How much does freshman year matter for Ivy Leagues?

<p>I’m sorry you’re going through this and I know it has to be frustrating, but there’s other people (parents, counselors, teachers, any adult in your life) you should turn to if you seriously consider hurting yourself over something like this. I’m a stranger on the Internet and I’m not in any position to help you with that aspect of it, but you’re clearly intelligent enough to reason through the rest of it and I’m going to try to help you do that. </p>

<p>No matter what you do, you’re probably not going to get into Princeton. That’s the case for everybody and you’re placing way too much weight on Princeton. Even if somebody was going to get rejected, having a 94 instead of a 92 on their transcript would not be the difference between an acceptance and a rejection. You’re going to be a lot happier, both now and three years later when you’re receiving notifications from college, if you temper your expectations. Go ahead and apply to Princeton when it’s time, but recognize that it’s a longshot for everyone and that you can be happy and successful somewhere with less selective admissions. College admissions at top schools is a crapshoot at best. You have several years before you’re even going to begin applying to colleges, so work on enjoying it. Is it really worth trading your present happiness for a very slightly higher chance of going to one particular college? Yes, Princeton is great, but it’s not your only shot at a good life. The sooner you recognize that the better off you’re going to be. You should change your attitude about college and school in general because the way you’re approaching it now is only going to make you miserable. </p>