edited and advised him on how to write a good essay, he would have gotten him into a top 10.
For most people dumping on the kid, how many of your own take AP calculus in 9th and have the drive to self study for AP Physics C because the school offers only algebra based physics? The kid has grit, while the downers see grind.
He will do fine at UCLA, and from what I’ve seen it’s a better fit for him than the other colleges he applied to.
His accomplishments that you mention are yawn. Not real accomplishments. What has he been able to achieve by taking Calculus slightly earlier, or by extending physics to include Calculus? He squandered it by doing nothing with it. Huge yawn.
Sure huge yawn, he should have started a nonprofit with mom’s help or compete in science fair with a topic closely aligned with dads PhD.
Taking calculus in 9th is 2-3 years ahead of the vast majority of students, considering the high school is 4 years it doesn’t make it slightly earlier. What should the kid have done with his Calculus Physics knowledge while in high school?
If you take it before college, what is the difference between taking it in 9th vs 11th? Zero difference.
Now if you could list off advanced math classes that he took, far beyond that, it would be a different situation.
The difference is that it allows taking all of the advanced core classes in high school. How many kids do you know that took all of Calculus BC, Statistics, Physics C, Chemistry, Biology, English (Language and Literature), History (US, European, World), Computer Science A, Foreign Language. These are top rigor courses and he got all As and 5s. I’d even add to this Micro and Macro economics.
That’s a real academic accomplishment. He could have done better with support on the college application process, but UCLA is still very good.
That sounds pretty normal. Again, not an accomplishment. These are just AP classes.
That’s not normal or ordinary. How many of these classes did yours take? The kid checked the box on rigor and grades with all these “just AP” classes. Obviously he had some shortcomings, phoning in the application last minute, weak essays, likely weak LOR since he went to three different high schools, but still has a strong high school record especially in academics.
Still I’d think UCLA is comparable with Cornell Ivy where his brother went and he’ll enter college as a Junior. How’s not graduating UCLA in two years an accomplishment? You really need to get out of your bubble.
I personally took every single one of those APs you mentioned and never considered it an accomplishment. It was normal. My accomplishments were other things that I did
Furthermore, the kid has not graduated college in 2 years. You are making that part up. Graduating college early only makes sense if you have something great lined up afterwards. Otherwise you are just unemployed.
lol. Sure you took every single one of them, honey, it was just normal for you. Online everyone is top rigor with national level awards and recognition. Care you share what major and at what college you ended up?
While he didn’t graduate in 2 years, the kid said he’s entering UCLA as a Junior, putting him solidly on that path.
You sound so silly, you’re likely still in high school, if not middle school. Graduating early will save him about $100k. Dumb kids with useless majors will be unemployed after college, but I guarantee he’s not one of them. You on the other hand, I’m not so sure.
Why is taking a normal AP course load so hard to believe? All of my peers during high school did the same. I ended up double majoring in college since it was pretty easy to do and going directly into grad school.
Do you have any evidence that taking 15 of the hardest APs is normal, besides the claim that “you and your peers took every single one of them”? College Board statistics show that about 0.2% of all students manage that feat, so it’s hardly “normal”.
What undergrad and grad school did you go to? Were they “better” than UCLA? What major and what field?
Was the kid misguided to take 25 APs? Yes, and to some degree a waste of time, but he set himself this goal, however imperfect and managed to accomplish it by working hard over 4 years of high school. That’s better than the vast majority of fabricated passion projects, nepotism internships, and fake impact metrics.
People that have some life experience realize that UCLA won’t hold this kid back in the least. If grad school is his interest, he can get in anywhere from UCLA, including HYPSM or whatever people consider elite. Nobody will deny him a job interview because he went to UCLA instead of Cornell.
If anything, he did a lot in high school and managed to get into one of the top universities in the world. Understandable he is disappointed, but honestly he has no reason to be. At 18 he lacks some perspective and that’s ok, he’ll do fine.
There may have been some slight variation across the specific APs of my cohort but roughly equivalent.
My college and grad schools are well liked on this board. Without getting into specifics, I have two doctorates and am well compensated.
UCLA is a fine college though.
Did you also win the Nobel prize and Fields medal? Just so you make it slightly more believable.
No but I have met a few people who have Nobels. Not everyone on here is a troll. I am a real person.
Anonymous
05/12/2026 17:55
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:He says right in the video that he took major risks with his essays and at one point, he says he didn’t even answer Northwestern‘s prompt.
