<p>My mom is really pushing me to try for Princeton, and I doubt they'll even look at me. "But you have so much to offer!" she says as she looks up teary eyed from the poem I wrote for her. I think she's just being a good mom, but seriously, what are my chances? I have always this thing for Brown, but I feel alot of doubt there too... Can anyone tell me if this is a reasonable thing to try for?</p>
<p>I am a homeschool senior (will be a senior) who doesn't get out much so I have no volunteer work, but I do want to look into that over the summer. My SAT score is pretty low, but I'm hooding to bring it up. Right now it's a 1710 composite. I don't do regular courses because of how I set up my education, but I read everything in sight like it's the last book on earth and those books are all college course level. I write daily, but I've never done anything with it... Could a convincing college essay overcome the lapses everywhere else?</p>
<p>There are actually quite a few homeschoolers here, but typically I think that extracurricular s / solid test scores matter a lot in those cases. =/</p>
<p>That would certainly make sense. If I can raise the tests scores (which I am confident that I can) how much will the extracurriculars matter? If if do volunteer work at the hospital (which should promptly lead to a job at the hospital) will they expect more?</p>
<p>But, if I even did that and brought my score up to 2200, would I have a chance with a nicely written essay? How much are the extracurriculars weighted?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I also feel like SATs of 2200+ would definitely be necessary for you (though possibly doable – it’s partly just a matter of learning how to take the test). Did you take any AP tests or other standardized tests (SAT II’s?) previously to demonstrate what you’ve learned? Otherwise, I think your best bet would be to talk up your passion for writing; informal activities can work really well for you too. But yeah, extracurriculars matter in the sense that they show what you’re interested in and what you’re good at, particularly in lieu of a transcript.</p>
<p>I feel like it’s not so much a matter of “checking off boxes,” so to speak (oh, I have to volunteer, take 20 APs, etc) but showing how you stand out relative to your peers, demonstrating your ability to handle the workload, and having a particular trait that would make you a cool person to have on campus.</p>
<p>ETA: Also I should add that by no means am I an expert on this…</p>
<p>Is there a reason your mom thinks Princeton would be a good fit? What do you think? Whatever you decide to do, you’ll want to have a variety of schools on your list, including several safeties.</p>
<p>As a reference point, my son was homeschooled and accepted into Princeton. Here are his general stats:</p>
<p>SAT I 2320
SAT II Math II 800, Physics 800, Literature 730
AP exams in math,physics: 5,5,5,5,4</p>
<p>GPA: 4.0/4.84</p>
<p>About 55 units of community college</p>
<p>Tons of ECs including national level awards/honors in physics, math, and chess</p>
<p>Lots of music, teaching, performing (for pay and for service)</p>
<p>Graduate level physics research since last summer</p>
<p>Work part time since age 14</p>
<p>1/2 Puerto Rican</p>
<p>I do know of at least one other homeschool admitted but don’t know his/her stats.</p>
<p>Yes, you would have a chance with a 2200+ SAT. That kind of score isn’t immediately ignored. Then your essays and other aspects will be seriously evaluated.</p>
<p>Sorry to say this but of current home schooled students that I know of, I’m pretty sure Princeton is especially strict regarding standardized testing requirements for home schooled applicants. I mean, why wouldn’t they? The only way they really know if you’re able to handle rigorous material in college is through the standardized tests you take; they have no idea about the reputation of your home schooling program. I know of two current students who were home schooled, and they both scored in the 2300s, had more than five 5’s, and had well developed resumes and passions despite their lack of formal education. And, I don’t know if this is at all relevant or helpful to you, both find the Princeton coursework to be extremely demanding (it is for everyone, but they are struggling more for whatever reason) and have below 3.0 GPAs. So consider that as you may.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars are half of an applicant’s score at Princeton. Bear in mind that the extracurricular record has to be stellar - being president of the high school class is no big deal, if that’s the only thing an applicant has.</p>
<p>A more significant extracurricular would be having organized a relief effort involving 75 kids after a flood. </p>
<p>Competition is tough, and most valedictorians get turned down, and many kids with perfect SAT’s get turned as well. Unfortunately, it takes a tremendous academic and non-academic record to get past admissions – as an alumni interviewer, I’ve interviewed very good kids who get turned down. There’s simply too many applicants these days.</p>
<p>One of the few kids I’ve interviewed who did get in was valedictorian of her little country school (class of 70), had SAT’s of 780/800, had started the school’s peer counseling program and the snowboarding club, was all-state in soccer (but not an Ivy league caliber player) and had started up some other activity. She was also accepted at Harvard and the other schools to which she applied, but that was 10 years ago, when there were fewer applicants at these schools.</p>