Compare Subreddits

r/college vs r/ApplyingToCollege

Side-by-side using public descriptions, members, growth and rule titles from SubMouse. Missing fields show as n/a. Adult communities are excluded.

Swap sides New comparison Related to r/college Related to r/ApplyingToCollege

College life room vs applying to college room

r/college is for discussion related to college and collegiate life. r/ApplyingToCollege describes itself as a forum for college admissions questions, advice and discussion — essays, scholarships, college lists and applications.

In our directory, college is larger (about 2.9M, rank #376) than ApplyingToCollege (about 1.4M, rank #791), but ApplyingToCollege is far busier (~185 posts/day vs ~45). Both samples are text-led. college flairs include Academic Life, Social Life, Career/work and coping/adulting; ApplyingToCollege’s are led by Application Question, College Questions, Advice and Financial Aid/Scholarships. Our directory lists each among the other’s related communities.

Rule titles draw the line explicitly: college bans anything regarding college admissions, while ApplyingToCollege requires admissions-related discussion and bans chance-me posts.

Choose r/ApplyingToCollege for essays, applications, college lists and scholarships — r/college removes admissions posts.
Choose r/college for academic and social life, roommates and adulting once enrolled.
ApplyingToCollege is smaller but much busier per day in our sample.

Written comparison based on public descriptions and rule titles · updated 2026-11-07.

r/college

College

The subreddit for discussion related to college and collegiate life.

Members: 2.9M
7-day growth: +414
Posts/day: 45
Directory rank: #376
Created: Jan 25, 2008
Submissions: Text or links

Sample mix: text posts 93%, images 3%, links 3%

Topics: College

Rule titles (short names we collected)

Do not post spam or surveys.
Do not post anything regarding college admissions.
Do not post anything seeking personal gain.
Do not post anything racist, trolling, threatening, harassing, or insane.
Do not engage in or advocate for illegal/unethical behavior (including cheating).
Do not spread misinformation.
Do not post overly specific content, easily Google-able questions, or request for generic advice.
Do not post low-effort, poorly formatted, poorly written, or generic-titled posts.
Do not create posts about any of the prohibited topics of discussion.
Do not post anything that does not positively contribute to meaningful discussion.
Only use English in this subreddit.
Do not post topics of suicide or self-harm.

Open r/college on SubMouse

About this community: r/college (#376, about 2.9 million) covers college and collegiate life discussion. Rules forbid admissions posts, spam/surveys, personal-gain asks, cheating advocacy, easily Google-able advice, non-English posts, and self-harm topics. Almost all text (~45 ppd).

r/ApplyingToCollege

ApplyingToCollege

r/ApplyingToCollege is the premier forum for college admissions questions, advice, and discussions, from college essays and scholarships to college list help and application advice, career guidance, and more. A2C suppor…

Members: 1.4M
7-day growth: +1.2K
Posts/day: 184.6
Directory rank: #791
Created: Aug 2, 2013
Submissions: Text posts

Sample mix: text posts 100%

Topics: College

Rule titles (short names we collected)

Be nice!
Admissions-related discussion.
No spam or solicitations.
No chance-me posts.
AMAs.
No affirmative action discussion.
Do not post personally identifying/sensitive info
Shitpost Wednesdays
Other posts and comments may be removed at moderator discretion.

Open r/ApplyingToCollege on SubMouse

Supported differences

Aspect	r/college	r/ApplyingToCollege
Public focus (from each community’s public description)	The subreddit for discussion related to college and collegiate life.	r/ApplyingToCollege is the premier forum for college admissions questions, advice, and discussions, from college essays and scholarships to college list help and application advice, career guidance, and more. A2C suppor…
Size r/college is larger in our directory (about 2.2×).	2.9M members	1.4M members
Posting activity (our sample)	45/day	184.6/day
Common post types in our sample	text posts 93%, images 3%, links 3%	text posts 100%
Allowed submission type (meta)	Text or links	Text posts
Selected rule titles (short names we collected)	Do not post spam or surveys.; Do not post anything regarding college admissions.; Do not post anything seeking personal gain.; Do not post anything racist, trolling, threatening, harassing, or insane.; Do not engage in or advocate for illegal/unethical behavior (including cheating).	Be nice!; Admissions-related discussion.; No spam or solicitations.; No chance-me posts.; AMAs.

