An Analysis Request

Colleges & Universities A-Z Princeton University
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<p>Hello, all! I am relatively new to the forums and I realize that I am a bit late in signing up to these forums as the Early Action deadline is right around the corner and I should have considered the information on this site before making the rash decision of applying SCEA to Princeton. However, I have not completely given up yet and I want my statistics analyzed by more knowledgeable people before I change my mind about Princeton. Without further ado, I introduce my stats:</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Nepali (from the little country between India and China)</p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 (this derives from the fact that I got the best scores possible)</p>

<p>Class Rank: 1st out of some 200 students</p>

<p>Others:
-I don't know if I qualify as URM
-My parents did not study in colleges in the US but they did study up to masters in Nepal so I don't know if that qualifies me as a first-generation college student.
-I lived and studied in the US for 3 years in which I completed grades 8, 9 and 10 so I do have some "American" credits.
-My Academic credentials include what are called the A-levels. They are an equivalent to grades 11 an 12 and are coordinated by Cambridge of the UK. I took five subjects: General Paper (which is like English except it only focuses on comprehension and essay-writing skills), Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Math for two years. The curriculum is extensive and is on par with that taught in American High Schools. I got the best possible grades in each subject; A*s. Not many people achieve such a flawless record and that is partly why I considered Princeton a viable target.
-I had given one AP exam (AP Euro history) but it is irrelevant to my academic pursuits and I got a meager 3 so including it will probably be worse for my application.</p>

<p>SAT: I am giving the SAT next week, and I should hopefully get something around 2200. (CR~650, M~800, W~750). I am working hard and if I can get better at CR, I might be looking at a better prospective grade.</p>

<p>SAT IIs: I am giving the Physics and Math II tests on Nov and I'm expecting 800s on both (albeit I'll have to study rigorously!)</p>

<p>School: It is one of the best A-level schools in Nepal.</p>

<p>Honors:
-School Science Fair Winner: 1st Place
-Regional Science Fair: Honorable Mention
-CIA's Outstanding Young Scientist Award (I have not seen this on any of the applicants' records on CC, so I don't know how much of a hook this can be)
-Best Across Four Cambridge International AS Levels: First place in Nepal (I topped my country by achieving the best aggregate marks during my first year. Another hook, perhaps?)
-Best Academic Performance: Physics (This one is from School)</p>

<p>Extracurricular:
-Chess (winner of annual school tournament '10; created chess club in school '10; president of club '10, '11; organized tournament in school '11) [Although I have to mention that I didn't go national or anything, particularly because our course-load was really heavy and I wasn't familiar with the country well enough to get into such stuff]
-Tutoring (tutored students in the school, interned as an assistant teacher for practical physics in another A-level school after graduating) [This is one of my community service credentials; I have ~150 hours of tutoring in school and more interning]
-Visual Art (Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2009: Silver Key; a bunch of other competitions and certificates; skilled in sketching, painting and collage) [This used to be my forte during High School in America before I discovered my talent in Physics and Math]
-Dance (Danced for Charity; skilled in metro and somewhat in bboy) [This is a recently discovered interest. If I had more time, I would probably have more credentials but I really enjoy dance and so I made it a point to include it on my application]
-Debate/Speech (Varsity Debate Team; a couple of wins and involvements)
-Worked (unpaid) under Ascent: Research, Training & Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. (Guidance Counseling; Career Counseling; Coordinated and Presented a presentation on Ivy League Schools: "The Road to Ivy League & Beyond") [When I say "guidance counseling" or "career counseling", I mean me counseling others.
-Health Nepal Foundation (HNF): Executive member (volunteering; Organized a sanitation awareness campaign in which we visited public schools in Kathmandu and taught kids in elementary grades)
-Journalism/Publication (Writer and Editor in the School Magazine; wrote a couple of articles and a music review column)</p>

<p>Essays: Personally, I think they will be my secret weapon for some reason. I think they'll be pretty good by the time I'm done with them.</p>

<p>Recommendations: I'm guessing they are good; I was not a bad kid and I worked really hard in school. Hope they'll help!</p>

<p>So, what does my overall record look like? Average? Below Average? Princeton Material or not? Please be very frank in your answer, because this is very important for me. I don't want to regret applying SCEA to Princeton if I get deferred or rejected, but I really really want to go there. I have a sort of passion for Princeton because it has the legacy of great minds like Albert Einstein and John Nash. I have a feeling that Princeton will be the best for me and I'll be able to develop to the best of my potential if I study there. I just have this golden feeling about Princeton but I just want to be sure that I can make it. As long as there is a reasonable chance, I'm going to go for it!</p>

<p>Thank you for your attention! Have a nice day! :D</p>

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<p>Also, I don’t know if I have to give the TOEFL. My teachers have suggested that I give it but I feel that my English is good enough and the fact that I studied in the US for more than three years more than compensates for the linguistic requirements. If it is required, however, I will give it this October, I guess.</p>

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<p>Why are you freaking out? You DO qualify as URM, but low income is another story. You sound like your a beast. Plus, YOU’RE AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT from a country that’s a third world country. Your achievements sound amazing, the 150 hrs is a plus, and “highest possible scores” is a plus for anyone. Do you have a way to increase your critical reading score? It’s dragging you down. Other than that, work on your hook in your essay. You shouldn’t have a problem if you can communicate that you have a feeling soul and a thinking mind.</p>

