international for princeton!!

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>international applying to ivys, primarily princeton
need financial aid, but only applying to schools that are need-blind</p>

<p>im applying to harvard and yale too, but only because i can... my best chances are still going to be in princeton since i have been auditing lectures here the whole fall 09 term (also wrote a philoshophy paper that earned me a B and a note from the professor, saying that he hopes to see me back next fall <em>blush</em> ^^), plus my dad is an assistant professor here.
since my sat scores came out today i wanted to ask for your opinions about my chances at princeton university</p>

<p>native language german (also speak french, bit of italian)
sat: CR 680, M 580; W 700, essay 9 (first time, i really didn´t know what to expect; i am retaking in january, all scores should be over 700 then - btw what if they are not???!! is it ok to have one in the 650s, 660s)
sat2s: not yet taken, but i do expect around 750 (want to do them in world history and latin; btw would it be an advantage to do us history too? like showing i am really trying to get to know the country and its culture ^^ (what i do!)
toefl: 110/120 (iBt)
we don´t have any honors or ap classes in austria, all our courses weigh the same, plus we take 13 subjects each year. my leaving transcript from my matura (exams after which you are allowed to go to univesity): A, A, A, A, C (guess where... ah, right in math)
so gpa would be 3.7 (using the 4-A, 3-B, etc) scale</p>

<p>extracurriculars are pretty outstanding (i was told, i would never say sth like that myself!), but probably not the usual stuff: i have been politically active since 14, chaired a student´s organisation (nationwide) that organized the first viennese student´s parliament (in the actual parliament building ^^);
founding member of two political clubs that organize street performances, workshops, etc in order to sensitize the public for intolerance (anit-racism, anti-sexism orientated projects)
i have organized a 4000 visitors music festival in summer 2009 as a charity event for an austrian refugee iinitiative
an exchange semester in manchester, uk
student´s counsil etc
2nd in national snowboard championship (would be the equivalent to the varsity team i think, even if training is only a few times per year)
1st in viennese women´s soccer championship
3rd in Viennese badminton championship
artist, i paint, draw and take photographs. princeton students told me to definitely send the arts supplement</p>

<p>my essays are said to be amazing (one dealing with my experience in manchester, the other being a bit scurrile, about philosophers that inspired me the most)
as one might get from my ecs i want to major in politics, philosophy and religion (so far)
also interested in women´s and gender studies, teacher preparation
oh yh teacher recs are awesome!! (i couldnt believe it myself, they really like me^^)</p>

<p>so sorry for the long post, i don´t know what else to include, and so i stop
THANK YOU so much for doing yet another annoying chancing threat</p>

<p>ps I WILL DEFINITELY TRY TO CHANCE YOU BACK (if i can, but i only know enough about princeton and yale...)
pps i am sorry but when you say high reach etc could one of you include what it means (sorry, im just terribly confused XP thanks!)</p>

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<p>bumpp
people pleassse, where if not here would somebody tell me about my chances?? how come that everbody else gets an answer… if i can do anything for you (give my opinion, chances, ANYTHING) i will deffo do it!!!</p>

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<p>Hey </p>

<p>I’m an international from Germany with a very similar background (SATs better, GPA worse, comparable ECs - though thats definition) so I’ll try to tell you a bit about my opinion of “our” chances.</p>

<p>The test scores are weak (so are mine…) and the GPA is nothing special (might even hurt). While the ECs are great by national standards, the international competition for the ivy league is brutal.
Since you’re also active in student-politics you probably too have met some of the outstanding people that are in the applicant pool (you know those 17yr old nigerians who come from the slum to rid the world of nukes?). Point is: Every genius kid on earth does the whole HYPSM/Oxbridge thing. They get tons of applicants who have done amazing things (just as you) and each of them would be a great asset to any campus. However admission statistics tell us that from that large pool of potential only very few cherrys are being picked (for the coming year probs not above 5% acc rate). The one who who can add a brilliant academic resume to their ECs. </p>

<p>So try to find great schools that will put large emphasis on your ECs and who dont have such a murderous international applicant pool, schools who look for more outstanding individuals and might overlook a slight ditch in your profile.
Many LACs come to mind: Reed, Middlebury, Hamilton, Wash&Lee. Such institutions will probably even offer you a more personal package (FA and bonus wise). </p>

<p>Your profile is very strong, but Ivys for internationals are always a far stretch. Sill, every other institution that is right in its mind will accept you instantly. So look beyond the standard hand full of prestigue institutions.</p>

<p>PS: Also maybe look at some asian colleges or unis in non traditional countries. I got some amazing offers from around the world and the admission credentials are pretty low. They look for international talent and often offer state of the arts sorroundings.3</p>

