Freshman Year=Not Important To Princeton????

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
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<p>OK, Princeton has been my dream school for like my entire life. However, I recently learned that Princeton deosn't count Freshman grades. Can anyone confirm this???</p>

<p>The thing is I did really good my Freshman year in terms of grades, but then things dipped my sophomore year. I took some AP classes and thus worked hard, struggled in them, etc. Here's where things stand right now, just in terms of grades mind you!!!</p>

<p>Freshman Year(UW 4.0 GPA)</p>

<p>Debate and Forensics-A
Geometry-A
Alg. 2 Enr.-A
Biology 1-A
Chemistry 1-A
9th Grade Adv. Eng.-A
9th Grade US Hist.-A
Spanish 2-A</p>

<p>Summer: Pre Calc. Enr.-B or Pass(have to choose)</p>

<p>Sophomore Year(~UW 3.63 GPA)Note:X/X represents 1st sem./2nd sem. grade in AP Class</p>

<p>AP Calculus(AB)-B/B
AP Chem-B/A
10th Grade Adv. Eng.-A
Spanish 3-A
Spanish 4-A
Physics 1-A</p>

<p>Summer: Civics and Econ.-A</p>

<p>Cumulative UW GPA thus far: 3.83(school doesn't weight or inflate GPA's)</p>

<p>I got a 4 on the AP Chem test and a 5 on the AP Calc AB test if that helps any, though I doubt decent AP scores make up for bad grades like B's. I just hope P'ton acknowledges the fact that i challenged myself instead of not t aking the AP classes and securing easy A's like most of the smart kids in our grade did. Also, our school doesn't weight GPA's or give out a class rank(sad I know!!).</p>

<p>BTW, next year I am taking 5 AP's next year(US, Euro, BC Calc, Lang, and Physics C), so if I get mostly A's in my classes junior year, save maybe 1 or 2 B's, would my grades at the least acceptable to Princeton so they can look at the rest of my application??? How many B's is too many B's for Princeton??? Everyone says good grades are vital but I think the term "good grades" is quite arbitrary, so I would like some more specific info or numbers.</p>

<p>I would really appreciate some feedback regarding my grades situation from Princeton alumni/current students/incoming students who know a lot about Princeton admissions like Hobbes, zante, shrek, etc.</p>

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<p>Yea, Princeton doesn't really count freshman year, but if you did well its not that it didnt matter. Princeton will still see what classes you took and what marks you got, but if you happened to get Bs freshmen year or mess up a bit (maybe 1 C), they dont hold it against you. I would say your grades arent bad at all. I had 2 Bs on my transcript and my friend the year before me had 4. They will take into account the classes you took and what classes you got the Bs in. Seeing that you got Bs in AP classes, and did very well on the AP test just lets them know that you had a very rigorous teacher. Keep in mind that not everyone at Princeton is the fabled "perfect student." Many people every year get in with a number of B's. I dont think there is really a maximum number of Bs you can get until they say "oh thats too many Bs." but in your case, 2 Bs, or 3, really isnt going to matter. If you got 3 or 4 or 5 more, it might make more of a difference. Just aim a little higher. I know getting my 2 Bs sophomore year made me more determined junior year (the more important year) to get straight As. Looking at your junior schedule, you seem to be on the right track. good luck.</p>

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<p>That's awesome, I had 2 Bs first semester freshman year (in honors english and honors algebra 2) before I realized I had to pay attention in class and do homework sometimes....</p>