Why are people skipping over this? If you don't answer the college's essay question and submit your own "edgy" essay, you didn't do it right.
They weren’t “edgy”, but “risky”, and “high risk high reward”.
My guess is that if someone would have edited and advised him on how to write a good essay, he would have gotten him into a top 10.
For most people dumping on the kid, how many of your own take AP calculus in 9th and have the drive to self study for AP Physics C because the school offers only algebra based physics? The kid has grit, while the downers see grind.
He will do fine at UCLA, and from what I’ve seen it’s a better fit for him than the other colleges he applied to.
His accomplishments that you mention are yawn. Not real accomplishments. What has he been able to achieve by taking Calculus slightly earlier, or by extending physics to include Calculus? He squandered it by doing nothing with it. Huge yawn.
Sure huge yawn, he should have started a nonprofit with mom’s help or compete in science fair with a topic closely aligned with dads PhD.
Taking calculus in 9th is 2-3 years ahead of the vast majority of students, considering the high school is 4 years it doesn’t make it slightly earlier. What should the kid have done with his Calculus Physics knowledge while in high school?
If you take it before college, what is the difference between taking it in 9th vs 11th? Zero difference.
Now if you could list off advanced math classes that he took, far beyond that, it would be a different situation.
The difference is that it allows taking all of the advanced core classes in high school. How many kids do you know that took all of Calculus BC, Statistics, Physics C, Chemistry, Biology, English (Language and Literature), History (US, European, World), Computer Science A, Foreign Language. These are top rigor courses and he got all As and 5s. I’d even add to this Micro and Macro economics.
That’s a real academic accomplishment. He could have done better with support on the college application process, but UCLA is still very good.
That sounds pretty normal. Again, not an accomplishment. These are just AP classes.
That’s not normal or ordinary. How many of these classes did yours take? The kid checked the box on rigor and grades with all these “just AP” classes. Obviously he had some shortcomings, phoning in the application last minute, weak essays, likely weak LOR since he went to three different high schools, but still has a strong high school record especially in academics.
Still I’d think UCLA is comparable with Cornell Ivy where his brother went and he’ll enter college as a Junior. How’s not graduating UCLA in two years an accomplishment? You really need to get out of your bubble.
I personally took every single one of those APs you mentioned and never considered it an accomplishment. It was normal. My accomplishments were other things that I did
Furthermore, the kid has not graduated college in 2 years. You are making that part up. Graduating college early only makes sense if you have something great lined up afterwards. Otherwise you are just unemployed.
lol. Sure you took every single one of them, honey, it was just normal for you. Online everyone is top rigor with national level awards and recognition. Care you share what major and at what college you ended up?
While he didn’t graduate in 2 years, the kid said he’s entering UCLA as a Junior, putting him solidly on that path.
You sound so silly, you’re likely still in high school, if not middle school. Graduating early will save him about $100k. Dumb kids with useless majors will be unemployed after college, but I guarantee he’s not one of them. You on the other hand, I’m not so sure.
Why is taking a normal AP course load so hard to believe? All of my peers during high school did the same. I ended up double majoring in college since it was pretty easy to do and going directly into grad school.
Do you have any evidence that taking 15 of the hardest APs is normal, besides the claim that “you and your peers took every single one of them”? College Board statistics show that about 0.2% of all students manage that feat, so it’s hardly “normal”.
What undergrad and grad school did you go to? Were they “better” than UCLA? What major and what field?
Was the kid misguided to take 25 APs? Yes, and to some degree a waste of time, but he set himself this goal, however imperfect and managed to accomplish it by working hard over 4 years of high school. That’s better than the vast majority of fabricated passion projects, nepotism internships, and fake impact metrics.
People that have some life experience realize that UCLA won’t hold this kid back in the least. If grad school is his interest, he can get in anywhere from UCLA, including HYPSM or whatever people consider elite. Nobody will deny him a job interview because he went to UCLA instead of Cornell.
If anything, he did a lot in high school and managed to get into one of the top universities in the world. Understandable he is disappointed, but honestly he has no reason to be. At 18 he lacks some perspective and that’s ok, he’ll do fine.
There may have been some slight variation across the specific APs of my cohort but roughly equivalent.
My college and grad schools are well liked on this board. Without getting into specifics, I have two doctorates and am well compensated.
UCLA is a fine college though.
Did you also win the Nobel prize and Fields medal? Just so you make it slightly more believable.
