<p>Hi I wanted to know if any students know any African American students that got in with 1800s or 1900s because I have a 1850 my first time but retook and will retake again and I needed to see where my chances lie for the most part. I am also applying for chemical engineering. I will do Early Action if my score raises a great amount, thanks!</p>
<p>Yes, I do. Although, the higher the better (obv).</p>
<p>P.S Don’t forget about your essays. They’re just as important.</p>
<p>Okay thanks, I didnt want my SATs to hold me back. Princeton is my dream school but should I even bother applying with scores in the 1800s and 1900s?</p>
<p>Standardized testing is only one aspect of the application process. Remember that. And if it’s your dream school, why wouldn’t you apply?</p>
<p>Why wouldn’t you apply? What can it hurt? Go for it! You wouldn’t want to spend the rest of your life wondering, “what if”? My son almost decided against applying since it felt like such a long shot. He’s now enjoying his Princeton freshman year… =)</p>
<p>wow you guys are right, I might as well give it a shot. Thanks!</p>
<p>Go for it!</p>
<p>There is a lot at risk when there is a mismatch, as this article points out:</p>
<p>[The</a> Unraveling of Affirmative Action - WSJ.com](<a href=“The Unraveling of Affirmative Action - WSJ”>The Unraveling of Affirmative Action - WSJ)</p>
<p>We are struggling with the same issue. Even though son is expected to have 2250+ on the SAT, SAT math ii above 750 and 5s in AP Biology, Computer Science, Calculus BC, Physic, English, History etc., we have a concern about his weak elementary and middle school preparation. His SAT score in 7th grade was sub 1200 (M+V+W). He had to undergo serious remedial work in high school to get where he is now. Still we are afraid.</p>
<p>he’s expected to get all those scores but did he get any of them? A lot of it depends on the student. Taking the hardest courses possible and working as hard as possible will help determine if its a mismatch</p>
<p>I know somebody at the school who was recruited and had a similar SAT score and is doing fine. The school provides tutoring if needed. Don’t listen to all posters on cc they can be disingenuous.</p>
<p>Jlaine, </p>
<p>He took 5 AP courses in junior year:</p>
<p>5* in Comp Sci II
5 in Biology
5 in US History
5 in English Lang
4 in Chemistry</p>
<p>+</p>
<p>Pre AP Physics and Pre AP Math</p>
<p>750 math ii SAT subject Test (which he may retake in Dec)</p>
<p>So, he is 3/4 of the way there. He will take the SAT in Nov and SAT Physics in Dec. However, there is reason to be optimistic about his SAT and Physics Test performance since,</p>
<p>He has a 219 on PSAT. (percentile rank equivalent to 2250/ 2260 on SAT). Also, has taken 3 SAT practice tests this year. Scored 2400, 2400, 2380.</p>
<p>In Pre AP Physics he had As both semester last year. He has a 92% in AP Physics this year. So lots of good reasons to think he will get above 700 in Physics SAT Subject too.</p>
<p>Princeton is hard. It’s hard for most people here, regardless of stats / preferential admission (I’m thinking athletes, legacies too), etc unless you’re just a genius. Which most of us aren’t. So if you don’t want to work really, really hard and you think you might be academically disadvantaged at Princeton, take that into consideration. You know yourself best!</p>
<p>But if you get in here – chances are that Princeton believes you can succeed. We have something like a 98% four-year graduation rate. (I made that up, but you get the idea.) This isn’t Colgate, which was described in that (very interesting!) article. There are plenty of resources here for EVERYONE. There’s a pre-frosh summer bootcamp for the less academically strong admits (often athletes! preferential admission is NOT just a race thing…), and a ton of people take advantage of the free 1:1 tutoring, study halls, etc held for most intro classes. I’ve seen preceptors do 1:1 tutoring session with struggling students. Help is available here.</p>
<p>I really don’t think that there are many huge “mismatches” here, except probably for the kids of super-rich donors (if that? haven’t met any myself). There are just so many awesome applicants. But I’m no expert.</p>
<p>So go ahead and apply, I’d say. 
</p>
<p>If you want to check out the typical level of a Princeton course, for the first time this fall Princeton is offering a few on Coursera, although they aren’t really representative: <a href=“https://www.coursera.org/princeton[/url]”>https://www.coursera.org/princeton</a></p>
<p>And good luck!</p>
<p>perazziman your son is a beast, dont worry about it. The boy in the article was in the top 20% and it never mentioned AP courses. he’s on par with most students, he should be fine. and thanks guys anymore examples or advice?</p>
<p>buuuuuuuuuuuump</p>
<p>Your chances will be pretty low. if the rest of your application is average — by Princeton standards — you certaintly won’t get in.</p>
<p>I really wonder if someone with an 1850 can produce a Princeton Admission-worthy essay, though.</p>
<p>I have a 4.0 from 10th to 12 th grade good ECs and took the hardest courses possible. My essay is about how the Earthquake in Haiti affected me academically and how it helped me decide to go into chemical engineering with a track in bio and nano technology. Also it helped motivate me to compete for Haiti in tennis…its not bad I also dont think SAT scores hold any correlation with Essay writing to a certain point. The 1850 wont be that way for long by the way</p>
<p>and also how my brother competing for Haiti in track and field in the Olympics helped fuel my determination</p>
<p>Pretty unsubstantiated judgement that an 1850 score means essay writing ability is automatically lacking. An 1850 may simply mean that the applicant is not an exceptional standardized test taker. </p>
<p>I think your essay ideas sound wonderful! Do your best, take a deep breath, and try to relax as much as you can through the process. I remember that interminable wait for an answer on my son’s application…it has a tendency to take over all your thoughts and focus. But I still believe you’ll never know what you could have done unless you try. Good wishes!!</p>
<p>Well, of course not automatically, but I’d bet money a significant relationship between test scores and writing performance exist.</p>
<p>I apologize if I sounded crass/insensitive in that post and agree that there are probably many great writers with 1850s (which is not a bad score at all, considering the mean).</p>
<p>yea I’d be worried about my writing abilities if I studied the way I did the second time and got an 1850 but the retake should be higher. Thanks though guys and Philovitist you should apply to Princeton EA. I saw you’re stats;you’re a beast! Its good to see African Americans doing so well</p>