Chances for Princeton

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
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Okay, so I was wondering if there’s even the tiniest possibility of me getting into Princeton. I got my ACT Writing score back today and it was a 9 (out of 12). Will this raise a red flag or will they be willing to overlook it if the rest of my transcript is good and my essay proves otherwise? I got a 35 on that ACT so I really don’t want to pay the money just to try the essay again. Here are my other stats briefly.

ACT: 35 (36 English/Reading, 35 Math, 32 Science)

ACT essay: 9

SAT: tba (collegeboard takes forever)

SAT 2: Latin, US history planned, possibly others

GPA: 4.0 (UW)

APs: AP Euro (5), AP Lang (tba), AP Chem (tba), AP US (tba)

Planned APs: AP Lit, AP Bio, AP Calc BC, AP Latin, AP Micro

I’ve taken the hardest courses offered (my school is small)

My passion: newspaper–freshman-senior year I interned writing articles and press releases for official school publications, junior/senior year I founded/run my own school newspaper, hopefully will be interning with the village mayor to start up an e-newspaper for them this summer

Work experience: will have worked in Kroger’s e-commerce department (Clicklist) for 2 years, paid tutor in a variety of subjects

There’s more minor stuff, but the stuff above is the most important. What can I do to really make myself stand out senior year? What should I improve? Also, if you applied to Princeton could you let me know what your applications looked like and what the decisions were (rejected, deferred, accepted)? Thanks

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GPA, Class Rank? I would suggest looking at Naviance for your school.

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GPA, Class Rank? I would suggest looking at Naviance for your school.

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Assuming that you’re not a development case, URM, recruited athlete, legacy, first generation, faculty child or any other hook, you’d want to aim your quantitative qualifications above 50th percentile of enrolled students (see the latest Common Data Set for Princeton). Once you’re within that range, I wouldn’t try to improve on any of them and focus more of your effort and time in building on your EC passion and producing great essays.

I wouldn’t worry about your ACT essay score as you will have Common App and Supplement essays to demonstrate that you can write effectively. I think my son’s ACT essay score was about the same as yours. His quantitative qualifications weren’t in the highest percentiles (just within range), but he did have very strong ECs which I believe got him into Princeton. You could say he was a “pointedly well-rounded” applicant.

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@TiggerDad as I remember, a misguided pointedly well-rounded student who could have picked Pomona. ah…he had his chance…

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@preppedparent - Ha ha… I STILL question my son’s decision, but it’s all water under the bridge now… :slight_smile:

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@TiggerDad Princeton is great. I’m sure he’ll be happy to be a Tiger.

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“Tigger” :slight_smile:

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Thanks so much! If you don’t mind my asking, what did his ECs look like? Some applicants who say they got into Princeton have crazy achievements that put them on the national stage…it worries me because I don’t have the opportunity or time to be recognized on a large scale.

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@cellistem - First, you have to remember that the vast majority of college applicants to highly selective colleges DO NOT possess national and international achievements in their resume. In fact, two of my son’s local friends were admitted to Princeton just by being excellent students and being well-rounded. One had some state level math competitions but no wins and the other was a dancer with no major accomplishments in that area. Compare to these two, my son’s case is very different. He wasn’t as strong in academic achievements (but safely within range: 3.95 UW and 4.67 W GPA with SATII’s in mid 700s), but he’s a conservatory level violinist with state, national and a couple of minor international accomplishments. His other EC’s were: varsity tennis (co-capt and 1st singles), some state and national Taekwondo competition wins and a bunch of school club activities that he really enjoyed participating in just to be with his friends and some typical community volunteer works.

My advise to you is to continue to build on your most meaningful EC’s and make your application “purposeful,” consistent and coherent. You need to put together a personal case (LOR’s, EC’s, essays, interview) intertwining your passionate activities into a meaningful “package.” Good luck!

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To anyone reading this and wondering—I got into Princeton RD as well as Brown, Harvard, and Dartmouth. So I must’ve done something right or at least had a profound amount of luck!

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@cellistem - Congrats! That’s amazing. What’s your opinion about why you did so well with admissions? Have you made your decision yet? Best of luck to you.

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Thanks! The way I understand it is that three general groups of people are accepted into some of these top schools: 1) kids with national/international achievements that have put them on the world stage, 2) athletic/legacy admits, and 3) students with a pronounced character and passion. Since I don’t consider myself to fit the first two categories, I’m thinking it is most likely the third. My essay really spoke to who I am as a person and how I perceive the world, and I think admissions took note of that. (However, it’s possible that I’m wrong about that—I’m just guessing). Also, I’m 99% decided on Princeton.

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@cellistem

“Also, I’m 99% decided on Princeton.”

Mind sharing what made you decide on Princeton 99% over others?

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@TiggerDad definitely. My top choices were not much different in terms of academics (all clearly have superb professors, programs, etc.), in location (all in the Northeast), or financial aid (which was my top consideration). So for me, it was really about the campus atmosphere. At Princeton, everyone was so welcoming, and I genuinely felt that they were “my people.” At Brown, people were nice, but they were different—I didn’t feel I clicked with them. At Harvard, I got the impression that many students chose the school majorly for the fact that “it’s Harvard.” Princetonians and Brunonians seemed to be much more diehard when it came to their school.

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@cellistem
It is hard to compare enthusiasm among university graduates. However, I think that your observations are correct. One possible measure is alumni giving to the university. Virtually every year a higher percentage of Princeton alumni make a contribution to the university than any other university. This USNews article list Princeton number one in alumni percentage giving at 63%. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2016-10-18/10-universities-where-the-most-alumni-donate The latest stats I have seen show Harvard and Brown around 40%. (If some one has more recent data please update.) Here is an article from a current student saying that alumni enthusiasm should be a factor in deciding which university to attend. http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2018/04/reunions-are-forever I do believe that Princeton has more school spirit than other ivies. Good luck with your decision. You have great choices.