I'm applying to Princeton :)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>Regular decision CHANCES!</p>

<p>Background:</p>

<p>Asian in CA. School ranked 8, 8 in CA with api score of ~750
Socioeconomic Status: around 20k per year & 1st generation college-bound</p>

<p>Academics:
GPA: 4.0 (unweighted)
about 4.5 (weighted)
Class Rank: 2/380
PSAT: 156 (sophomore)</p>

<p>SATI:
Combined SAT Is = M790, CR800, W710 = 2300
1st time = M710, CR 640, W650 = 2000
2nd time = M790, CR 670, W660 = 2120
3rd time = M690, CR 800, W710 = 2200</p>

<p>SATII:
World History 800
United States History 790
Physics 750</p>

<p>Will take Math IIC in Dec</p>

<p>AP exams:
AP World History = 5
AP Calculus AB = 5
AP US History = 5
AP EnvSci = 5
AP Physics = 4
AP English Language & Composition = 3</p>

<p>Major: Sociology</p>

<p>ECs:
JV Badminton - 1 year
JV Tennis - 1 year
Science Olympiad (co-captain - 1 yr) - 4 years
American Red Cross club (president - 1 yr) - 3 years
50 hours of community service
Marketing internship over summer
California Scholarship Federation (treasurer - 1 yr) - 4 years
NHS - 2 years</p>

<p>Awards:
3 Science Olympiad regional medals
AP scholar with distinction
Physics Student of the year
Questbridge Finalist (trying to match to Princeton)</p>

<p>Other:
Essays & recommendations are solid</p>

<p>1 AP class sophmore year: AP World History
5 in junior year: AP Calc AB, AP English Lang, AP Physics B, AP Enviro Sci, AP US History
4 in senior year: AP Calc BC, AP Stats, AP Government, AP Biology</p>

<p>To people who took the time to look and comment, THANKS!</p>

2

<p>fellow questbridge princeton applicant?</p>

<p>bad news....it seems every freakin questbridge finalists are applying to princeton.</p>

3

<p>Hey averageazn. I'm a current Pton freshman. I normally don't like to post on chances threads. Honestly, I don't believe that it's possible, to predict anyone's chances with any significant degree of accuracy. I will say, given your stats that you are formidable competition. Keep in mind that the RD admission cycle is harsh! I applied RD to Pton last year. The RD acceptance rate was a mere 7.8%! Even if you are qualified enough, chances are, unless you distinguish yourself in your application by writing a truly memorable and compelling essay, and have a successful interview (and glowing rec. letters from teachers/counselors); your great stats just won't cut it. Just keep working hard this year. Applying RD allows you to further embellish your stats. Another good tip would be for you to foster good friendships with your recommendation writers. Otherwise, you can start getting to know new teachers better. The key is not to feel so accomplished that you don't keep working to improve yourself. I hope my few tips will go a long way with you. I wish you the best of luck. If you have any more questions, PM me anytime.</p>

<p>-Jon :)</p>

4

<p>Why does everyone always capitalize the word 'chances' when they post these sorts of threads? I've seen this at least three or four times now while browsing these forms. </p>

<p>RD is pretty harsh and stats like yours, while very very impressive, are pretty common on all Princeton applications. Good luck though.</p>

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<p>Jon, do you think the chance of getting in is still higher with ED even when you are not a legacy or recruited atheletic?</p>

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<p>The ED pool is rather self-selected (and unsurprisingly so). There you will find la crème de la crème of Ivy League applicants. Even though the ED acceptance rate is significantly higher, it must be noted that the applicants vying for the limited spots are almost all insanely awesome (to much more of a degree than the RD pool applicants). In case you are not aware, Princeton is doing away with ED. After all, "eliminating ED helps prevent premature matriculation."* ;) So does applying ED raise your chances overall? It probably does but to a very negligible amount. If you don’t think you’re on par with the rest of the ED applicants, it’s always wiser to wait and apply RD (that way you have time to embellish your credentials). </p>

<p>For more advice or</p>

<p>*for some more AWESOME Princeton football halftime show humor</p>

<p>Feel free to PM me.</p>

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<p>Haha, APD, I would love to here the whole story on that one!
Ah, the sophisticated wit of Princeton...;)</p>

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<p>Btlesgirl, I'll PM you with the most current page of our halftime announcer's witty repertoire! You'll die laughing at the halftime show announcement for the Princeton/Columbia game (which I referred to in my last post). :D I'm glad you're intrigued!</p>

<p>Btw, anyone else interested in some hilarious Princeton humor need only PM me with a request and I'll send some your way. ;)</p>

9

<p>I just wanted to add one last thing:</p>

<p>In my essays I wrote about the hardships I had experienced and what I learned from them, and how these experiences shaped my outlook. I only had really one essay that was devoted to my interest, which is Science Olympiad. However, in my personal statement I wrote about a very important activity, which I wouldn't categorize as an EC, that I do with my family.</p>

<p>Thanks for the (cough* relevant) comments above :)</p>