<p>Hi, I will apply to Princeton and was wondering what my chances are. I live in Mississippi and have home schooled most of my life. The local schools are terrible. I went to a private school for two years (one year part time, the next full-time) and got A+ in everything without really trying. Right now, I'm taking subjects a little above my mom and dad's abilities to help me, so, except for an online writing course, I teach myself everything, mostly by reading textbooks. I think this has given me an edge in learning subjects by myself, because I've done almost nothing but that most of my pre-college education. How do you think home schooling will affect my chances?
Subjects taken 9-12 grades:
math: saxon algebra 1, saxon algebra 2, "teaching textbooks" geometry, saxon pre-calculus (all A). This year I will take (and have already started) calculus with a mixture of saxon calculus, Apostol calculus, and Thomas Calculus and Analytical Geometry books. </p>
<p>science: physical science, biology, chemistry, physics, advanced chemistry (all A). This year I will take advanced biology and advanced physics (one of the two books for adv. physics will be Kleppner's An Introduction to Mechanics, once used for MIT's honors introductory mechanics course).</p>
<p>history: we did this curriculum that covers ancient Egypt through modern age in like 5 years (all A). This year I will mostly read history books, mostly Roman and Greek history. I might take a government course.</p>
<p>English and writing: was tutored in 8th grade. The last couple years, I have been going through a college level grammar book that makes you diagram sentences a lot, and always get A. For writing, I have taken an online course since 9th grade and always gotten A. </p>
<p>Took a little French and Latin a while back, took Spanish last year and the year before, and will take Spanish again this year from a tutor. Will take some Tagalong by Rosetta Stone homeschool this year also. </p>
<p>Standardized Tests:
ACT: best composite: 33. best E: 35, best M: 34, best R: 33, best S: 34.
SAT: R: 750, M: 780, W: 750.
SAT II: Math 1: 740, Literature: 780, History: 650 (don't know if I'll report that). Will also take physics, chemistry, and math 2. I expect high scores on those.</p>
<p>EC: volunteered at a food pantry for the poor from ages like 11-15.
Point guard for my homeschool basketball team (don't laugh we're actually pretty good lol)
Worked last summer and this summer at University of Southern Mississippi Polymer Science Department (they have a very good Polymer science department). I do chromatography, purify products, help with reactions, clean dishes, stick my head up the fume hood for the post-doc to see what it smells like, etc.
This April-May, I went on a mission trip to the Philippines, which was absolutely life changing. I am organizing and fundraising for some youth at my church to go to a youth conference in the Philippines with me next year.
Every Thursday and Friday last year starting in like February, my sister and I helped a teacher friend of ours with her 1st grade class. We read to the class and did other various things, and I made science experiments for them. The kids were absolutely great; it was an awesome experience. I plan on doing the same thing next year.
Tutored a kid on my basketball team in math. Tutoring is a great way to master a subject.
Might go to a local nursing home and talk to some of the residents. Some of those old people have many stories, and many don't have anybody who talks to them.
I also play in a band and record music a lot. I play guitar, drums, bass, and keyboard. </p>
<p>Home schooled students often send a reading list, and mine should be extremely good. I have read voraciously since the age of 9 or so. I enjoy Greek and Roman literature particularly (Plato, Aristotle, Livy, Plutarch, Virgil, Homer, Thucydides, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes. I've read almost all of Plato and Livy). I am reading Euclid's Elements and the Works of Archimedes. I've also read a lot of more modern literature. I love Hemingway. I've read a good bit of Dickens. I've read a good bit of Agatha Christie's works. I recently read Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Also reading Hamlet and plan to read more of Shakespeare. etc, there's a lot more, but those are some of the harder ones. </p>
<p>My essays should be really good; I'm planning on putting a lot of effort into them, and I'm good at things like that. My brother was severely autistic, but after going all over the world to doctors and sacrificing a lot of things, he gradually lost his diagnosis. My essay(s) will probably have something to do with that story. </p>
<p>I don't have really any teachers besides the lady that tutored me in the 9th grade, but I will have really good recommendation letters. One of them will be from the professor I work under at USM polymer science department. It should be very good. </p>
<p>I am a white male, and my income bracket is upper middle class I guess. I plan on applying for early action. Do I need more ECs? Working at the polymer science department, teaching the 1st graders, and the Philippines trip were activities I immensely enjoy(ed) and can talk about for hours. They are good quality ECs.
Thank you everyone.</p>
He’s a violinist and he’s in a couple of rock bands, too. :-)</p>