<p>Greets
Tobi</p>

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<p>wow thanks, what an amazingly toughful post… the thing is, i did never plan to go anywhere else to university, than in vienna, aut (i mean i did plan to travel and have exchange years and stuff, but not applying as a regular student)
i have come here to princeton to visit my family (since my dad is an assistant my three siblings and my mom moved too) and i just fell in love with princeton. i have been auditing lectures, the professors here are soooo aewsome (lol when you compare the professor/student stats you see why: university of vienna 1/160, princeton 1/4!!!) the campus is beautiful (in austria, there is no campus housing at all), and another thing: here you can hang around two years, studying whatever you find interesting rather than being bound to your decision like in austria.
there are a few other things, but just to give you an idea of my situation. I don´t necessarily want to study in the US, i just want to go to princeton ^^
i know you are absolutely right, but trying doesn´t hurt anyone, right?
(plus i am confident that i will be able to raise my sat scores in january)
but thanks for your post, and i hope you are successful wherever you are applying to/ you already are??</p>

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<p>bumpp again… how come that everyone else get chanced and i don´t :(</p>

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<p>b/c most people provide links to their chances thread after they chance another person</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/816397-chance-me-i-really-hope-you-dont-know-me-2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/816397-chance-me-i-really-hope-you-dont-know-me-2.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>As an international, scores are pretty weak. They might overlook a weak CR or Essay since english probably isn’t your first language, but Math is a universal language, so that hurts. Take them again fi you have a chance. Anyway, it’s worth a try–you’ll never get in unless you apply. good luck!!</p>

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<p>sorry but if you have been taught the math that i have been, you wouldn´t get your 800 so easy… it´s frieking hard to suddenly adjust to questions like this when you have been concentrating on completely different things (for example, in my school, it was never that important to get the answer right- you could get a good mark if you had the way right- a little calculating mistake was no problem)
plus, i had to study vocabulary for the math section… but of course, no point explaining it. it´s just that on cc everyone seems to think that the sats are not that hard- but if you have been going to school in a system that different, it is A LOT of work. you basically have to start from scratch. but thanks for chancing…</p>

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<p>get the scores up and I think you have a great chance at Princeton! 2200+ would give you a chance and 2250+ would make you competitive.</p>

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<p>As the child of a Princeton professor, you have a solid chance of getting in. Are you going to Princeton HS, or one of the local private schools? As I understand it, Princeton HS has two tracks – if you are in the more competitive one with the other prof kids, you will do well. Although I don’t know the current stats, four years ago 22 students from PHS were accepted to Princeton – about 18 of them were children of professors. Many more prof kids came from PDS, Lawrenceville, and Stuart.</p>

<p>That said, Princeton won’t admit you if they feel you cannot do the work. If you haven’t already, ask that professor to write a letter about your work in his class to send to admissions.</p>

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<p>i graduated from high school last june (yh, i lived on my own for a yr while my parents were here) in vienna, not in princeton (a reason for my weak grades, honestly your schools are way easier than mine was…) thanks for the stats tho ^^
yh, i will ask him, he told me in a note attached to my paper, that he would very much like to see me back next year, so i think it´ll be a good idea (i am 100% confident that i can manage the work here- the system here seems to be made for someone like me)
thanks for all the responses…
are there any other people out there that want to give me a chance??</p>

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<p>hi thanks for chancing me!
The fact that you’re so connected to princeton is a huge plus! But your SATs and GPA for an international student aren’t great. The international application pool is so tough bc everyone who would even think of applying is brilliant! Princeton is big on legacy so i think you have a shot at Princeton, Harvard/Yale not as much. I believe Princeton will either look at your application and see how connected you are to Princeton and accept you or they will compare you to their international applications and deny. But im leaning more towards acceptance just because you’re more than just a international student you have some roots here! best of luck</p>

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<p>thanks for chancing me back, i appreciate it ^^ i SO hope you are right, i love it here. but i’ll deffo try to increase my sat (it was the first time sitting it, and i had basically not much of an idea what to expect…) let’s hope, the january results reach them in time ><</p>

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<p>Yeah, I’m not saying anything new when I say you should bring up your test scores. But you should also consider other schools, too. Maybe Brown? They have excellent philosophy, religion, and political departments, and it’s situated right next to one of the best art schools in the world (where you can take classes for free if you want) - I mention that because you said you paint/draw/photograph. You might have a chance there, too. But your legacy at Princeton will be an asset there.</p>

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<p>i can´t afford tuition for brown… they only offer loans, and i really don´t want to be in debt when i graduate - i always have the safety of going to my uni in vienna; it´s free and i don´t have to apply. so it´s more like princeton or vienna ^^ thanks for all the reaction, i am working hard on my sats ^^</p>

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<p>Though the international applicant pook is tough, you are definitely competitive. You should think about applying to more Ivies as well for you have a great shot :-).</p>

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<p>ok, thanks sooo much to all those who replied, it is very appreciated…
any other advice??? thank you!!</p>

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<p>bumpedibumpbump</p>