What they share

Shared SubMouse topics: College
Our directory lists each of these communities on the other’s related list.

Rules and posting patterns we can verify

college short titles include: No spam or surveys; Do not post anything regarding college admissions; Nothing seeking personal gain; No cheating; No misinformation; No easily Google-able questions or generic advice requests; No low-effort or generic-titled posts.

ApplyingToCollege: Be nice; Admissions-related discussion; No spam or solicitations; No chance-me posts; AMAs; No affirmative action discussion; Do not post personally identifying info; Shitpost Wednesdays.

Where this comparison comes from

Public descriptions and member counts from SubMouse’s safe-for-work directory. Short rule titles and activity samples SubMouse collected. Short titles only. Mutual related-list links.

Members and public descriptions come from SubMouse's safe-for-work directory (as of 2026-11-02 UTC); 7-day growth measured from 2026-10-26. Posts/day and post-type mixes appear when we have an activity sample. Rule lines are short titles, not the full sidebar. Directory rank is listing order — communities outside the current Top 100 open in the info tool instead of a full community page.

Comparisons we prepared

Hand-written explanations for pairs where the public descriptions and rules support a real distinction:

r/gardening vs r/houseplants — Outdoor plots and broad plant care versus indoor houseplant focus.
r/programming vs r/learnprogramming — Link-heavy programming news vs beginner question threads.
r/AskReddit vs r/NoStupidQuestions — Open-ended discussion prompts versus straightforward factual questions.
r/Cooking vs r/Baking — Stovetop technique discussion versus bake-share recipes and photos.
r/personalfinance vs r/Frugal — Budgeting and long-term money planning versus everyday frugality habits.
r/travel vs r/solotravel — General trip planning and photos versus solo-travel experiences and advice.
r/books vs r/suggestmeabook — In-depth book discussion versus dedicated recommendation requests.
r/suggestmeabook vs r/booksuggestions — Two recommendation rooms—similar job, different size and house rules.
r/pcmasterrace vs r/buildapc — PC culture, news and flex photos versus structured custom-build advice.
r/Art vs r/drawing — Serious art showcase with strict presentation rules versus a broader drawing practice room.
r/science vs r/askscience — Sharing new peer-reviewed research versus asking experts science questions.
r/explainlikeimfive vs r/NoStupidQuestions — Layperson explanations with strict answer rules versus a wider anonymous Q&A net.
r/personalfinance vs r/povertyfinance — Mainstream budgeting and investing help versus guidance aimed at financial hardship.
r/Games vs r/gaming — Newsy, informative games coverage versus a huge general gaming feed.
r/Coffee vs r/espresso — Wide coffee talk versus espresso-machine technique and gear.
r/photography vs r/itookapicture — Gear and technique discussion versus posting your own photos for critique.
r/dating_advice vs r/relationship_advice — Early dating situations versus advice on ongoing relationships between people.
r/hiking vs r/CampingandHiking — Day-hike photos and talk versus backpacking with overnight gear.
r/malefashionadvice vs r/femalefashionadvice — Parallel fashion-advice communities split by audience focus—not identical twins.
r/SkincareAddiction vs r/AsianBeauty — Science-leaning general skincare versus Asian beauty brands and routines.
r/Fitness vs r/bodyweightfitness — General gym-and-goals fitness discussion versus training with bodyweight progressions.
r/loseit vs r/Fitness — Sustainable weight-loss support versus general physical fitness goals and training.
r/DIY vs r/HomeImprovement — Show-your-work DIY projects versus text-only home improvement questions.
r/history vs r/AskHistorians — Casual history discussion and articles versus strictly moderated historical Q&A.
r/news vs r/worldnews — US-and-world news articles versus major world news that excludes US-internal stories.
