Can I get in?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>GPA
unweighted: 3.8462
weighted: 4.5128</p>

<p>Class Rank: 20/746</p>

<p>SAT I:
Verbal 700
Math 790
Writing 720
Essay 9</p>

<p>SAT II:
Literature 640
Physics 800
Math IIC 800</p>

<p>ACT 32</p>

<p>PSAT 227</p>

<p>APs:
US History 4
Psychology 5
Physics B 5</p>

<p>Senior classes:
Advanced (Post AP) Chem and Physics
AP Composition & Literature
AP Bio
AP French
AP Calc BC
Band
AP Econ & Government</p>

<p>School:
Large, public, wealthy, midwest, suburban, around 3000 students</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Piano since age 3, NSMTA Honorable mention, Chicago Duo Piano Competition Winner, Participation in Chicago Duo Piano Festival for 7 consecutive years, 2005 Junior Assistant Coach, Pitten Austria International Music Festival</p>

<p>Marching Band (trombone), Competition Band, Pep Band, Wind Symphony, Jazz Ensemble, orchestra pit (school musical), section leader, American Symphonietta, Protege Philharmonic</p>

<p>Modern Music Masters Vice President</p>

<p>Wrote a piece of music for a small wind ensemble as a supervised independent study project</p>

<p>Hopes for Hope volunteer program in Ensenada, Mexico</p>

<p>AP Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist</p>

<p>Race: 50% Mexican American, 50% White
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<p>Right now, Princeton is my top choice and other I'm interested in are Duke, Stanford, Brown, Harvard and MIT, UMichigan Ann Arbor, USC, UIllinois Champaign-Urbana, and Berkeley. What are my chances at these schools and what should my safety schools be? </p>

<p>Should I use the October SAT to take the french SAT IIs? Should I retake the Lit SAT II? Or should I use the test date to retake the SAT I?</p>

<p>Any help would be greatly appreciated.</p>

2

<p>Yes. The fact that you are so musically affluent will be to your advantage. You would be a perfect candidate in so long as you have good teacher recommendations and can write killer essays! When writing your essays don't write "Personal Essays!" By that I mean write more of a short story with muscular verbs and good imagry that SHOWS you, as opposed to TELLING you! There is nothing more boring to an admissions officer than reading the same old boring "I believe, I did, I think, etc" it is far more interesting to read that your palms were sweaty and you couldn't help but blink repeatedly before conquering (oooo, verbage!) some mountainous trial of your will and wit!</p>

<p>Post your essays (with copyright) and we'll give you ideas, suggestions, and whatnot! Qs or concerns?</p>

3

<p>Oh, and by the way. Don't come off as a rich boy (girl?). If you had it easy in life don't show it. Don't LIE (god no!) but if your father/mother is the head of a huge company, don't state it! Don't show it off or you will risk alienating the admissions officers (who, I'm sure, wouldn't be working in admissions if they had a wealthy upbringing)</p>

<p>Helpful?</p>

4

<p>other opinions?</p>

5

<p>At least tell me if that was useful or not, that way I can either explain things or add more.</p>

<p>And don't seek an ego boost. You know you are a great student, just LOOK at your resume! Be confident and you'll do just fine!</p>

6

<p>mmamon I think you have as good a chance as the next person. I disagree with panda about disclosing or not, an affluent background. What is important is if you took advantage of all that was offered to you. No one can control whether he was born to affluence or poverty. If you are from an affluent family and savored all that was offered to you, that's a good thing. If you come across as someone who coasted, that's different. Just MHO.</p>

7

<p>"What is important is if you took advantage of all that was offered to you"</p>

<p>I completely agree! Completely! I'm not saying that "taking advantage of all that was offered to you" isn't; what I am saying is that...well is it more impressive that a child from a low-income family got a 2200 on their SATs or that a child from a high-income family got a 2200? Of course it's more impressive that the low-income child got it (albeit impressive either way)!</p>

<p>That, combined with the fact that most admissions officers will NOT have come from high-rise families means that showing you are wealthy will <em>not</em> give you an extra edge (it at least will give an appearance that you aim to get in on the "good ol' boy system). However, by appearing modest, you tend to match more with those individuals who had it frick'en impossible in life but still did just as good as you! So that in the case of whether to accept you or them, that it isn't so obviously them and instead comes down to more important factors! </p>

<p>Does that make sense? I hope I wasn't too blunt, but that is the way I know it.</p>

<p>Panda</p>

8

<p>bump........</p>

9

<p>bump bump....</p>

10

<p>no, you can't.</p>

11

<p>...wth is that supposed to mean?</p>