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<p>Thank you so very much! This really brings my hopes up, as I saw a lot of people on here with fantastic ECs and scary SAT scores. I probably get a low CR score because I read slowly, but I’m working on it and am getting better at it. So what is my actual hook here? Which hook do I work into my essay?</p>

<p>Again, Thank you very much! :)</p>

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<p>Where did you do your A levels? BNKS/ RBS/ Malpi ?</p>

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<p>It’s ironic how Chelsea International isn’t on your list. Haha</p>

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<p>great stats relativity93… i have a fren applying to Princeton… I applied last year…dont even have 5% of ur resume… just apply… if u r good enough… u willl get accepted to other great universtities in RD…just follow your heart for ED or EA… just go with Princeton… its my dream university to(and MIT!)… but applying to smaller colleges for ED/EA in par with my credentials and I will get into MIT/Princeton as a graduate applicant (dunno know why I think I am capable of that)… </p>

<p>And. your SAT score is great… dont worry… anything over 650 is great for Nepalese students…</p>

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<p>BTW… whats your name… i think I have heard of you</p>

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<p>I scored a 2000 on the SAT. I was really disheartened before I heard that all my peers had scored even less. I don’t get it, why do Nepali people really bomb the SAT? I guess my score wasn’t as bad when compared to the others’ but I’m still not happy with it, I’m taking the SAT again in Dec. Anyways, how much does that hinder my chances? I may add in a letter to Princeton that we only had the chance to take the SAT once and from just three months of study with no academic background in literature at all.</p>

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<p>u dont need to do that… i mean about the letter… there are many who get into Princeton with scores as low as 1500 (yes thats combined of all sections)!!</p>

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<p>A person with 2400 SAT score or 4.0 GPA score gets rejected 2 out of 3 times, so you are surely going to be rejected?</p>

<p>I am saying this because everything happens what I say but just opposite and I don’t want bad of you so I am saying in an opposite way?</p>

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<p>It just occurred to me that SCEA would not give me any edges in my application so after a lot of thinking, I have decided to apply ED to Brown. I think it may prove to be a better cushion for the calamitous SAT Score.</p>

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<p>That’s a smart decision.</p>

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<p>applying ED to Brown is a bad idea in my view…there was one girl last year who had great scores and essay …was sure to get into…but Brown hesitated to take her as they had taken a Nepali student the year before… Brown is not flexible as MIT, Cornell, Princeton or other universities.in my view…almost like Caltech…you should apply ED to a small liberal arts college …there are many top colleges u will probably easily get into with ur scores…
btw, 2000 is a good SAT score on the first try… even those who score 2300+ usually take 3 tests…and their score is superscored!!</p>

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<p>That’s absolutely false information, Brown being “inflexible.” Also there is no such thing as not taking a student from a country when they took another one the year before. Please have some factual evidence that’s not purely anecdotal if you want anyone with at least two brain cells to take you seriously.</p>

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<p>decillion bro ho ki k ho… its not an anecdote… its actually what the college said to the student…i m not sure if she was lying …but she got full ride in Bucknell with 2500 $ stipend…and ticket to Nepal in summer for 4 years… so f**k off. …</p>

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<p>Hey guys, I know this thread has been long-dead, but I got deferred by Brown, so I’m battling it out in the RD phase and would like to update my chance thread for further analysis. Plus, now that there are a handful of SCEA accepts on CC, I figured they would have a better idea now and would be able to make a more educated approximation of my “chances”. Anyways, here are the slight changes to my resume</p>

<p>Updated SAT scores (Retook in December):
740 CR/ 800 Math/ 770 Writing
Total: 2310</p>

<p>SAT Subject tests (November):
Physics: 800
Math Level II: 800</p>

<p>Apart from that, I don’t think there are any major changes.</p>

<p>I slightly modified my essays because some people called it “robotic”; my essays tend to come off like a physicist’s paper, lol, so I sort of added more tone and character into the writing. My teachers showed me the recs and they are freaking awesome (one says I’m a child prodigy and the other says he overheard the principal saying that they won’t have a student like me again). Idk about the counselor’s rec though, I didn’t have much of a relationship with him, but I’m guessing it is passable.</p>

<p>I had prepared an art portfolio but Princeton doesn’t take email submissions, so I couldn’t send it.</p>

<p>So yeah, I applied to Princeton RD. I know this round is going to be crazy and more difficult than the SCEA round, but I really want to know what the students of Princeton (current, prospective and alums) have to say about my chances. Thanks and wish me luck! :)</p>

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<p>Which all colleges have you applied to?</p>

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<p>For the Jan 1 and Jan 3 deadlines:</p>

<p>Brown
Carleton
Princeton
Trinity College (CT)
Tufts
Vanderbilt
Vassar
Williams</p>

<p>For the Jan 15 deadline:</p>

<p>Furman
Grinnell
Macalester
Reed
Whitman</p>

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<p>U should have applied to more ivies.
Are u asking for fin aid?</p>