r/Music vs r/listentothis — Broad music community posts versus discovery posts that stay under a popularity threshold.
r/writing vs r/WritingPrompts — Craft-of-writing discussion versus prompt-driven short stories and poems.
r/tipofmytongue vs r/whatisthisthing — Naming a half-remembered title or phrase versus identifying a mysterious physical object.
r/BuyItForLife vs r/Frugal — Durable long-life products versus everyday frugality and resourcefulness.
r/Parenting vs r/Mommit — All-parents child-rearing discussion versus a moms-only support room for the messier details.
r/LifeProTips vs r/YouShouldKnow — Actionable life tips versus facts framed as things you should know.
r/camping vs r/backpacking — Tent and campsite camping versus wilderness or travel backpacking with trip write-ups.
r/cscareerquestions vs r/learnprogramming — Tech career navigation versus learning to program in any language.
r/technology vs r/gadgets — Technology news and surrounding issues versus posts about a single gadget.
r/food vs r/EatCheapAndHealthy — Original food photography versus budget-friendly healthy recipes with text.
r/running vs r/AdvancedRunning — All-levels running discussion versus advanced training mindset and race tactics.
r/slowcooking vs r/Cooking — Crock-Pot style slow-cooker recipes versus general cooking discussion and recipes.
r/nba vs r/Basketball — NBA league news and discussion versus playing and watching basketball across leagues.
r/buildapc vs r/buildapcsales — Custom PC build planning advice versus PC-part deal links.
r/Breadit vs r/Baking — Homemade bread baking versus cakes, cookies, pies and general baking.
r/dogs vs r/Dogtraining — Responsible dog ownership discussion versus dedicated training and behavior help.
r/malefashionadvice vs r/frugalmalefashion — Men’s style advice and outfits versus male-fashion deals and coupons.
r/SkincareAddiction vs r/30PlusSkinCare — General science-leaning skincare versus skincare discussion aimed at people over 30.
r/OutOfTheLoop vs r/NoStupidQuestions — Catching up on a current meme or news loop versus asking any straightforward question.
r/space vs r/Astronomy — Space science and exploration news versus amateur astronomy observing and gear.
r/relationships vs r/relationship_advice — Structured interpersonal advice with question-type rules versus a high-volume room for specific situations.
r/gaming vs r/pcgaming — Broad gaming posts and memes-with-limits versus PC gaming news and discussion.
r/Europetravel vs r/travel — Europe-specific trip questions and stories versus worldwide travel discussion.
r/webdev vs r/javascript — Front- and back-end web development discussion versus JavaScript language and project talk.
r/Frugal vs r/povertyfinance — Waste-less frugal living habits versus money help for people struggling financially.
r/homestead vs r/gardening — Self-sufficiency, livestock and country life versus plant growing and care.
r/woodworking vs r/DIY — Woodworking and furniture making versus all kinds of DIY projects and repairs.
r/boardgames vs r/rpg — Modern board games news and discussion versus tabletop roleplaying games.
r/keto vs r/loseit — Ketogenic low-carb eating versus weight loss through any sustainable method.
r/changemyview vs r/unpopularopinion — Willingness-to-revise debate versus broadcasting an unpopular take.
r/Android vs r/iphone — Android platform news/tips versus iPhone enthusiast discussion.
r/cars vs r/MechanicAdvice — Enthusiast news and projects versus repair troubleshooting help.
r/Python vs r/learnpython — Python language hub versus learner Q&A helpdesk.
r/Jokes vs r/dadjokes — General joke threads versus dad-joke puns and groaners.
r/mildlyinteresting vs r/interestingasfuck — Quietly notable original photos versus content that aims to be truly striking.
r/Futurology vs r/technology — Evidence-leaning futures discussion versus technology news and surrounding issues.
r/movies vs r/television — Film news and discussion versus scripted television programming talk.
r/LifeProTips vs r/lifehacks — Actionable LPT-format advice versus uncommon physical-style life hacks.
