<p>Definitely apply. Don’t expect anything. I was rejected last year with a 2160 SAT despite having written what I honestly believe to be the best essay of my life, and I’m a good writer. My interview did not go well, though, so I don’t know how much weight that carries. My interviewer basically told me to go to Columbia, where I had been rejected ED. It was a painful moment. But yeah, just make sure all the other parts of your app are polished to the nth degree, and as long as all of the other objective factors match up it shouldn’t preclude you from admission.</p>
<p>My two cents.</p>
<p>If you are an unhooked applicant, you will want a 2000+/30+ to be considered for admission. If you are not above 2000+/30+, you will probably not even make it to committee unless you’re like valedictorian and have in-depth extracurriculars and well-written essays. Even then, you’ll probably be deferred/wait listed out of politeness to the school. </p>
<p>Once you’re in the 2100+/32+ range, your chances go up decently. I know a bunch of unhooked applicants who got in with high 2100 SAT scores. </p>
<p>Once you’re in the 2200-2290 or 33-34 range, your chances go up pretty strongly. Test scores in this range are average for Princeton and your academics won’t be a concern for admission.</p>
<p>If you’re in the 2300+/35+ range, you’re a competitive applicant for Princeton score wise. If everything else on your application is equally outstanding, you probably just need to cross your fingers and hope for the best. It’s a crapshoot at that point.</p>
<p>My explanations might be confusing… so basically here’s just how I see the scores and your chances. (This is my opinion and is not statistically valid and should be taken with a grain of salt)</p>
<p><2000: Significantly below average. You need to have a hook (athlete, significant legacy, significant URM status)
2000-2090: Fairly below average. You really need to be outstanding in other areas to have a chance.
2100-2190: Slightly below average. You need to be outstanding in other areas, but if you have other strong academic credentials, the SAT/ACT can typically be overlooked.</p>
<p>2200-2290: Average. You’re a competitive applicant and should focus on other areas of the application.</p>
<p>2300+ Slightly above average. You’re a fairly competitive applicant score wise and should focus on other areas of the application.</p>
<p>I agree with decillion’s analysis. </p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that overall acceptance rates for the unhooked are around 5%, so even above average chances are low.</p>
<p>are all applicants interviewed? What about internationals? Is interview a mandatory part of the selection process? When does one typically get notified about the interview for SCEA?</p>
<p>If there is no notification for interview yet, should the applicant get in touch with Princeton or ignore it?</p>
<p>
Can someone do this for someone that has a hook? :(</p>
<p>"Can someone do this for someone that has a hook? " There’s no magic formula. A “hooked” candidate gets an extra nudge. How large? Who can say? It’s not a scientific enterprise. It’s subjective.</p>
<p>It varies by hook, but for recruited athletes the standard threshold is 700s across the board in all SATs and SAT IIs, a little less for football.</p>
<p>I agree with T26E4.</p>
<p>I can try to provide some general assessments that are purely what I’ve observed over the years if that helps, but remember it’s very subjective. As you can see on the Princeton admissions stats, about four students were admitted with SAT scores between 1500-1690. A regular “hooked” applicant, (for example a standard URM or a basic legacy applicant) would never be admitted with these stats. In the same vein, a mid-level athletic recruit would also be academically unfit with these stats. So obviously someone who got into Princeton with a 1500-1690 SAT score must have had extremely, extremely compelling hooks, suggesting that a “hook” varies applicant to applicant in college admissions.</p>
<p>Here is my attempt to define the undefinable…</p>
<p>Athletic Hooks
High-level (best in country, for example, top of every coach’s list): 1700-1900 may suffice
Mid-level (nationally strong, in the middle of the coach’s list): 1900-2090 may suffice
Low-level (regionally strong, attend a school with strong athletic connections, bottom of the coach’s list): 2100 and above would also suffice.</p>
