Chance a junior

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>I am a junior who is recently interested at Princeton. Can you guys check out my stats and leave me some comments ?</p>

<p>Intended majors: economics, sociology, or history. </p>

<p>here are my stats:</p>

<p>9th grade GPA: 8.0/10 (it's considered A where I went to)</p>

<p>My GPA in sophomore year was 9.2/10</p>

<p>Junior year GPA: 4.0 (unweighted, my school does not have weighted GPA)
No ranking but I think I am in top 5%</p>

<p>Repeating junior year at a academically rigorous small private school, one of the best ones in the region.</p>

<p>Score this year so far: AP Cal BC: B, AP Physics C:Mechanics: B-, Spanish 1: A+, English 11: A, Biology: A, Choir: A, Wind Ensemble: A.</p>

<p>AP Cal AB score: 4 (Too bad)</p>

<p>Aim SAT score as 2150 (PSAT is 168, really bad). SAT II will be Math II: hope will be 700 at least and about 2 more, have not decided yet.</p>

<p>Extra curricular:
Soccer team of class: 6,7,8,9,10
Soccer Varsity:grade 11
AFCVN soccer club: grade 10
News translator
Club In Vietnam grade 8,9,10
Young leader club:grade 10
Singing club:grade:10
Choir:grade 11
CATCH program:grade 11
Piano class:8 years
French horn: 1 years
FIRST Robotics: grade 11
Community service club: grade 11
Community service trip to Costa Rica: grade 11 (Feb 2009)</p>

<p>Awards:
Best GPA at school : Grade 10
Best final exams record: Grade 10
First Prize at School's English Olympiad: Grade 10
Victoria scholarship: grade 10
High honor roll: grade 11
Best Physical project in Science Fair:grade 11
Highest honor in Chemistry:grade 11
High honor in Maths:grade 11
Nominated for National Honor Society: grade 11
Nominated for National Young Leader Conference: grade 11</p>

<p>Leadership: Head of School's Youth Union:Grade 10</p>

2

<p>Anyone ? </p>

<p>I did actually take it and got 2100 in Jan. I copied and pasted the stats from my document so I have not updated it yet.</p>

3

<p>Any comments ?</p>

4

<p>Well, don't take my comment too seriously, since I'm not in Princeton yet either, but I'd say they are pretty slim.</p>

<p>But I would love to be wrong, both for your sake and mine...</p>

<p>2,150 isn't a sensational score. It really depends on your ethnicity how acceptable it is. None of your Extra-Curriculars really seem to stand out as exceptional or significant except for Varsity Soccer.</p>

<p>What ethnicity are you? Are you taking five years of High School, or just no senior year?</p>

5

<p>Thanks. </p>

<p>I am an Asian. I am gonna have 5 years of High school basically.</p>

<p>What should I improve in my profile ?</p>

6

<ol>
<li>where do you live?</li>
<li>are you vietnamese or cambodian?</li>
</ol>

7

<p>Well, I would improve on quite a bit of areas.</p>

<p>You're Asian like me, so you're at a disadvantage. 2,100 is not acceptable, and neither is 2,150. I would try to get at least a 2,250 to have an OK/good shot. (10% of applicants in the 2200s range were accepted, 28% of applicants in the 2300+ range were accepted, so try to break 2,300 if you can.) </p>

<p>Take a few more APs and try to be in the top ten of your class. Make sure to keep your GPA high.</p>

<p>Nothing in your Extra-Curriculars really demonstrates any leadership. You need to make them stand out. Become the FOUNDER of a club and serve as its president. That will help.</p>

<p>I can't guarantee anything, but I think that if you do these you can have a better shot. And as the old saying goes: "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you will land among the stars." Even if you don't get into Princeton, you'll be sure to get into another great school.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

8

<p>Thank you. I am a Vietnamese.</p>

<p>What other great schools do you think I have a good shot at ??</p>

<p>I will try to improve on those areas. Since I change schools constantly I don't have chance to do so many leadership roles. My current school will be the only high school I study for more than 1 year. I will think about a club that I want to start.</p>

<p>Any more comments ?</p>

9

<p>"What other great schools do you think I have a good shot at ??"</p>

<p>UCLA, UC Berekly, University of Michigan, University of Chicago, Duke, Northwestern, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth.</p>

10

<p>Give it a shot man. You grew up in Vietnam, did you? ;) Then take advantage of that. I think you have good chance ;)</p>

11

<p>The SAT advice was goodl. Your real problem are are recommendations, especially the guidance counselor. If you aren't perceived as a 'product' of the school, they won't go the extra mile. The other thing is that you need to get on the national map. Heck, take a year off and do something that will anchor your achievements for the rest of your life.</p>

12

<p>Since other posters talked about other aspects of your application I will talk about the ECs and awards.</p>

<p>I put in bold the things that you should NOT include for ECs.</p>

<p>
[quote]

Extra curricular:
Soccer team of class: 6,7,8,9,10
Soccer Varsity:grade 11
AFCVN soccer club: grade 10
News translator
Club In Vietnam grade 8,9,10
Piano class:8 years</p>

<p>Young leader club:grade 10
Singing club:grade:10
Choir:grade 11
CATCH program:grade 11
French horn: 1 years
FIRST Robotics: grade 11
Community service club: grade 11
Community service trip to Costa Rica: grade 11 (Feb 2009)"

[/quote]
</p>

<p>As you can see I bolded quite a bit and that is because you did it for 1 year only, something that is only done one year is not a substantive EC and might only look like a resume padder.</p>

<p>Another problem is that the awards you listed. Many seem to be only school level awards which are not on the same level as regional, state, or national awards. Those are the awards that matter. From your brief list it seems that you are lacking in both ECs and awards so I will be frank and tell you that your chances are slim. Nearly everyone who applies has top scores, and it is the individuals ECs and essays that get them in. </p>

<p>Don't be discouraged if you have not won awards though, it is not entirely neccessary to have awards but ECs are simply a must. You are a junior and you have not posted what your intended major is, but if you have the possiblity to pursue something related to your major this summer i would definitely advise it.</p>

<p>There are several summer programs and opportunities for students in about every academic displine so definitely look into that. These programs could look good on an application and can even help you learn more about your own interest.</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
"Heck, take a year off and do something that will anchor your achievements for the rest of your life."

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I would advise against that. To be perfectly honest the "top" schools are not going to establish your life for you, and you should never do anything to get into one of these schools. Especially don't delay your life to get into princeton. The fact of the matter is that Princeton is a small school that can not accomadate the thousands of good high shcool students, but we live in a country that has a TON of great univesities that you could attend. But definitely do not take a year off to get into a school.</p>