r/AmItheAsshole vs r/relationship_advice — Moral-judgment verdicts on a conflict versus specific advice for a real relationship situation.
r/anime vs r/manga — Animated anime discussion versus manga (and manhwa/manhua) reading talk.
r/dating vs r/dating_advice — General dating discussion and venting versus situation-specific dating advice.
r/investing vs r/stocks — Broader investing discussion versus ticker- and market-focused stock talk.
r/AskMen vs r/AskWomen — Questions aimed at men’s experiences versus questions aimed at women’s perspectives.
r/MakeupAddiction vs r/SkincareAddiction — Makeup looks, products and questions versus science-leaning skincare routines.
r/streetwear vs r/malefashionadvice — Streetwear fit photos and discussion versus broader men’s fashion advice.
r/offmychest vs r/TrueOffMyChest — Supportive emotional sharing versus a stricter personal off-my-chest format.
r/hockey vs r/nhl — All-hockey discussion including leagues beyond the NHL versus NHL-focused news and talk.
r/astrophotography vs r/Astronomy — Amateur sky photos with gear notes versus broader astronomy discussion and learning.
r/CryptoCurrency vs r/Bitcoin — Multi-coin crypto news and discussion versus Bitcoin-only focus.
r/MadeMeSmile vs r/UpliftingNews — Feel-good images and videos versus positive news article links.
r/xxfitness vs r/Fitness — Fitness discussion centered on women and gender-diverse lifters versus the general Fitness wiki room.
r/smallbusiness vs r/Entrepreneur — Q&A for owning a small business versus broader entrepreneurship discussion.
r/Mommit vs r/daddit — Moms’ parenting support versus dads’ parenting support.
r/Damnthatsinteresting vs r/interestingasfuck — High-interest media shares versus “interesting as fuck” media shares—overlapping curiosity feeds with different rule bars.
r/getdisciplined vs r/productivity — Self-discipline accountability and methods versus productivity tips and tools.
r/financialindependence vs r/personalfinance — FIRE and financial independence goals versus everyday personal-finance budgeting and debt help.
r/learnart vs r/Art — Practice, feedback and learning resources versus a serious gallery of finished art.
r/soccer vs r/PremierLeague — Global football news and discussion versus English Premier League focus.
r/nfl vs r/fantasyfootball — NFL news and game talk versus fantasy-football strategy and roster advice.
r/sidehustle vs r/Entrepreneur — Extra income beside a full-time job versus broader entrepreneurship and startup talk.
r/careerguidance vs r/jobs — Career-path questions and advice versus job-search, interview and workplace threads.
r/legaladvice vs r/law — Personal legal questions versus news and discussion of the legal profession.
r/homeowners vs r/RealEstate — Living-in-the-house problems and vents versus buying, selling and investing talk.
r/EDM vs r/electronicmusic — Electronic dance music discovery and discussion versus a broader electronic-music room.
r/headphones vs r/audiophile — Portable cans, DACs and headphone amps versus home stereo and speaker-focused audiophile talk.
r/anime vs r/Animesuggest — General anime news and discussion versus dedicated what-to-watch suggestion requests.
r/whatsthisplant vs r/gardening — Plant identification photo requests versus growing, care and garden discussion.
r/MakeupAddiction vs r/Makeup — Makeup looks, hauls and product showcases versus a text-first tips-and-questions room.
r/selfimprovement vs r/getdisciplined — Broad self-improvement questions versus methods and plans for building discipline.
r/writing vs r/Screenwriting — General writing-craft discussion versus film and TV screenwriting craft and feedback.
r/Meditation vs r/yoga — Sitting meditation practice and insight versus yoga asana, lifestyle and community discussion.
r/cats vs r/dogs — Cat pictures, videos and light advice versus text-first responsible dog ownership discussion.
r/tea vs r/Coffee — Camellia sinensis and tea culture discussion versus coffee brewing, gear and community talk.
r/Guitar vs r/piano — Guitar gear, lessons and play videos versus piano practice, digital-piano help and performances.
