<p>Is it true that pretty much the only way to get accepted at Princeton is to be ranked nationally in something other than grades?</p>
<p>I have yet to hear of someone who got into Princeton who wasn't ranked nationally in something other than grades.</p>
<p>What do you mean "nationally ranked?" My kid got in to P based on the usual good grades SAT ECs. He did well on some national Latin exam, but did not win the Nobel Prize or anything.</p>
<p>Hey I got in and I'm smart, but far from nationally ranked in anything. Relax.</p>
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<p>You just proved my point. :)</p>
<p>That was just a test. Multiple choice. Not some competition.</p>
<p>You do not need to be nationally ranked to get into Princeton. I got into Princeton, and I have never ranked nationally in anything (And I am not a legacy, an URM, or the daughter of someone who's donated a building).</p>
<p>QED</p>
<p>Okay sunshine...</p>
<p>What do you think your hook was?</p>
<p>I got in by having really high grades in the most rigorous courses, doing really well on standardized tests, having some personal factors, research experience, being first gen to college, and having a lot of part time jobs.</p>
<p>I'm very far from nationally ranked in anything. I'm not even state ranked in anything--heck, I'm not even locally ranked. My best award was when my trumpet section (of which I am the lead trumpet and a prominent soloist) won an award for best trumpet section at a jazz festival with 21 bands from around the state of Florida, and I didn't even put that on my application since it happened in March or so. I'm also a national merit finalist, if that counts as nationally ranked, though it's kind of just a high SAT score.</p>
<p>I did very well in the most challenging courses my school offered (3.91 UW), tried my hand at some independent study courses (calculus AB, physics C), and was extremely committed to my school's music program (marching band, concert band, jazz band, music honor society). I was also on the academic team for four years, president of the math team, and volunteered by tutoring elementary school children--most of them children of immigrants who can't help them (like me!). I've been told extremely good things about how I write, so I imagine my essays were a notable part of it, and everyone seems to apparently love the fact that I tutor. My letters of recommendation were fantastic and my interview went very well. However, I am an URM and first-generation college student. Not sure how much of an influence those would have--it seems like the latter has a notable one, since we have markedly less opportunities with parents who don't understand the system.</p>
<p>Anyway, the advice given earlier sounds spot-on to me: you only need to be in a certain range with test scores and GPA, and it's important that you always challenge yourself academically. Other than that, you just need to have something special about you that shows your strong character, passion, and ability to succeed.</p>
<p>I got in by having good grades, good ECs, skipping ahead a course or two in public HS, doing summer programs in an area I was very interested in, and Governor's School of NJ. That was pretty much it.</p>
<p>Lol I think it is so typical of princeton students to respond to this in the manner they did... "i got in with <em>insert list of accomplishments here</em>... I'm not anything special, but I'm going to princeton. Let me be as humble as possible though."
At it's most basic, the OP requested to know whether you had to be nationally ranked to get into Princeton. This could seriously be a "yes" or "no" question. Maybe a few sentences would be warranted to justify your response . But I love how this has turned into "this is what I did to get in." Save it for the 2012 RD results thread.
Listing why YOU got in does nothing, and if you really wanted to, you could just say "I got in without being nationally ranked in something, so don't worry." Would this not answer the question just as well? This mainly applies to Joetrumpet 2 posts above, not some of the others.</p>
<p>Now many of you will be absolutely appalled at this post. How very CRUDE of me. If everyone wants to save their breath feel free to, but I know one of your favorite things to do is be morally superior. Have fun!</p>
<p>I decided to take Penn CAS up on its wait list offer yesterday and turned down Princeton. Socially, I do not want to be surrounded by this, although turning down Princeton's academics was extremely difficult to do, because I have no doubt that academically it is the strongest school in the country (undergrad). But having fun in college is a priority as well.</p>
<p>So to answer your question, calculus, no you do not need to be nationally ranked. Good grades and good EC/interests will do you just fine.</p>
<p>"Now many of you will be absolutely appalled at this post. How very CRUDE of me. If everyone wants to save their breath feel free to, but I know one of your favorite things to do is be morally superior. Have fun!"</p>
<p>As a matter of fact, I do find your post "CRUDE".I find it funny that you're trying to act "morally superior" on something so trivial.</p>
<p>You also could have simply answered the question, but you chose to take this opportunity to put down Princeton as being socially inferior to Penn. This was completely unneccessary.</p>
<p>I'm sorry to the OP for taking away attention from his original question.</p>
<p>No, it is not necessary to be nationally ranked in anything. I wasn't and neither was my cousin.</p>
<p>No, you don't.</p>
<p>Way to be sour, SenioritisGalor.</p>
<p>Oh don't get me wrong. I wasn't boosting up penn, although I'm excited to go there. Any ivy would be socially better though, except perhaps yale. They are the only two I got into though, so penn (after wait list) it was. I would, of course, never have written the above if I was still destined to go to pton. It's not as much superiority as it is aloofness and confidence in one's own self humbleness that defines that school and most kids I talked to. Especially the facebook group... which is hilarious. The differences in the groups says a lot. Fun vs. Loserness.</p>
<p>I apologize for my reprehensible post. Please, bash it more.
Actually, the BEST way to get back at me would be to ignore it and go along with the subject of this topic. Let's try that!! This is SOOO below you all anyway.</p>
<p>hahah so true... but I won't make the same mistake as you... I'm not applying.</p>
<p>I'm not ranked nationally in anything, nor were the three students from my school who got in last year. You definitely do not have to be to get in.</p>
<p>well i'm happy you found a school that you find to be a better fit. that's what we're all really looking for. my experience visiting princeton was much different than yours, and i'm very confident that i will be happy socially.</p>
<p>upenn is a very different environment, so you probably identify with it more.</p>
<p>and JoeTrumpet, fyi, i didn't get that feeling at all from your post. you were trying to show the OP examples of activities you have done to show what was, in your case, enough to gain acceptance (since the overarching issue of the original post was level of extracurriculars in regards to gaining admission).</p>
<p>and to give more feedback to the OP, though you definitely don't need to be ranked nationally or hold a national office to be admitted, it probably does help you stand out. more importantly, however, you should focus on showing true passion and commitment in your activities.</p>
<p>Ranked nationally in grades?</p>
<p>LOL, yes I have the #2 GPA in the country, and am USA's Salutatorian!</p>
<p>Thanks, ivanadoeslimbo: that was my intention, after all. I apologize if I came off as overbearing to anyone. I only responded in a manner that I would've appreciated if I had posted the original question. This is the Princeton forum, after all, and it's not really "bragging" if everyone else that got in on this forum is of similar or perhaps higher merit. It's not as if I was rubbing it in on the UPenn forums, saying "Look what I did!" I was just trying to give a view of the overall accomplishments of a student who got into Princeton without the national ranking I personally expected would destroy my chances of getting admitted. It would've helped me feel more confident, anyway, and I hope it helped the OP.</p>
<p>To piggyback on the OP's question, what's the deal with everyone (okay, some people) saying they've gotten published science research before they get in? The publishing process takes years; there are post docs in the lab i work in that don't even have their dissertations published yet... Do these people really have research published in a legit journal? as a high schooler? I'm not saying it's impossible, but for the amount I hear about it, I doubt it's true..</p>