<p>Did anyone else get a second financial aid email today? </p>
<p>@Cantiger: I wish your statement ‘very, very few’ was actually true. Last year alone we had 6 kids go to Princeton from our school out of which two were athletic recruits with very low academic performance in terms of course rigor and SAT scores. They had no other achievement except for wrestling and I think basketball. The remaining four had unbelievable stats in terms of research, music, math/science awards, journalism, governor’s school, Art portfolio etc. And one of was also the captain of the swim team but not a recruited athlete. Even the questbridge admit was the valedictorian.</p>
<p>2/6 is not very few, that is 1/3 of the admits from a competitive public school. I think this is a serious issue that has to be addressed. As we have seen in the news recently it is not fair to even the athletes themselves. Many of them cannot handle the academics and are being used by these colleges ( I am not just referring to Princeton here) but that is probably a whole another thread.</p>
<p>
I’m sorry that my son getting into Princeton as a recruited athlete “bugs” you. Just be careful not to make assumptions about anyone, athlete or not. If all you knew was that he was an athlete, you’d judge him. But if you saw his stats (4.0 unweighted; 35 ACT; 800/790/780 ST; National AP Scholar; State AP Scholar) you probably wouldn’t judge so harshly.</p>
<p>With very few exceptions, Princeton athletes fit the Princeton academic profile. If you end up at Princeton, I hope you don’t make blanket assumptions about anyone, whether they’re athletes, legacies, 1st generation. African /Americans, Asians, left-handed, or anything else.</p>
<p>“I wish your statement ‘very, very few’ was actually true” </p>
<p>@Opinion559 It might be helpful to provide a bit more data that shows my statement is incorrect if you respond indicating that I have made an erroneous statement. I have provided information about the admissions process and the academic index through firsthand experience and articles about the index throughout this thread. If you are implying that Princeton or other Ivys do not abide by the parameters set by the index it really would be good to know that, but with supporting, reliable information rather than conjecture. </p>
<p>You are most certainly entitled to your opinion and I respect that you disagreed with Princeton’s admission choices from your school. I do know quite a number of varsity athletes currently at Princeton and they very much fit with the kind of stats that @Sherpa posted above. It could certainly be accurate that 1/3 of the students from your school were not (in your estimation) academically on par with other admits but take care not to assume that this percentage can be extrapolated to the entire population, or that it indicates a strong trend. </p>
<p>Many fully qualified admits (athletes or not) find the academic course load at Princeton overwhelming. Juggling a varsity schedule together with that load can be daunting for anyone - even the brightest and most gifted students. Unlike many other D1 schools, Princeton does not encourage its athletes to take a reduced course load and choose the easiest courses possible. You will often find engineers and STEM majors who devote countless hours to their sport on these teams while carrying a huge academic load. We know through the recruiting process at other (non-Ivy) schools that this is highly discouraged at many of them. One of the reasons my son chose Princeton was that they fully supported him pursuing a difficult major (engineering) together with his sport. His first year at Princeton was very hard, learning how to balance school, sport, relationships and lack of sleep but he is now in his junior year with a cumulative GPA well above both his department and class average. </p>
<p>I don’t think I got a second one. What was this email about? I sent in my tax forms the first time they emailed. </p>
<p>As far as athletics go, you need to direct your frustration with the alumni. Usually, it is the alumni who want a good athletic department so they can brag to their friends at the club, “Hey did you see where we won the conference title in ______?” You may be frustrated at the inequity in admissions now, but for those who make it, one day you too will be the one at the club bragging to your Harvard and Columbia friends about Princeton.</p>
<p>@Cotwoag1 Lol you better tell that to Columbia cuz their football team…</p>
<p>If I plan on becoming a doctor, does undergraduate really matter? I know it’s the graduate school that’s important, but besides the prestige, college experience, etc, how will going to Princeton (If I get in) benefit me? My interviewer who is a doctor only has his graduate school in his online profile</p>
<p>@Cantiger: I definitely agree that the statistics from my school might not reflect the entire population and I am sure there are students like your son who are exceptional at everything they do and my comment was not to insult any such student.</p>
<p>But it would be naive to think that all the recruited athletes at all institutions are on academic par with the normal applicants. </p>