r/analog vs r/photography — Film-photography shares with camera/film metadata versus digital-era photography discussion and technique.
r/MachineLearning vs r/datascience — Research-leaning machine-learning discussion versus professional data-science career and practice talk.
r/MealPrepSunday vs r/EatCheapAndHealthy — Batch meal-prep photos and planning versus eating healthy food on a tight budget.
r/femalelivingspace vs r/malelivingspace — Living-space tours and décor help framed for women versus living-space tours and advice framed for men.
r/worldbuilding vs r/writing — Invented worlds, lore and maps versus prose craft discussion for writers.
r/whatsthisbug vs r/whatisthisthing — Insect and spider identification versus general mysterious-object identification.
r/UKPersonalFinance vs r/personalfinance — UK pounds-and-pence personal finance versus the large US-leaning personal-finance wiki room.
r/crossfit vs r/Fitness — CrossFit methodology and sport discussion versus the broad Fitness wiki and programming room.
r/Justrolledintotheshop vs r/MechanicAdvice — Shop-floor “look what rolled in” war stories versus practical troubleshooting advice from mechanics.
r/Physics vs r/AskPhysics — Physics community for physicists and students versus a dedicated ask-a-physics-question room.
r/InteriorDesign vs r/architecture — Interior design and interior architecture of spaces versus architecture of buildings and practice.
r/beermoney vs r/sidehustle — Microtask and online beer-money sites versus broader side-hustle income beside a full-time job.
r/AskCulinary vs r/Cooking — Single-answer culinary technique questions versus broader cooking discussion and recipes.
r/DIY vs r/somethingimade — How-to DIY help and home projects versus showcasing finished handmade crafts you made.
r/homeautomation vs r/smarthome — DIY home-automation projects and setups versus smart-home product and platform help.
r/TrueCrime vs r/UnresolvedMysteries — True-crime discussion and media versus unresolved cases, disappearances and open mysteries.
r/comics vs r/comicbooks — Print comics, strips and webcomics (including OC) versus comic-book fandom discussion.
r/ZeroWaste vs r/Anticonsumption — Practical zero-waste living tips versus critique of consumerism and overconsumption.
r/Documentaries vs r/movies — Free documentary links and discussion versus general film news and movie talk.
r/nutrition vs r/loseit — Nutrition science discussion versus sustainable weight-loss community support.
r/graphic_design vs r/Design — Graphic-design education and critique versus broader design discussion and work shares.
r/blender vs r/3Dmodeling — Blender-specific showcase and help versus general 3D modeling across tools.
r/Jazz vs r/classicalmusic — Jazz listening and discussion versus classical music discussion and recommendations.
r/PersonalFinanceCanada vs r/personalfinance — Canada-specific personal finance versus the large US-leaning personal finance community.
r/Watercolor vs r/painting — Watercolor-specific painting and critique versus general painting gallery discussion.
r/simpleliving vs r/minimalism — Simple-living lifestyle discussion versus minimalism as intentional simplicity.
r/flexibility vs r/yoga — Stretching and mobility progress versus yoga practice and lifestyle discussion.
r/ThriftStoreHauls vs r/Frugal — Showing thrift and secondhand finds versus frugal living strategy discussion.
r/FrugalFemaleFashion vs r/femalefashionadvice — Budget women’s fashion deals and discussion versus broader female fashion advice.
r/Fantasy vs r/worldbuilding — Speculative-fiction reading and fandom discussion versus creating fictional worlds.
r/DigitalPainting vs r/drawing — Critique-focused digital painting versus general drawing shares across media.
r/oilpainting vs r/painting — Real oil-paint shares and technique versus general painting gallery discussion.
r/skiing vs r/snowboarding — Alpine skiing discussion versus snowboarding (Shreddit) gear, riding and travel questions.
r/startrek vs r/StarWars — Welcoming Star Trek discussion versus the large unofficial Star Wars franchise community.
