<p>I know that this letter may sound a bit trite and overdone. However seeing how I haven't been on CC since I've been accepted, I thought it would be nice to get some encouragement and thoughtful tidbits during this extremely stressful time of your life. The first piece of advice that I would give you is to not take many of other CC-ers' evaluations of your entire academic career too seriously. You must remember that the majority of other members of this forum is a high school student just like you. The people who will ultimately decide if you will be admitted, waitlisted, or rejected are those who have acquired degrees in various fields and have years upon years of experience. Not to mention, all the frenzy may drive you insane and senior year is already hectic as is (lol). No matter what anyone says on here, your fate does not rest in their hands. It is only in the hands of the admissions committee and God (for all you theists out there).</p>
<p>A lot of you have been stressing out about what to put on your applications. I have seen many people on here toil about what to put for their favorite word, movie, and quote. These sorts of things aren't supposed to be as difficult as say, an astrophysics lab report or problem set. More than anything, Princeton wants to see you as an individual. This is the part that is supposed to be a no-brainer. Allow your personality to shine! And for those you feel like a B will ruin their chances, trust me, it won't. I have had my share of B's in high school and I made it....so can you ;). Once again, do not let other CC-ers terrorize you. For those who feel worried about their chances about getting in because you didn't go to a private school, once again, I made it...and so can you ;). I went to a school where only 36% went to a four-year university. My school is number 270th out of 322 schools in the state. I didn't go to the Science Olympiad or Intel Science Search. I didn't get 700s on my SAT II Subject Tests either! But I still made it here.</p>
<p>I don't know if my letter has helped any of you but I hope it did. The best thing you can do now is enjoy the rest of your senior year, maintain or improve or gpa, eat, sleep, and pray. Where you will end up is where you are supposed to be. If you do make it here (because some of you will), I can definitely say that Princeton is a wonderful place to be. Even though grade deflation does kick your butt, Princeton definitely takes care of its own. Be encouraged. You have all worked hard and you will be seriously rewarded for your diligence. If any of you would like to send me a private message, I would gladly talk to you and answer any questions that you might have. Take care :-)</p>
<p>Thanks for the great post, but I feel that is exactly why people are worried. In competitive schools, that rank in the top 25%, say, of one’s state, it is rather difficult not to get stressed. Also, I think it gives one an advantage to come from a public school in which less than 50% go to four-year colleges - universities see that as a sort of minority status, and pick from a pool of the same type of applicants from low-performing schools. Obviously, it is much easier for those who show great promise in poorly-performing schools to get admitted than for students of the same promise, but from more competitive schools and most likely counties.</p>
<p>There is a very similar thread over on the Yale forums started by Wantstoleave. Both threads have this “don’t stress, scores don’t matter, accomplishments are overrated” tone. But the reality is that both OPs are URM (MorganSimone is African American and Wantstoleave is Hispanic.) As much as I admire their accomplishments and believe that they enrich their respective schools, it is simply not appropriate to conclude that their experiences can be generalized to the broad population of applicants. People with similar accomplishments, but different social contexts, have very low prospects for the fat envelope.</p>
<p>I never said that accomplishments and scores do not matter. They do in fact matter. The fact is that Princeton does not require that you have perfect scores and extracurriculars. And are you implying that my race discredits my take on Princeton and the application process? I am seriously offended by that. My ethnic identity does not eliminate all my hard work and effort. Furthermore, my race is something that I cannot change about myself. ALL of us have or had low prospects of getting into the school. We all have things working for and against us.</p>
<p>@UT84321: That was just what I meant when I referred to the low-performing schools. I didn’t even know anything about nationality but simply regarding school statistics it is logical that universities would use a different selection process for less competitive public schools schools. </p>
<p>@MoganSimone, I do not think the poster above was implying anything, or debasing your hard work. I think he was just stating the fact that it IS indeed more difficult for non-minority applicants to stand out, because of the simple fact that they are, well, non-minority (regardless of what race constitutes minority, it will be always hard for the non-minority. this isn’t something that should be taken personally).</p>
<p>No, I believe that UT84321 was pointing out that, as someone who was admitted with below-average stats, you are not in a very good place to generalize your personal admissions experience. The reality is that, indeed, many students are admitted with profiles that do not match those to which many CC’ers strive; but many applicants won’t have a reasonable chance unless they do achieve the “CC-expected” stats.</p>
<p>With that said, I agree that the best attitude seniors can take right now is one that eases stress, and I wish you the best of luck as you continue at Princeton.</p>
<p>So your “letter” basically sums up into two points:</p>
<ol>
<li>People on CC are wholly unqualified to make judgments.</li>
<li>If you can get into Princeton, anyone with half a brain can get into Princeton.</li>
</ol>
<p>And your “letter” in itself makes these two points self-evident, so what was the point?</p>
<p>Jeez, I think you guys are being far too cynical. I think she just wanted to relieve the minds of us over-stressing applicants. I don’t think she means to put any of us CCers under any delusions.</p>
<p>^What? An apology? The OP, as far as I can tell, doesn’t owe anyone an apology. She/he was trying (unsuccessfully) to ease the stress levels of kids applying to Princeton. I do not believe that she/he was playing any cards.</p>
<p>Absolutely she does not owe me an apology. I think her intent is truly to be helpful, and I couldn’t be more pleased that she is doing well at Princeton.</p>