Hi everyone, Salam! I’m Hasnain from Pakistan. As a first-generation student, I started my U.S. college journey from scratch in 11th grade without much guidance. Over the past two years, I built a strong academic profile with a solid GPA, diverse extracurriculars, and applied test-optional to 60+ universities. I’ve been fortunate to receive multiple acceptances, including University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Pittsburgh, Stony Brook, and others. However, as a low-income student, financial aid remains my biggest challenge. Despite rejections and waitlists from some top choices, I’m staying hopeful and navigating this process with resilience. Looking forward to learning from this community and connecting with you all!