Anonymous
05/12/2026 17:19
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:He says right in the video that he took major risks with his essays and at one point, he says he didn’t even answer Northwestern‘s prompt.
Why are people skipping over this? If you don't answer the college's essay question and submit your own "edgy" essay, you didn't do it right.
They weren’t “edgy”, but “risky”, and “high risk high reward”.
My guess is that if someone would have edited and advised him on how to write a good essay, he would have gotten him into a top 10.
For most people dumping on the kid, how many of your own take AP calculus in 9th and have the drive to self study for AP Physics C because the school offers only algebra based physics? The kid has grit, while the downers see grind.
He will do fine at UCLA, and from what I’ve seen it’s a better fit for him than the other colleges he applied to.
His accomplishments that you mention are yawn. Not real accomplishments. What has he been able to achieve by taking Calculus slightly earlier, or by extending physics to include Calculus? He squandered it by doing nothing with it. Huge yawn.
Sure huge yawn, he should have started a nonprofit with mom’s help or compete in science fair with a topic closely aligned with dads PhD.
Taking calculus in 9th is 2-3 years ahead of the vast majority of students, considering the high school is 4 years it doesn’t make it slightly earlier. What should the kid have done with his Calculus Physics knowledge while in high school?
If you take it before college, what is the difference between taking it in 9th vs 11th? Zero difference.
Now if you could list off advanced math classes that he took, far beyond that, it would be a different situation.
The difference is that it allows taking all of the advanced core classes in high school. How many kids do you know that took all of Calculus BC, Statistics, Physics C, Chemistry, Biology, English (Language and Literature), History (US, European, World), Computer Science A, Foreign Language. These are top rigor courses and he got all As and 5s. I’d even add to this Micro and Macro economics.
That’s a real academic accomplishment. He could have done better with support on the college application process, but UCLA is still very good.
That sounds pretty normal. Again, not an accomplishment. These are just AP classes.
That’s not normal or ordinary. How many of these classes did yours take? The kid checked the box on rigor and grades with all these “just AP” classes. Obviously he had some shortcomings, phoning in the application last minute, weak essays, likely weak LOR since he went to three different high schools, but still has a strong high school record especially in academics.
Still I’d think UCLA is comparable with Cornell Ivy where his brother went and he’ll enter college as a Junior. How’s not graduating UCLA in two years an accomplishment? You really need to get out of your bubble.
I personally took every single one of those APs you mentioned and never considered it an accomplishment. It was normal. My accomplishments were other things that I did
Furthermore, the kid has not graduated college in 2 years. You are making that part up. Graduating college early only makes sense if you have something great lined up afterwards. Otherwise you are just unemployed.
lol. Sure you took every single one of them, honey, it was just normal for you. Online everyone is top rigor with national level awards and recognition. Care you share what major and at what college you ended up?
While he didn’t graduate in 2 years, the kid said he’s entering UCLA as a Junior, putting him solidly on that path.
You sound so silly, you’re likely still in high school, if not middle school. Graduating early will save him about $100k. Dumb kids with useless majors will be unemployed after college, but I guarantee he’s not one of them. You on the other hand, I’m not so sure.
Why is taking a normal AP course load so hard to believe? All of my peers during high school did the same. I ended up double majoring in college since it was pretty easy to do and going directly into grad school.
Do you have any evidence that taking 15 of the hardest APs is normal, besides the claim that “you and your peers took every single one of them”? College Board statistics show that about 0.2% of all students manage that feat, so it’s hardly “normal”.
What undergrad and grad school did you go to? Were they “better” than UCLA? What major and what field?
Was the kid misguided to take 25 APs? Yes, and to some degree a waste of time, but he set himself this goal, however imperfect and managed to accomplish it by working hard over 4 years of high school. That’s better than the vast majority of fabricated passion projects, nepotism internships, and fake impact metrics.
People that have some life experience realize that UCLA won’t hold this kid back in the least. If grad school is his interest, he can get in anywhere from UCLA, including HYPSM or whatever people consider elite. Nobody will deny him a job interview because he went to UCLA instead of Cornell.
If anything, he did a lot in high school and managed to get into one of the top universities in the world. Understandable he is disappointed, but honestly he has no reason to be. At 18 he lacks some perspective and that’s ok, he’ll do fine.
There may have been some slight variation across the specific APs of my cohort but roughly equivalent.
My college and grad schools are well liked on this board. Without getting into specifics, I have two doctorates and am well compensated.
UCLA is a fine college though.
