Chance a white girl for Princeton SCEA

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I don’t want to waste my only early action on something unrealistic. Do I have a shot at Princeton SCEA?
(Some APs are predictions based on practice tests, BTW)

Gender: Female
State: Decently competitive
Major: Economics & Math
School Type: Large competitive public, ~800 in grade
Race/ethnicity: White
Income bracket: upper middle class

SAT I (breakdown): 1530 (m: 800 r+w:730)
SAT II: biology e: 770 math II: 760 (yikes lol)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.72
Rank: No official rank, won award for top 5% GPA though
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s: APUSH, Lang, Macroecon, Microecon, Calc BC, 4: French
Also taking at local university: 200-level geopolitics course, 300-level finance course, 600 level multivariable calculus course
Senior Year Course Load: AP Comp Sci, AP Lit, AP Euro, AP Bio, AP Gov, Modern Middle Eastern History A, History of Film, Philosophy A
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Rensselaer Medal Award: Awarded by RPI to recognize the country’s best STEM students, only one student from each participating high school receives it (which is cool cause there’s 800 other kids in my grade)

Semi-finalist in national student essay contest, won some $$

2nd place in local essay contest, essay published in literary journal

Some school-wide awards

National French Honor Society

Will qualify for National Merit

Extracurriculars:

Substantial organizing role in Biden Campaign: Can’t go into specifics for privacy reasons, but I was the head student organizer for a major metropolitan area. Recruited support, coordinated with state director, planned virtual events. (15 hrs a week May 2020-November 2020)

Local chapter of Students for Joe Biden (Founder): Manage social media, plan events, recruit support, etc. 11-12 (5 hrs a week March 2020-November 2020)

Joe Biden Campaign (Fellow): Basically an unpaid internship, I organized events, recruited support, and coordinated with other organizers at the national level. 11-12 (10 hrs April 2020-November 2020)

Community Initiative (Co-Founder): I helped found a program which connects high school students as pen pals to local senior citizens who are currently isolated in retirement homes. 65 (and counting) students are currently participating in the program 11-12 (4 hrs a week March 2020-now)

-Junior States of America (Co-president): Basically a political discussion club 11-12 (1 hr weekly)

-Math Team (Competitor): I have medalled at the local and regional level, and have qualified for the state competition twice. 9-12 (1 hr weekly)

-Science Olympiad (Treasurer + Varsity Competitor): I have received twelve medals, qualified for state, and was voted MVP of the team. 9-12 (2 hr weekly)

-Scholastic Bowl (Head of Social Media + Varsity Competitor): 11-12 (2 hrs weekly)

-Junior Economic Club (Member): This is a selective regional organization which gives students access to lectures and discussions with leading entrepreneurs and economic scholars. 11-12 (averages 4 hrs monthly)

"Specific reality TV show) Roleplay Game (Volunteer and Marketing Officer): I assist in supervising and publicizing this game, which draws applicants from across the region. Two events have been successfully carried out, with another planned for this summer. 11-12

Summer Activities:
-Selective academic summer program, online this summer (11) :frowning:
-Appalachian backpacking + leadership trip (10)
-Study abroad in France (10)

2

@bigmood: I cannot predict Princeton admissions outcomes, but I can offer advice.

For one so heavily involved in politics, your instincts are off. The title of your thread shows a lack of understanding of how to communicate in an inviting & persuasive manner.

3

Princeton doesn’t admit by major, but just based on your profile, it seems you might get a better look if you indicated a STEM/engineering interest. There are fewer females who go into engineering fields, so sometimes this can tip the scale.

Overall, your stats are fine, but there are many other factors. With the profile above, I’d say your chances are probably in the 10% range. If the application is refocused towards engineering, I’d say your chances are probably 15-20%.

I don’t think your application is unrealistic. But just realize that Princeton is a stretch for just about everyone. Your chances would certainly be higher at colleges with binding ED.

4

darn

5

I agree with @Publisher and @sgopal2, but it’s an easy fix to sell yourself as a STEM major. You have plenty of courses and ECs to support a STEM focus. Have you looked at Princeton’s Operations Research and Financial Engineering major? It’s in the engineering school and could be a nice mix of your math/econ interests, while possibly providing that admissions edge @sgopal2 suggests.

I think you are in that solid group that will be taken seriously during Princeton’s SCEA. One advantage–specifically for you-- to the ORFE major is that Princeton’s Engineering explicitly suggests taking advanced math (beyond BC). In their admissions doc, “Preparing to Study Engineering at Princeton,” they state…(1)…please consider taking further math at a local college or university during your senior year. It is important that you absorb math concepts and skills not just to score high on exams but also to apply them to problems you have not seen before. Learn to do math without the help of a calculator, since calculators are not used in introductory calculus courses at Princeton." If you decide to go this route, I’d suggest dropping AP Gov (you already have AP Euro) and taking DiffEq or Linear at your local university instead next year.

Another thought–Have you looked at Brown? I know very little about Brown other than what I’ve read here on CC, but it may have the campus vibe that would support both your academic and your political goals.

6

@ChezCurie The ORFE recommendation is super helpful! Just took a look and it seems like an interesting curriculum. I am taking a multivariable calc course this summer, so hopefully that will help. Thanks!