Chance me!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>Apparently, Princeton doesn't look at GPA's from freshman year. If this is true, then do I have a decent chance?</p>

<p>*Note: I don't name specific awards for privacy purposes.</p>

<p>UW GPA: 3.70
Upward trend: Freshman: 3.40 (2 out of 5 H's taken)
Sophomore: 3.71 (All H's)
Junior: 4.0 (4 AP's, 2 H's)
W GPA: 4.71
Rank: 6/550</p>

<p>SAT I (2340): Math: 760 CR: 800 Writing: 780
SAT II: Bio: 800 Lit: 800 Spanish: 770
AP's: US: 5 Lang: 5 Bio: 5 Psych: 5 </p>

<p>Awards: AP Scholar with Distinction
National Merit Scholar</p>

<p>11th- AP U.S History, AP Language & Composition, AP Bio, AP Psychology, H Spanish IV, H PreCalc, Creative Writing
12th- AP Spanish, AP English, AP Calc AB, AP Euro, AP Environmental Science, Photography</p>

<p>Writing: President of nationally-recognized Literary & Arts magazine (member-3 years), Intern/contributing writer for a local magazine, Attended UVA Young Writers Workshop
Awards: 3 national, 4 regional</p>

<p>Environment: President of Environmental Club (member- 4 years), Intern with my city's Waste/Recycling Department (school year & summer), Spearheaded a compost pilot program & organic garden at my school which served as a model for all public schools in my city, Developed/worked on an ongoing campaign to promote recycling in my city, Lobbied to pass environmental laws
Awards: 1 national, 2 regional</p>

<p>Theater: Leads in 3 shows, VP of Drama Club (member - 2 years), Attended various theater workshops
Awards: "Best Actor" by the CDA
2nd Place at CDA competition</p>

<p>Volunteer (3 years) with a special needs child in a Sunday School setting (150 hours), Play guitar & perform with my Drama Club at senior centers, nursing homes, etc.</p>

<p>Extras: Run a fashion/food/photography blog (2 years)
Regional photography awards</p>

<p>Summer Classes: Took Alg. II, Spanish, Self-studied Chemistry</p>

2

<p>you have a solid chance at princeton. if i recall correctly, they do not count in freshmen GPA, so your GPA will be much higher than 3.7. SAT’s and subjects are very good, along with a very rigorous courseload. e.c’s seem a bit scattered, so try to focus on a few and emphasize those in your essays. get good rec letters and have an awesome interview and hope for the best! goodluck!</p>

3

<p>thanks! just wondering - how do my ec’s seem scattered? Are 3 areas too much to be focusing on? (writing, environment, theater)</p>

4

<p>Your ECs don’t seem scattered at all. Everything looks solid.</p>

5

<p>Awesome, thanks</p>

6

<p>Chance me!
18%</p>

7

<p>^ I would say ~40%.</p>

8

<p>Wow, 40%? Haha, I kind of doubt that, but thanks! :D</p>

9

<p>^ No, it’s pretty close to that. Applicants with solid stats (i.e., 2300+ SAT, mostly ~800s on Subject Tests, among top several in class, excellent ECs) have nearly a 50% chance, assuming good essays and recommendations.</p>

10

<p>At a school other than Princeton, where freshman grades do count, wouldn’t my UW GPA lower that chance? </p>

<p>BTW- I go to a low-ranked public high school, if that matters.</p>

11

<p>^ Yes, it would lower it. You would still have the upward trend, though. (If that 3.7 were static, your chance would be much lower.)</p>

12

<p>So, assuming that my UW GPA is the only part of my application that isn’t ‘excellent’, would I have decent chances at any top school?</p>

13

<p>You would be a surprise admit. Princeton is just that difficult to get into. You’re competing with the hyperbolically strong applicant pool from around the world, and your chances just don’t look good. You are a very good applicant, just not obscenely so, which is generally what it takes for Princeton.</p>

<p>From your other chance threads, however, you stand a very good shot at most of your other schools. Best of luck!</p>

14

<p>Thanks a lot :]
Gah, if only I didn’t screw up my GPA/rank…</p>

15

<p>Photography, you say?</p>

<p>I dabble in a bit of it myself. Care to trade portfolios via PM? I’d love to see your work.</p>

16

<p>How did you screw up your rank?
It looks fine to me.
And also, remember about grade deflation…</p>