Princeton University Class of 2023 SCEA Results Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

(Copied from the Stanford Results Thread hehe…)

The day’s almost here! Good luck to everybody! Please do not post if you don’t have your decision.

Remove the “a” in the bold, size, and color of your decision.

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Weighted GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments:

2

MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Please use this thread for results only, since non-result posts will be deleted. General discussion posts should be placed in the following thread:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/princeton-university/2061251-princeton-university-class-of-2023-scea-applicants-thread.html#latest

3

Decision: Deferred
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 760R 800M
ACT (breakdown): 30E 34S 34R 34M
SAT II: 760 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): n/a
Weighted GPA: 4.37
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/700
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geo (4), Psychology (5), English Lang (5), Chemistry (5), Environmental (4), Spanish Lang (4), Macroeconomics (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: IB Bio HL, IB HOA HL, IB Math HL, IB English HL, BIM, AP Calc AB, IB ToK, AP Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

4

Making this in advance to be unbiased! (but let’s be real I’m going to get rejected, you’ll see)
I’m writing everything I reported on my common app.

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 C (35 E, 33 M, 35 R, 36 S)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 740 Chemistry, 720 World History, 720 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 on US Hist, World Hist, Calc AB, Stats. 4 on Chem.
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, Adv Calculus, AP Biology, AP Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing major haha (this is probably why I didn’t get in)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Senior Class President
  • Intern at a highly regarded cancer research center
  • Intern at a public health research center
  • Peer Counselor
  • Intern at an Environmental Internship
  • Vocal Music
  • Pianist
  • Days for Girls member
  • Peer Tutor

Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service:

  • Days for Girls
  • Peer Tutor
  • Environmental Internship

Summer Activities:

  • Internship at Public Health Research Center
  • Intern at highly regarded Cancer Research Center

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

  • Personal Essay: 7.5/10 - I told a very unique personal story about a very common experience - moving. I talked about my most recent move and it’s challenges, but how my two favorite foods led to an environment where I broke out of my shell and became a servant leader for change. It was well read, but it wasn’t mindblowing.
  • BSE Engineering: 9/10 - I was very specific here and conveyed very obvious interest in the school. I connected what I currently do in high school to what I will do at Princeton.
  • Culture Essay: 10/10 - I talked about the blending of my South Asian musical background with my Western classical piano background. It was very clear, concise, and impactful, and probably one of my best essays.
  • Extracurricular Activities - 9/10 - I talked about my experience at the cancer research center. There wasn’t a high word count, so I concisely tied what I hope to study at Princeton with those experiences.
  • Summers - 8.5/10 - It was kind of cheesy. But it still showed a bit more of who I am as a person beyond the extracurriculars and academics.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP Chem Teacher: 9.5/10 - She liked me lot and saw the other servant leader side of me.
Teacher Rec #2: AP Stats: 10/10 - We are very close and he was rooting for me all the way. We had a lot of interesting math related conversations.
Counselor Rec: She moved and was new this year so I didn’t have the time to get to know her this year. However, I’m very close with the assistant principal and she included parts of his letter in the report.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Went very well! We bonded and she said that i’m very qualified for Princeton and that she’d write great things about me. She was rooting for me as well.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Y
Intended Major: Chemical and Biological engineering
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: South asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 150k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection:

Strengths: some essays, GPA, test scores, relationships with others
Weaknesses: personal statement, no awards/honors, no competitions
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: no idea. They defer everyone so it’s essentially a rejection. We’ll see in the spring!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: haven’t heard back yet! will update as I find out.

General Comments:

5

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800 Math, 760 Reading, 6/6/6 Essay
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 780 Math II (sophomore year), 800 Physics, 800 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 4ish out of about 750
AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics Mech and E/M (5s on both), Lang (5), Chem (5), Calc AB Subscore (5), Calc BC (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Comp Sci, AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Econ (Macro and Micro), Honors Chinese IV, Multivariable and Linear Algebra independent studies

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Math Department Underclassman Award, World Language Department Award, Principal Flute of freshman and junior band

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Honor Society (president), Chinese Honor Society (president), Work @ Kumon (“1st in command” assistant), “Chinglish” Club (former president), other misc. honor societies…
Job/Work Experience: (see above)
Volunteer/Community service: volunteering through honor societies, organized a neighborhood food pantry collection
Summer Activities: food pantry collection, learned Python on my own, learned to play piccolo on my own (mentioned in my essays)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7 or 8/10, I didn’t think they were that good, tbh
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):9/10

Teacher Rec #1: from my AP Physics C teacher, he’s been teaching for around 20 years and went to MIT. He probably knows how to write a good rec. He said I was his “favorite” because of how hard I worked.
Teacher Rec #2: from my AP Calc teacher, worked at the school for 40 years, advisor of the Math Honor Society, really liked me in calc junior year so he probably wrote a good rec, too.
Counselor Rec: Probably pretty generic. My school is so large, my counselor doesn’t even know me.
Additional Rec: none
Interview: Only lasted like 25 mins, but the conversation was pretty juicy. I asked a lot of questions and showed that I knew exactly what opportunities I intend to take advantage of at Princeton, so every minute spent was worthwhile.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yep, didn’t qualify, R.I.P.
Intended Major: Physics
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): woman going into physics, passion for Chinese language and culture, visited and sat in on a physics class and met with the prof. afterward (but idk if this helped at all)

