My son, a Chinese boy with green card, a rising senior attending very highly ranked public high school in New Jersey. I just wonder if he have a shot at getting in Princeton? My English is not good. Basically my is on his own in his study and college application. Your advice will be greatly appreciated.
Stats:
SAT: 1560 with 6/5/6 essay
SAT II: Math II 800, Physics 800
Weighted GPA: 4.69, UW GPA: 4.0
-AP Chem (5)
-AP English 11 (4)
-AP Calc BC (5)
-AP Comp Sci (5)
-AP Physics 1?(5)
EC:
National medalist in two events (Material Science, Optics) in Science Olympiad 2017 National Tournament
United States of America Physics Olympiad Gold Medalist in 2018
Competed in AAPT PhysicsBowl and placed 7th in the nation in 2018
Won two 1st place medals(Chemistry Lab, Optics) and a 3rd place medal (Material Science) in 2018 Science Olympiad State Tournament
No one can really chance your son. Make sure your son has a good essay and know why he wants to apply to each school. A generic “why XXX” is not going to help at all. Personally I think if your son decide to do ED on UChicago, he would have a good chance to get in. No ECs outside academics and competition is shown. What can he bring to contribute to the school?
Trying to get into Princeton (or Harvard, Yale, etc.) is like playing the lottery - even if you are an excellent student, like your son. Yes, he has a chance, but it’s very small. You as his parent need to make sure he applies to several other schools, including those where his grades/scores will get him in with no problem. On this forum we call those schools “safeties.”
@markcheng gpa, course rigor and test scores are great. Your son’s academic ECs are very noteworthy and impressive.
Being Asian is tough, lots of competitors as Princeton tries to make a diverse class.
One possible problem is that I don’t see any volunteer hours orcommunity-based ECs, Princeton likes to see students that positively impact their community in some way. So, community service and his essays / LoRs will be important to round out his application.
He was a camp instructor for Science Olympiad Summer Camp in 2017 and 2018. He was also a volunteer in Chinese Sunday School for two years and he did some other volunteer service.
@markcheng : If your son can register a course at Princeton and do well, it will certainly help (but no guarantee). Your son’s profile is better suited for MIT/CIT/etc. He has no research experience other than competitions. No commitment to anything other than competitions. Schools which focus on high stats would love to have him. Choose an ED will boost his chances.
@markcheng Your son has strong academic credentials for admission to Princeton. The Princeton Admission Office rates all applicants on their academic potential and on their extracurricular activities. The extracurricular activities include music performance, athletics, theatre, community service, jobs, etc. To have a complete college experience most students want to attend student symphonies, listen to a cappella singing groups, watch athletic events, etc. You can learn more about the admission process by watching these YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/PrincetonAdmission
There are several steps your son can take to improve his admission chance.
If you have not visited the Princeton campus you should visit ASAP. All universities want to admit those students that have demonstrated interest in their university.
Admission rates are higher for students that apply Early Decision (ED). While the Admission Office says there is no advantage to applying ED the higher admission rates for ED suggest that your son should definitely apply ED to his first choice university.
Your son should ask his teachers for Letters of Recommendation in September. You want to ensure that the teachers have time to write a thoughtful and complete Letter of Recommendation.
Since you live in New Jersey you have the opportunity to visit the campus multiple times to learn more about the university. See: https://www.princeton.edu/events for public events that might be of interest. While most science education events at PPPL are held in the spring check https://www.pppl.gov/events/calendar for public events that might interest your son.
Your son will have the opportunity to have an interview by a local alumnus. Generally, the interview reports are read by the Admission Office but the report is not an important factor for admission. However, the interview is an opportunity for your son to show that he has knowledge of the math, physics, and chemistry departments at Princeton and clearly state why he would like to attend Princeton.
The essay can be important. Princeton admits students that demonstrate a passion for something. Some students gain an edge because of their commitment to music performance or public service. Your son seems to have a passion for physics. Is he interested in astrophysics, particle physics, string theory, etc? Your son should have someone read his essays for clarity.