Does being AP Scholar with Distinction place any weight on my chances? Or is this just something to simply put on my common application as an award and adcoms will simply gloss over it?
Not trying to kill your vibe, but you should really disregard a lot of the comments you got on this thread. It’s a high reach. It’s a high reach for everyone too. Sure, you could get in. But it would not be in your best interest to approach the application thinking that you have a better shot than other people to get in. It’s a crapshoot. Getting in is more of a testament of how lucky someone is. I wish you the very best for your admissions process. If you cannot afford anything, make sure to apply to some schools that guarantee full tuition and a full ride for your stats.
@CaliCash Hello! I am well aware that I do not have the 100% chance of getting in - in fact, I’m well prepared for a rejection letter from the school. I only made this chances thread to see if it was realistic to even dream of Princeton, and from the majority of the responses - I see that I have a viable chance. I will put forth my best effort towards completing my Princeton application and will not settle for anything less than my best. I should have 18 AP/IB classes done by my senior year, so I hope HYP schools look favorably upon that and my 4.73 GPA 
I’m not nearly as optimistic as the folks on here.
As long as your Reaches are all going to give you enough aid to be affordable, you probably will be ok.
Big Reach:
Harvard: 10%
Yale: 10%
Princeton: 10%
Columbia: 15%
Brown: 15%
Dartmouth: 20%
Reach:
UPenn: 25%
Vanderbilt: 25%
Duke: 25%
Amherst: 25%
Swarthmore: 25%
Cornell: 30%
Williams: 30%
Johns Hopkins: 35%
Georgetown: 35%
Tufts: 40%
Match:
UVA: 60%
Safety:
American: 95%
UMD: 99%
UMBC: 99%
Have you considered Questbridge? They love students like you. You should look into it. They cover everything, including transportation. You would be going to school for absolutely nothing instead of a full ride that leaves some areas that you still need to cover.
No, I haven’t thought of Questbridge! What’s the income level to qualify for that? I believe I am in the $50,000 - $60,000 bracket. @CaliCash
Also, thanks! @NickFlynn! What makes you think I have a that good of a chance at Tufts? I threw it on the list because I like the location and lots of people recommended it to me both in and out of CC.
List of QB schools:
Amherst College
Rice University
Bowdoin College
Scripps College
Brown University
Stanford University
Caltech
Swarthmore College
Carleton College
Trinity College
Colby College
Tufts University
Colorado College
University of Chicago
Columbia University
University of Notre Dame
Dartmouth College
University of Pennsylvania
Davidson College
University of Southern California
Emory University
University of Virginia
Grinnell College
Vanderbilt University
Haverford College
Vassar College
MIT
Washington and Lee University
Northwestern University
Wellesley College
Oberlin College
Wesleyan University
Pomona College
Williams College
Princeton University
Yale University
The median income for a QB scholar is $31,000. However, $50,000- $60,000 won’t exclude you. Especially seeing that you’re the child of refugees. Do you have siblings?
@CaliCash Yup, I have a younger brother (he’s in 2nd grade) and we recently bought a house and stuff. Lots of expenses besides that too, as my mother is enrolled in a community college program.
@NotVerySmart Don’t mean to be OT, but you don’t take the GRE for law school admissions…
Hmmm, I’ll look into Questbridge. Thanks @CaliCash!
Literally can’t wait till college acceptance/waitlist/deferall/rejection time. I just want to know if I get in or not 
Of course you know the admissions process is so unpredictable at this level, but if anyone has a chance, it’s you. The essays are huge though, so don’t slack on 'em, and know exactly how you want to advertise yourself. Being qualified to attend a college like Princeton is only part of the equation, and people with far worse credentials have been accepted while some of those few with better credentials haven’t. Know how to work the game and package yourself as a student and a person so the college can clearly find a niche for you and know you’ll fill said niche better than anyone else. With that said, I say you’ll have some pretty good news on Ivy Day. Can’t guarantee it will be by way of Princeton but my money’s on you getting in.
holy mess, you’ll def get into any college you apply to. your everything is extraordinary lol. good luck with applying
@Curlynizzle Thank you so much! Out of curiosity, what stands out most about my profile when you read it?
@ahawkins Thanks to you too! What’s the best way to portray myself? I’m not specifically into any particular subject, so I’m not a “spikey” candidate so to speak. Is it best to present myself as a well rounded candidate? I did sports, but I was not super dedicated to it, so it’s highly unlikely I’ll continue into college or even my senior year. I did Econ challenge, but I wasn’t a major leader or anything.
I’m also über into making documentaries, and I’ve won many awards for it – but I also want to go into biochemistry even when I don’t have anything major related to the sciences except Science Academic Team.
I know a lot of students have perfect/near perfect GPA’s with a trillion AP classes, but geez you’re awesome. Congratulations on being such a dedicated student and exceptional person! I’m sure your hard work will pay off and you’ll get in to at least one, probably a few Ivy/top-tier schools, and I would not be at all surprised if Princeton was one of them. Even though Ivy admissions are mostly a crapshoot, you have done the absolute best you could’ve done, and I’m sure that will impress even the most selective of colleges.
@skgriffin Thank you for that! I have tried my best, and pray that everything that I have done will pay off! Just out of curiosity, what do you believe stands out the most in my profile? Is it the transcript or my ECs? I haven’t really scored that high on the SATs so I want to understand what shines the most in my application as I go through the application process. I asked a few others the same question, but they haven’t responded back yet. Again, thank you so much!
@Princetonian2020 What I find most impressive is the combination of great grades in a crazy amount of difficult classes on top of the time-consuming EC’s and volunteer work. It just seems like there shouldn’t be enough time in the day to accommodate all of that, put somehow you pull it off, and that’s very impressive
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@skygriffin Oh okay! Haha it’s a hassle and my internship right now is not making for this to be a summer with much sleep! I will DEFINITELY keep you updated with how my college application process goes. Hopefully I’ll be receiving good news!
Hi fellow IB Diploma Candidate
You are a very interesting applicant. (No offence) But your strongest point is probably that you are an academically good first generation Somali, which I believe that is a gigantic hook and definitely should be the focus of your essay. Your ECs, and awards are fine for Princeton, nothing fantastically unique, but time-consuming and shows commitment.
Your test scores are probably(you are probably aware) your biggest weakness, and knowing your IB predicted grades would have definitely made chancing you slightly easier. 2100 SAT, while fine, is still below the 25th percentile for the accepted students at Princeton and should be retaken if you are confident in scoring higher.
Your GPA is fantastic, although it would depend on the school you go to. Do students from the top 2% of your school usually make it into HYPSM?
I’d say that you have a sound chance for Princeton ED, probably a low reach for you, your Somali background, GPA, and ECs making up for your scores (which are, by no means, bad, but you are applying to one of the most competitive schools in the world). Also, even if you get rejected (Let’s hope this does not happen), always remember that HYP admissions are way too random to be sad about: for all you know, it may have been a mistake.
Good luck!