<p>Keep in mind every team needs to have an average Academic Index (which factors in SAT scores) that are within one standard deviation of the entire class’ mean. So the “weaker” a recruit you are, you will still need decent academic stats to balance out the “superior” recruits, with lower academic stats. This is also assuming that academics and athletics are inversely related, which is not true across the board. For example, a few years ago, one of the best rowers in the country was recruited by HYP, and his academic stats were strong enough that he might have gotten in without any athletic hooks. </p>
<p>URM Hooks
Most Desirable URM - Native Americans (legit ones, with certification, not “1/4, 1/8, 1/16” affiliations) - 1700/1800+
Strongly Desirable URM - African Americans, Hispanic students (Like from Mexico, Puerto Rico) - 1900/2000+
Desirable URM - Hispanic Students( Like from Argentina/Chile/Spain/Portugal) - 2000/2100+</p>
<p>Legacy Hooks
Board of Trustees/Building Donation/President’s Children - 1850/1900+ (although admission is pretty much guaranteed at this point unless you’ve committed crimes or been expelled)
Multiple Generational Legacy - 2000/2050+
Single/Double Parental Legacy - 2100/2150+</p>
<p>Other Misc. Boosts/Mini-Hooks
Preparatory/Feeder School
Faculty Brat
Princeton Humanities Symposium
Local Student (can only be considered a little nudge if you make use of resources, familiarize yourself with the school and its philosophy, take classes at Princeton, etc.)
NIH, RSI, TASP, etc.
New Jersey Governor’s School (in the Sciences or Engineering)
New Jersey Scholars Program (along with NJ Governor’s School, both programs carry clout because they distinguish you from a very competitive NJ applicant pool. Anything similar in other states might help, although most governor’s schools/state-run programs are not nearly as legitimate or competitive as the NJ ones)</p>
<p>
Exactly. For that matter, college admissions in general is subjective. SAT scores are taken as part of a holistic view of the entire applicant. I’m only providing these “guidelines” to give you an idea of my opinions and anecdotal evidence. It’s not scientific. It’s not guaranteed. It’s not accurate. As long as your academics across the board (SATs, SAT IIs, GPA, course rigor, teacher evaluations, school reputation and difficulty, AP tests, academic awards) are strong overall, then you should stop being concerned. Even though Princeton weights test scores somewhat more than its peer institutions, it still emphasizes holistic admissions.</p>
<p>
This analysis betrays a lack of understanding of how Princeton athletic recruiting works. While my earlier post about the threshold of across the board 700s was overly simplistic, the recruiting process, while somewhat complicated, isn’t mysterious at all, and the idea of grouping applicants by these levels is flat out wrong.</p>
<p>“Regional strength” is meaningless. Consider rowing, swimming, or track. Being Alaska or New Jersey state champion means nothing. For these and any other objectively measurable sports, only objective criteria matter, as does academic admissability, determined primarily by the Academic Index. [Academic</a> Index3 - College Confidential](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/academic_index3.htm]Academic”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/academic_index3.htm)</p>
<p>To put it simply, each coach will try to assemble the best group of athletes available for their team. When my son was being recruited the P coach told me he looks at the national rankings and knows that of the top 50 kids, only 5 or so will have the academic stats to pass P muster. All the Ivy coaches will then go after those five kids, and some will have to go further down the rankings as well. But those five kids get to choose where they go.</p>
<p>And that’s where the athletic “hook” is fundamentally different than legacy or URM. Athletes have an advocate. Assuming a recruited athlete is academically qualified, it isn’t that their “chances” are doubled or tripled; they are assured. When the athlete submits his/her app and informally and unofficially “commits” to the coach, the coach submits a writeup on the kid to admissions explaining why they want them, and there is a fairly streamlined process to insure that every academically qualified supported recruit is admitted. Typically a likely letter comes pretty quickly, often in October.</p>
<p>700s across the board is a general rule but not an absolute floor for any sport, and the helmet sports definitely have a lower threshold.</p>
<p>
Thanks for pointing this out. The myth of the bonehead athlete has <em>some</em> validity, much to the annoyance of the academically strong athletes (and their parents).</p>