This is really between you and your parents. Evidently, your parents make substantial income to disqualify you to get financial aid, and Princeton is one of the most generous in the country.
^^err, duh, I think that goes without saying, but she seems to want to talk it out^^
What my question boils down to is…what connections can I get as a result of an alma mater
ick, now you are just sounding gross/crude/grasping. People who you may want to make connections to know well to shy away from users and other hanger on’s type. You go to Princeton to be the sort of person other’s will want to be connected to. Sorry but no one can answer this question. If you are the type to put people off you may not make many. I think it has already been well explained that Princeton is a highly connected network.
'm also wondering if everything that was said here about Princeton would also apply to say, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Duke, etc?
Yes much of the benefits for your situation will be available. Princeton is sort of that on steroids. But Yale and Princeton give the best financial aid so the others will likely be not quite as good if you get any. You still haven’t said if you ran the NPC. But picking a college is also a matter of fit, so some people don’t apply to all the Ivy colleges for instance because they pick the ones they want to be at the most.
And don’t listen to post #2, a HS student who obviously can’t fathom what $100K really is… LOL. Nice to dispense tuition advice when still living w/mom and pops.
IMO, opinion, P and Y, stand by themselves, with the other schools you have listed…
According to the Daily Princetonian, no one from South Dakota was offered early admission this year.
@midatlmom Thanks for your advice!
@lefthandofdog I’m not from South Dakota (though I’m geographically close) but I don’t want to be personally identifiable on these threads.
Another question that is related…
Do students find themselves struggling at Princeton and the other ivies? I’m afraid of feeling like I’m at the bottom of the class. The actual curriculum shouldn’t be harder compared to most schools right?
Also, I’ve heard that GPA doesn’t really matter? Is this true? (I’m not planning on going to med school or law school).
GPA is important for grad school and potentially for employment after graduation, however a 4.0 is certainly not required to be competitive to most programs or choice of jobs. My son had that “bottom of the class” feeling for the first few semesters at Princeton but he worked hard, went to office hours (and tutoring when needed) and now finds himself at the top of his department as a senior. Some of the choices of concentration are in fact extremely difficult and demanding (integrated science, engineering, math, HUM sequence etc) but if you gain acceptance to Princeton you have what it takes to succeed. Time management and hard work go a long way at the college level.