<p>Hey Im not sure if my academics are "competitive" enough for Princeton and I was wondering what you guys think. Everyone else has such amazing academics and Im not sure if Im up there with em! Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>GPA-Weighted: 98 (School doesn't give unweighted)
Rank-(School doesn't rank, but im sure im in top 10%)
SAT-Math:800, Critical Reading:690, Writing:720 11 Essay
Highest Composite: 1490/1600, 2210/2400
SAT 2s- Chemistry:750, Math 1C:740, Biology M:710, US History:630,
Math IIC: (waiting for score, hopefully 780+)</p>
<p>slightly above average? wow lol yea thats what i sorta thought too..... eh but im thru with standardized tests now so these scores are what im sticking with. im confident though so thanks for ur inputs!</p>
<p>Let me put it this way:
800 is in the 88th percentile and 670 is the average score on Math Level 2, so I would say 750-770 is pretty good, but not outstanding. There really is no outstanding on it, since the curve is so generous.</p>
<p>hmm that makes sense. i guess im just fretting cause of such competition in the nation, so sry im asking for opinions. i hope academically i can maybe get past round 1 where my non-academics can help me from then on.......</p>
<p>no, i asked a PENN rep, and she said as long as there is a 7 in front of your score, its fine. </p>
<p>i doubt there is much difference between say, 740 and 780. they are both good solid scores. (but if you're trying to show strength in one particular area, 800s would be nice)</p>
<p>Your scores are definitely competitive don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It is so strange to me when I read these posts and posters indicate that certain SAT II scores are not high enough. I think that some of these posters just happen to have almost perfect SAT II scores and some of them will agonize over even if their already high scores of 780 are high enough. Some posters believe it is all about getting near perfect SAT scores and near perfect SAT II scores.
Believe me when I say that Princeton looks first to see your academic record. Did you take the most rigorous curriculum at your school? How did you do in those classes versus how did others in your school do. Then they look at your standardized test scores to see if you are competitive. As soon as they see if your scores are competitive (not if they are perfect or near perfect), they look to see what you have to bring the Princeton community. Countless applicants with perfect scores are turned down because they show no evidence of passion, leadership, commitment, ect.
It is true however that if your scores are just competitive, that you have to do things to stand out and get the admission officers attention. Usually this means that you have shown great passion and commitment and accomplishment. Doing it in an area where many have not excelled is also good. The applicants who have perfect SAT scores but just ordinary extra curriculars and ordinary involvement (ordinary in the sense that most applicants might appear similar) typically have a better chance of getting accepted regular decision where the admission officers need to balance the classes and perhaps compensate for lower SAT scores they took in the early round when they took a lot of legacies and recruited athletes - or increase a geographic area.
I have seen posters on these sites flat out tell an applicant that they cannot get accepted because although they have very high SAT I scores, their SAT II scores are not competitive enough. Meanwhile, that applicant might have had accomplishments in two or three areas that were spectacular and would cause admission officers to not pay attention to the not as competitive SAT II scores.
I think that some cc posters believe that the SAT I and SAT II scores need to be perfect, because for some this is something they can control - especially if they test unbelievably well. If however you go back and look at all the threads of those who were accepted early where they post their stats, hooks, ect, you will see numerous posters with perfect or near perfect statistics who don't get in. Princeton and other elite schools look at the composite picture. Once ones scores are in the competitive range they look at all the other factors.
Does it help to have perfect or near perfect scores? Perhaps -However that is usually considered part of a intellectual hook (but there is another part). Some applicants have an intellectual hook, some have a hook which is a special talent with unusual accomplishment.Some are just very well rounded. Usually when one has an intellectual hook it means they have excelled above others in academics. The applicant who has perfect scores and also published scientific research in a highly regarded journal might have an academic hook. The perfect scorer who won intel might have an academic ie. intellectual hook. Having perfect scores however in the absense of anything else is usually not enough..
There are countless posters who post acceptances to Princeton with competitive scores but no where near perfect scores, but who had that something extra to get accepted.
If you ever look at the list of those who post their stats for Washington University in April on cc, you will find unbelievably high SAT scorers. Most of these are applicants who did not get into HYP early or regular decision. When you look at their extra curriculars, all these extraordinary intelligent applicants appear ordinary. This is because all of their extra curricular lists appear to be the same. These are applicants with unbelieably high statistics that did not stand out in the HYP applicant pool.</p>
<p>hey collegebound, thanks for taking the time to post that long message lol. yea i understand what u are saying. I def have shown passion/leadership in extracurriculars so hopefully those will help me. I won't worry too much about my academics anymore. I'm confident with my current ability. But again, thanks a lot for your help!</p>