Anonymous
05/12/2026 16:37
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:He says right in the video that he took major risks with his essays and at one point, he says he didn’t even answer Northwestern‘s prompt.
Why are people skipping over this? If you don't answer the college's essay question and submit your own "edgy" essay, you didn't do it right.
They weren’t “edgy”, but “risky”, and “high risk high reward”.
My guess is that if someone would have edited and advised him on how to write a good essay, he would have gotten him into a top 10.
For most people dumping on the kid, how many of your own take AP calculus in 9th and have the drive to self study for AP Physics C because the school offers only algebra based physics? The kid has grit, while the downers see grind.
He will do fine at UCLA, and from what I’ve seen it’s a better fit for him than the other colleges he applied to.
His accomplishments that you mention are yawn. Not real accomplishments. What has he been able to achieve by taking Calculus slightly earlier, or by extending physics to include Calculus? He squandered it by doing nothing with it. Huge yawn.
Sure huge yawn, he should have started a nonprofit with mom’s help or compete in science fair with a topic closely aligned with dads PhD.
Taking calculus in 9th is 2-3 years ahead of the vast majority of students, considering the high school is 4 years it doesn’t make it slightly earlier. What should the kid have done with his Calculus Physics knowledge while in high school?
If you take it before college, what is the difference between taking it in 9th vs 11th? Zero difference.
Now if you could list off advanced math classes that he took, far beyond that, it would be a different situation.
The difference is that it allows taking all of the advanced core classes in high school. How many kids do you know that took all of Calculus BC, Statistics, Physics C, Chemistry, Biology, English (Language and Literature), History (US, European, World), Computer Science A, Foreign Language. These are top rigor courses and he got all As and 5s. I’d even add to this Micro and Macro economics.
That’s a real academic accomplishment. He could have done better with support on the college application process, but UCLA is still very good.
That sounds pretty normal. Again, not an accomplishment. These are just AP classes.
That’s not normal or ordinary. How many of these classes did yours take? The kid checked the box on rigor and grades with all these “just AP” classes. Obviously he had some shortcomings, phoning in the application last minute, weak essays, likely weak LOR since he went to three different high schools, but still has a strong high school record especially in academics.
Still I’d think UCLA is comparable with Cornell Ivy where his brother went and he’ll enter college as a Junior. How’s not graduating UCLA in two years an accomplishment? You really need to get out of your bubble.
I personally took every single one of those APs you mentioned and never considered it an accomplishment. It was normal. My accomplishments were other things that I did
Furthermore, the kid has not graduated college in 2 years. You are making that part up. Graduating college early only makes sense if you have something great lined up afterwards. Otherwise you are just unemployed.
lol. Sure you took every single one of them, honey, it was just normal for you. Online everyone is top rigor with national level awards and recognition. Care you share what major and at what college you ended up?
While he didn’t graduate in 2 years, the kid said he’s entering UCLA as a Junior, putting him solidly on that path.
You sound so silly, you’re likely still in high school, if not middle school. Graduating early will save him about $100k. Dumb kids with useless majors will be unemployed after college, but I guarantee he’s not one of them. You on the other hand, I’m not so sure.
Why is taking a normal AP course load so hard to believe? All of my peers during high school did the same. I ended up double majoring in college since it was pretty easy to do and going directly into grad school.
Do you have any evidence that taking 15 of the hardest APs is normal, besides the claim that “you and your peers took every single one of them”? College Board statistics show that about 0.2% of all students manage that feat, so it’s hardly “normal”.
What undergrad and grad school did you go to? Were they “better” than UCLA? What major and what field?
Was the kid misguided to take 25 APs? Yes, and to some degree a waste of time, but he set himself this goal, however imperfect and managed to accomplish it by working hard over 4 years of high school. That’s better than the vast majority of fabricated passion projects, nepotism internships, and fake impact metrics.
People that have some life experience realize that UCLA won’t hold this kid back in the least. If grad school is his interest, he can get in anywhere from UCLA, including HYPSM or whatever people consider elite. Nobody will deny him a job interview because he went to UCLA instead of Cornell.
If anything, he did a lot in high school and managed to get into one of the top universities in the world. Understandable he is disappointed, but honestly he has no reason to be. At 18 he lacks some perspective and that’s ok, he’ll do fine.
Anonymous
05/12/2026 15:50
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:He says right in the video that he took major risks with his essays and at one point, he says he didn’t even answer Northwestern‘s prompt.
Why are people skipping over this? If you don't answer the college's essay question and submit your own "edgy" essay, you didn't do it right.