<p>I’m not going to get into the recruited athlete stats debate since I have no experience with it, but I do agree that national/international student musicians, scientists, writers, entrepreneurs, etc. should receive similar treatment in the admissions process to athletes.</p>
<p>@HPClee IMO the main benefit of the Ivies is networking. I’m fortunate enough to live in a state with an excellent flagship university, but I’d rather go to Princeton because of networking opportunities. (And it looks like more fun and is close to both Philly and NYC but that’s another matter) Alumni of top colleges who have top positions know each other.</p>
<p>Has anyone heard of a “recruited” musician? I performed a live hearing in November for the Music Director and he said he would put in a good word for me to the admissions office, and that it could be very beneficial. Thoughts?</p>
<p>Ingoditrust: no, I’ve never heard of a recruited musician. Unfortunately, musicians don’t bring in the same revenue that athletes do 
But I’m sure the live audition would only help your case!</p>
<p>@Opinion559 demand proves everything. I hate to say it, but there are TONS of gifted musicians applying (a few at my school) and LOTS of people who win science competitions and maintain fantastic grades (I know some but not from my school). Conversely, there are very few gifted athletes that have good grades, which perhaps suggests athletes have to work harder to maintain grades. If you think it’s so easy to be a recruited athlete, you should do it</p>
<p>@HPClee a good undergrad school will give you contacts and networking when you apply. Also, medical schools look to undergrad just as undergrad looks to high school. A good degree will increase your chances of getting into great med schools</p>
<p>For student-athletes who are not recruited, would they also receive preference?
We should define the level of these “athletes” as well. I live in an area where sports receive more emphasis, yet not all sports receive the same treatment. Similarly, high school Varsity athletes at my school may not be at the same level as Varsity from other schools - and vice-versa. As a student-athlete myself (non-recruit), I have most certainly committed time and effort to achieve athletic goals while maintaining a focus on academics. Yet from my experience (some of you athletes out there might agree too,) it’s extremely difficult to achieve recognition in sports. That would require not just the time commitment, but also natural talent and a lotttttt of luck. So personally, although I do believe that the recruitment process may put us non-hooks at a disadvantage, but Varsity athletes are able to become Varsity athletes for a reason, and I highly respect them for it.</p>
<p>Did anyone else send in senior quarter grades? Does anyone think they’ll make a difference to the application if they’re good? Good luck to everyone, seeing as the decision is coming out in 9 days 
</p>
<p>Frozengogurt: I had great quarter grades, so I’m kind of regretting my decision not to send them. But I guess if Princeton really wanted to see them, they would’ve asked for it. Also, I read in the Harvard thread that schools don’t usually request quarter grades unless your transcript was a bit questionable, like 3 sudden B’s during the second semester of your junior year or a C in your sophomore year. In that case, the school just wants to check up on you and make sure that the bad grades aren’t a regular occurrence.</p>
<p>My counselor submitted my first term grades as part of the “optional report” on my common application.
@Ambitious19 I believe you can still send them now. But given the timeline the EA decision’s are on, I’m not sure if they’d make a difference at this point. </p>
<p>@justlyfe8 I understand you’re point, and to an extent, you’re right. Varsity athletes do get a boost because schools know how much time sports take. If you’re good enough to play for the school but you’re not recruited, that helps a ton (maybe you won some competitions) but if you’re only good enough for high school you still have a great extracurricular to entice them with (I am the latter)</p>
<p>@hopefulperson The reason why athletic recruiting is so extensive is that the pool of the best (and qualified to get into an Ivy) is extremely small but the searchability of these candidates is well established. For instance, top boys lacrosse players are identified and given preliminary offers in 8th grade by some schools! </p>
<p>If you personally do not know the resumes of recruitable athletes, know that they’ve been receiving mail and phone calls since middle school – almost every one of them. In high school, their coaches receive 100s of mailers/emails/calls each week about them.</p>
<p>While schools like PTon will jump at the chance to have a world class vocalist or performer or playwright, etc-- the community to funnel those kids to top schools is much more informal and less competitive than for sports. That’s not to say top schools don’t jump at them – I don’t know about PTon but my alma mater regularly uses Likely Letters with top, non-athlete applicants. Indeed, the very first time I heard of one (about 6-7 years ago) was with a top academic applicant from our area who was assigned to me to interview. My director had to explain what a LL was.</p>