Chances Please!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>I'm Korean and go to a fairly competitive (though not cutthroat) SoCal high school that sends a handful of students every year to Berkeley and UCLA and some (but rarely) to Ivies or top privates. I plan to major in business or economics if there is no undergrad business school.</p>

<p>Stats:
GPA: 3.9 UW; 4.4 W
Class Rank: 4/536
SAT: 2330 (770 M, 760 CR, 800 W); 2390 Superscore (800 M, 790 CR, 800 W)
SAT II: 800 U.S. History, 770 Math IIC, 750 Literature, 750 Biology
APs (took all available): World History (5), Biology (4), U.S. History (5), English Language & Composition (5), Chemistry (4)</p>

<p>Senior Schedule:
AP Physics
AP Calculus BC
AP English Literature
AP Government
AP Economics
French 3</p>

<p>ECs:
* Varsity Baseball (3 years; 1 year JV)
* Varsity Swimming (4 years)
* Key Club (4 years)</p>

<p>Volunteering:
* 250 hours at a big hospital (filing paperwork, mopping the floor, do-everything-guy, etc.)
* 50 hours at local public library (shelving books, checking out books, reading to young children)</p>

2

<p>Forgot to add:</p>

<p>Community College Courses:
Business Statistics (A)
Accounting 1 (A)
Accounting 2 (A)
Introduction to Business (A)</p>

3

<p>your grades and SAT's are good, but your EC's are sprase. Considering the high volume of people that apply to Princeton with (nearly) perfect grades and SAT's, I think your chances are somewhat hurt by your EC's. Just emphasize your community involvement, and hope for the best!</p>

4

<p>OK, here is the new version of my application with more ECs and volunteering. It's not because I omitted them on purpose the first time, but I just have so much going on right now that I'm just remembering them now after looking through my papers; most of the ECs and volunteering I listed before were right off the top of my head. </p>

<p>General:
Sex: Male
Race: Korean
Location: Southern California
High School: Fairly competitive but not cutthroat. The school sends a handful of students each year to UCLA and Berkeley but rarely ever to top Ivies.
Interests: Sports (listed below), guitar, mountain biking, traveling</p>

<p>Stats:
GPA: 3.9 UW; 4.45 W
Class Rank: 4/536
SAT: 2330 (770 M, 760 CR, 800 W); 2390 Superscore (800M, 790 CR, 800W)
SAT II: 800 U.S. History, 770 Math IIC, 750 Literature, 750 Biology
APs (took all available): World History (5), Biology (4), U.S. History (5), English Language & Composition (5), Chemistry (4)</p>

<p>Community College Courses:
Business Statistics - A
Accounting 1 - A
Accounting 2 - A
Introduction to Business - A</p>

<p>Senior Schedule:
AP Physics
AP Calculus BC
AP English Literature
AP Government
AP Economics
French 3</p>

<p>ECs:
* Varsity Baseball (3 years; 1 year JV)
* Varsity Swimming (4 years)
* Freshman Basketball (1 year)
* Key Club (4 years)
* Future Business Leaders of America (2 years)
* School Newspaper Editor (2 years)
* High School Assimilation Committee (assisting prospective middle school students get assimilated into the high school) (1 year)</p>

<p>Volunteering:
* 250 hours at a big hospital (filing paperwork, mopping the floor, do-everything-guy, etc.)
* 120 hours at local elementary school that I attended (helping out the preschool kids with their breakfast, reading books to them, etc.) [note: I never really did this for the purpose of putting it on my college application, because it was just something I loved to do and would help relieve stress.]
* 50 hours at local public library (shelving books, checking out books, reading to young children)
* 50 hours at blood bank (assisted in blood drives, distributed snacks and beverages, donated blood of my own)</p>

<p>Btw, do the community college courses get added onto my high school GPA? I was never really sure about this, but regardless I took those classes because I was genuinely interested in them.</p>

5

<p>I think you definitely have a shot--solid application, so focus on that essay. One thing I want to mention is that adding something like "freshman basketball" to your application might come off as overly-padding: they're not interested in something you just tried out, they want to know about the activities you're devoted to and passionate about. Also, community college courses should be included in your GPA, and they will be considered weighted courses.</p>

<p>I like your volunteering commitments. All 3 of my alumni interviewers (Chicago, Cornell, and Princeton) seemed to love the fact that I tutored elementary school children at the library, so I'm sure your activities will be considered similarly endearing.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

6

<p>I had no idea that the community college courses are added onto my weighted GPA. I guess that'll bring it up a notch.</p>

<p>As for the freshman basketball thing, it was something I loved to do and was committed in, but one of my other sports overlapped with it so I had to get rid of the sport that I was less talented in which happened to be basketball (though I wanted to keep getter better by continually playing).</p>

7

<p>everything looks great...but here's the downside (no offense or anything): you are a korean and your app looks VERY SIMILAR to many other korean or asian students. you need to highlight that you are a unique applicant (cuz usually ivies tend to like "special, exceptional (either academics, activities, etc) students." you can really show that through your ESSAYS. so dont worry about your profile...keep up the good work and focus on your essays then you are IN!</p>

8

<p>Your SAT's and GPA looks great, but your EC's are really ordinary...</p>

<p>I hate to say it but I don't think you're going to get into HYPSM schools unless you truly shine in your essays, interviews, and recs. And shining in those categories are really tough since everyone who's applying to top schools are pretty much all unique, interesting, bright, motivated kids.</p>

<p>I think you're more of a match at Cornell or Northwestern.</p>

9

<p>Yeah, I've been told that my app looks very similar to other competitive Korean applicants. Though I know it's hard to show just from looking at my app, I consider myself different from the rest in that I'm just not a one-sided hardcore studier. I try to as many different things as I can to make me well-rounded. I take both swimming and baseball very seriously and am very passionate about them. I know a lot of kids from other schools who just join the easiest sports team on their school (usually tennis where you can't get cut), but I realize that can be hard to see. Perhaps I should explain my passion for the sports in my essay?</p>

10

<p>Are you going to join a sport at Princeton?</p>

<p>If not then I don't see how your passion for sports will contribute to the Princeton community.</p>

11

<p>Actually I do plan to tryout for both swimming and baseball. Why do I sense such a strong feeling of negativity from you? I hope to prove you wrong and that I can get into a HYPSM.</p>

12

<p>Haha, no no. I just don't want you to be disappointed! Like everyone told me I'd get into Stanford and I got rejected EA, it was the worst feeling. Then everyone told me I wouldn't get into HYP and I got into Princeton - that's the greatest feeling!</p>

<p>I hope you prove me wrong too.</p>

<p>Good luck with everything. How come you aren't captain of either sports?</p>

13

<p>Yeah I guess that makes sense, but I felt kinda down when you told me the best place I could go is Cornell or Northwestern. </p>

<p>I guess I should've listed my positions because I just posted the general ECs I participate in. I am captain of the swimming team and co-captain of the baseball team. I've also been a cabinet member of the Key Club all four years, an honorary member of Future Business Leaders of America, and may end up becoming Editor in Chief of the school newspaper my senior year.</p>

<p>My number one is still Harvard, but Princeton and Stanford easily becomes my number two.</p>

14

<p>Hey I said "match"! Meaning those schools you're probably going to get into but you still have a shot at the upper ones!</p>