They weren’t “edgy”, but “risky”, and “high risk high reward”.
My guess is that if someone would have edited and advised him on how to write a good essay, he would have gotten him into a top 10.
For most people dumping on the kid, how many of your own take AP calculus in 9th and have the drive to self study for AP Physics C because the school offers only algebra based physics? The kid has grit, while the downers see grind.
He will do fine at UCLA, and from what I’ve seen it’s a better fit for him than the other colleges he applied to.
His accomplishments that you mention are yawn. Not real accomplishments. What has he been able to achieve by taking Calculus slightly earlier, or by extending physics to include Calculus? He squandered it by doing nothing with it. Huge yawn.
Sure huge yawn, he should have started a nonprofit with mom’s help or compete in science fair with a topic closely aligned with dads PhD.
Taking calculus in 9th is 2-3 years ahead of the vast majority of students, considering the high school is 4 years it doesn’t make it slightly earlier. What should the kid have done with his Calculus Physics knowledge while in high school?
If you take it before college, what is the difference between taking it in 9th vs 11th? Zero difference.
Now if you could list off advanced math classes that he took, far beyond that, it would be a different situation.
The difference is that it allows taking all of the advanced core classes in high school. How many kids do you know that took all of Calculus BC, Statistics, Physics C, Chemistry, Biology, English (Language and Literature), History (US, European, World), Computer Science A, Foreign Language. These are top rigor courses and he got all As and 5s. I’d even add to this Micro and Macro economics.
That’s a real academic accomplishment. He could have done better with support on the college application process, but UCLA is still very good.
That sounds pretty normal. Again, not an accomplishment. These are just AP classes.
That’s not normal or ordinary. How many of these classes did yours take? The kid checked the box on rigor and grades with all these “just AP” classes. Obviously he had some shortcomings, phoning in the application last minute, weak essays, likely weak LOR since he went to three different high schools, but still has a strong high school record especially in academics.
Still I’d think UCLA is comparable with Cornell Ivy where his brother went and he’ll enter college as a Junior. How’s not graduating UCLA in two years an accomplishment? You really need to get out of your bubble.
I personally took every single one of those APs you mentioned and never considered it an accomplishment. It was normal. My accomplishments were other things that I did
Furthermore, the kid has not graduated college in 2 years. You are making that part up. Graduating college early only makes sense if you have something great lined up afterwards. Otherwise you are just unemployed.
lol. Sure you took every single one of them, honey, it was just normal for you. Online everyone is top rigor with national level awards and recognition. Care you share what major and at what college you ended up?
While he didn’t graduate in 2 years, the kid said he’s entering UCLA as a Junior, putting him solidly on that path.
You sound so silly, you’re likely still in high school, if not middle school. Graduating early will save him about $100k. Dumb kids with useless majors will be unemployed after college, but I guarantee he’s not one of them. You on the other hand, I’m not so sure.
Why is taking a normal AP course load so hard to believe? All of my peers during high school did the same. I ended up double majoring in college since it was pretty easy to do and going directly into grad school.
Anonymous
05/12/2026 15:41
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:He says right in the video that he took major risks with his essays and at one point, he says he didn’t even answer Northwestern‘s prompt.
Why are people skipping over this? If you don't answer the college's essay question and submit your own "edgy" essay, you didn't do it right.
They weren’t “edgy”, but “risky”, and “high risk high reward”.
My guess is that if someone would have edited and advised him on how to write a good essay, he would have gotten him into a top 10.
For most people dumping on the kid, how many of your own take AP calculus in 9th and have the drive to self study for AP Physics C because the school offers only algebra based physics? The kid has grit, while the downers see grind.
He will do fine at UCLA, and from what I’ve seen it’s a better fit for him than the other colleges he applied to.
His accomplishments that you mention are yawn. Not real accomplishments. What has he been able to achieve by taking Calculus slightly earlier, or by extending physics to include Calculus? He squandered it by doing nothing with it. Huge yawn.
Sure huge yawn, he should have started a nonprofit with mom’s help or compete in science fair with a topic closely aligned with dads PhD.
Taking calculus in 9th is 2-3 years ahead of the vast majority of students, considering the high school is 4 years it doesn’t make it slightly earlier. What should the kid have done with his Calculus Physics knowledge while in high school?
If you take it before college, what is the difference between taking it in 9th vs 11th? Zero difference.
Now if you could list off advanced math classes that he took, far beyond that, it would be a different situation.