r/formula1 vs r/NASCAR — Independent Formula 1 race discussion versus NASCAR news and race-day threads.
r/Meditation vs r/Mindfulness — Meditation practice experiences versus mindfulness as everyday awareness.
r/travel vs r/TravelHacks — General travel questions and trip reports versus cheap-travel tips and logistics hacks.
r/grilling vs r/smoking — Cooking over direct fire versus low-and-slow wood-smoke flavor techniques.
r/mlb vs r/baseball — Major League Baseball–only news and discussion versus broader baseball covering other leagues too.
r/Bitcoin vs r/BitcoinBeginners — Main Bitcoin discussion versus a beginners-only questions room with strict anti-scam norms.
r/todayilearned vs r/explainlikeimfive — Sourced “today I learned” fact posts versus simplified how-it-works explanations.
r/IAmA vs r/AMA — Large Ask Me Anything interview community versus a smaller general AMA room.
r/politics vs r/PoliticalDiscussion — High-volume political news links versus civility-focused political discussion threads.
r/DnD vs r/rpg — Dungeons & Dragons–specific posts versus broader tabletop RPG discussion across systems.
r/truegaming vs r/ShouldIbuythisgame — In-depth game discussion versus platform-tagged “should I buy this?” purchase advice.
r/TooAfraidToAsk vs r/NoStupidQuestions — Sensitive questions people hesitate to ask versus a huge anonymous general Q&A room.
r/options vs r/investing — Exchange-traded options strategies versus broader investing discussion (not personal-finance advice).
r/CreditCards vs r/personalfinance — Credit-card product discussion versus broad personal-finance budgeting and planning.
r/crochet vs r/sewing — Crochet finished objects and WIPs versus sewing projects, alterations and machine questions.
r/NintendoSwitch vs r/nintendo — Nintendo Switch (and Switch 2) news and questions versus broader Nintendo past-present-future discussion.
r/cycling vs r/bicycling — Text-only bike discussion versus a photo-friendly community for riders of every level.
r/PS5 vs r/playstation — PS5 news and discussion hub versus the casual PlayStation community for images, trophies and chat.
r/europe vs r/AskEurope — Link-based European news and data versus text questions to Europeans about their countries.
r/Cooking vs r/recipes — Text cooking discussion and questions versus a recipe-sharing feed with a required post format.
r/Cooking vs r/cookingforbeginners — General cooking discussion versus a no-gatekeeping room for people learning to cook.
r/Entrepreneur vs r/startups — Business-building discussion of every size versus companies designed to scale rapidly.
r/japan vs r/JapanTravel — General Japan news and discussion (no tourist posts) versus trip planning and travel tips for Japan.
r/marvelstudios vs r/Marvel — Marvel Studios films, series and the MCU versus Marvel Comics and its characters.
r/apple vs r/mac — Discussion of Apple as a whole (no tech support) versus a Mac-only community that takes questions.
r/legaladvice vs r/LegalAdviceUK — Simple legal questions (location required) versus UK-only legal triage for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
r/travel vs r/Shoestring — General travel questions and trip reports versus budget travel, cheap destinations and deals.
r/AskUK vs r/unitedkingdom — Questions about UK life and culture versus UK news, politics and society links.
r/stocks vs r/StockMarket — Serious stock and company discussion with position disclosure versus short- and mid-term trade ideas and market commentary.
r/pokemon vs r/pokemongo — Pokémon across games, shows, cards and art versus Pokémon GO, Niantic’s mobile game.
r/Minecraft vs r/Minecraftbuilds — The main Minecraft community for help, discussion and news versus a showcase for completed builds.
r/movies vs r/MovieSuggestions — Film news and discussion versus a room for requesting and giving movie recommendations.
r/college vs r/ApplyingToCollege — College life once you’re there versus admissions questions before you get in.

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