The difference is that it allows taking all of the advanced core classes in high school. How many kids do you know that took all of Calculus BC, Statistics, Physics C, Chemistry, Biology, English (Language and Literature), History (US, European, World), Computer Science A, Foreign Language. These are top rigor courses and he got all As and 5s. I’d even add to this Micro and Macro economics.
That’s a real academic accomplishment. He could have done better with support on the college application process, but UCLA is still very good.
That sounds pretty normal. Again, not an accomplishment. These are just AP classes.
That’s not normal or ordinary. How many of these classes did yours take? The kid checked the box on rigor and grades with all these “just AP” classes. Obviously he had some shortcomings, phoning in the application last minute, weak essays, likely weak LOR since he went to three different high schools, but still has a strong high school record especially in academics.
Still I’d think UCLA is comparable with Cornell Ivy where his brother went and he’ll enter college as a Junior. How’s not graduating UCLA in two years an accomplishment? You really need to get out of your bubble.
I personally took every single one of those APs you mentioned and never considered it an accomplishment. It was normal. My accomplishments were other things that I did
Furthermore, the kid has not graduated college in 2 years. You are making that part up. Graduating college early only makes sense if you have something great lined up afterwards. Otherwise you are just unemployed.
lol. Sure you took every single one of them, honey, it was just normal for you. Online everyone is top rigor with national level awards and recognition. Care you share what major and at what college you ended up?
While he didn’t graduate in 2 years, the kid said he’s entering UCLA as a Junior, putting him solidly on that path.
You sound so silly, you’re likely still in high school, if not middle school. Graduating early will save him about $100k. Dumb kids with useless majors will be unemployed after college, but I guarantee he’s not one of them. You on the other hand, I’m not so sure.
Anonymous
05/12/2026 15:20
Subject: 25 APs not enough for Top 10
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:He says right in the video that he took major risks with his essays and at one point, he says he didn’t even answer Northwestern‘s prompt.
Why are people skipping over this? If you don't answer the college's essay question and submit your own "edgy" essay, you didn't do it right.
They weren’t “edgy”, but “risky”, and “high risk high reward”.
My guess is that if someone would have edited and advised him on how to write a good essay, he would have gotten him into a top 10.
For most people dumping on the kid, how many of your own take AP calculus in 9th and have the drive to self study for AP Physics C because the school offers only algebra based physics? The kid has grit, while the downers see grind.
He will do fine at UCLA, and from what I’ve seen it’s a better fit for him than the other colleges he applied to.
His accomplishments that you mention are yawn. Not real accomplishments. What has he been able to achieve by taking Calculus slightly earlier, or by extending physics to include Calculus? He squandered it by doing nothing with it. Huge yawn.
Sure huge yawn, he should have started a nonprofit with mom’s help or compete in science fair with a topic closely aligned with dads PhD.
Taking calculus in 9th is 2-3 years ahead of the vast majority of students, considering the high school is 4 years it doesn’t make it slightly earlier. What should the kid have done with his Calculus Physics knowledge while in high school?
If you take it before college, what is the difference between taking it in 9th vs 11th? Zero difference.
Now if you could list off advanced math classes that he took, far beyond that, it would be a different situation.
The difference is that it allows taking all of the advanced core classes in high school. How many kids do you know that took all of Calculus BC, Statistics, Physics C, Chemistry, Biology, English (Language and Literature), History (US, European, World), Computer Science A, Foreign Language. These are top rigor courses and he got all As and 5s. I’d even add to this Micro and Macro economics.
That’s a real academic accomplishment. He could have done better with support on the college application process, but UCLA is still very good.
That sounds pretty normal. Again, not an accomplishment. These are just AP classes.
That’s not normal or ordinary. How many of these classes did yours take? The kid checked the box on rigor and grades with all these “just AP” classes. Obviously he had some shortcomings, phoning in the application last minute, weak essays, likely weak LOR since he went to three different high schools, but still has a strong high school record especially in academics.
Still I’d think UCLA is comparable with Cornell Ivy where his brother went and he’ll enter college as a Junior. How’s not graduating UCLA in two years an accomplishment? You really need to get out of your bubble.
+1 I think he did great with what he knew and what resources he had. Sure, if I was his college counselor, I may have advised differently, but my sense is he did this on his own. UCLA in 2 years is amazing, and he'll save $. FWIW, mine is headed to a T5, andnI fully recognize how much privilege DC had... it's hard to reach that level without parental and school support.