Reflection

Strengths: I think I was able to show that I’m pretty well-rounded but also passionate about the things I do. I got leadership positions anywhere I could and was lucky enough to get recognized and rewarded in subjects I really enjoyed. Also, I had tons of people look over my essays (which, by the way, weren’t that good), but they were about interesting topics (I wrote about going vegan and how that affected what kinds of foods I ate for the cultural one, overall theme was that veganism opened my mind to new cultural foods… coalition essay was about how I became passionate about physics: Carl Sagan, Tyson, my dad…)
Weaknesses: I didn’t do any math league, chemistry olympiad, physics olympiad, or anything like that (as I know a lot of applicants do), so I thought that would prevent me from getting in
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: see above strengths
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: nowhere yet

6

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1530 (740 EBRW 790 Math)
SAT II: 720 Chemistry, 720 Math I
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0/4.0
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/70
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A (school doesn’t have any AP classes)
Senior Year Course Load: Chem 106, Spanish IV, Physics, Econ, English Literature, Adv. Comp., Medical Interventions, US Govt., Public Speaking
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 3rd Place in Poetry at National Beta Club Convention, Top 10 in Math at National Beta Club Convention, NMS Commended Scholar
Optional Arts: Piano

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): School Diabetes Club (Founder), Piano, National Beta Club (President, VP, Secretary), Golf (Captain, All-Conference, Area POY), Tennis (Captain, Academic All-State), 4-H (10 year member), Church Youth Group, Guitar, Student Council (Treasurer), Class President
Job/Work Experience: Golf Course
Volunteer/Community service: A lot
Summer Activities: National Beta Convention, Visit Princeton, golf and tennis tournaments/practices
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App (10; Wrote about the first time I had to give myself a shot of insulin), Princeton Engineering (10; I loved how this essay turned out), EC Essay (9; wrote about playing piano), Princeton Supplement (8; wrote about my mom but in a way that I believe will stand out)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Spanish Teacher (10)
Teacher Rec #2: Math Teacher (10)
Counselor Rec: (10)
Additional Rec: Former Principal (10)
Interview: (8-9) My interview went extremely well.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Chemical and Biological Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): IN
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >$150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection
Strengths: Small town, first from HS to go to Ivy League, Amazing recommendation letters, started a diabetes club for other diabetics in my school system, I feel like my essays were VERY good
Weaknesses: White, Male, Middle class, No AP classes (even though none were offered, I feel like this still hurts me)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: white, male, and not poor
Other Schools: Yale, Harvard, Cornell, Stanford, Vanderbilt, UChicago, Notre Dame, Purdue

7

Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1580 (Math 800, Reading 780)
ACT: Taken but not submitted
SAT II: 800 Math, 800 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics 1 (5), Calc BC (5), APUSH (5), Comp Sci A (5), English Lang (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calculus, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Literature, AP Statistics, AP Comparative Gov, Advanced Topics in Physics Honors (Both Physics C material), Department Assistant
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): RIP

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model UN (VP), FRC Robotics (Captain), Mock Trial (Captain), Debate (Varsity), Varsity Tennis (Captain), Public Speaking Club (Manager)
Job/Work Experience: Nothing but I taught tennis to kids in my community over summer
Volunteer/Community service: >200 hours Community outreach through robotics, volunteer teaching tennis as well, volunteer through an organization called Akshaya Patra which gives food to students in India to keep them in school ← wrote about that as my supplement
Summer Activities: Playing a lot of tennis, Interned with my State Assemblyman and did research on political science in Eastern Europe with a Rutgers Professor that will be published in his upcoming book.
Essays: Common App (9/10) Really liked my common app essay, thought it described me and my voice really well about problem solving and my love of legos tied into everything I do today , Princeton Supplement (7/10) I think this was good as well but I really took some risks that probably didnt work out apparently (for example, I put one of my adjectives to describe me as “extra”). Wrote the political science professor prompt essay about divisions in the country today, didnt really answer prompt directly
Teacher Recommendations: BC Teacher: (9/10) really really loved me, older teacher who retired after my year but we had a small class of 10 students so even though I only had her junior year, I enjoyed her class a lot. APUSH Teacher: (7/10) really loved me, but she wrote the rec later than my math teacher so idk how that would work out.
Counselor Rec: (6/10) hopefully if he was competent, large public school so little interactions with him
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: (8/10) I thought it went really well, my interviewer graduated 2 years ago from Princeton

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yeah
Intended Major: Woodrow Wilson, Physics
State (if domestic applicant): NJ (~10 minutes drive from Princeton)
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large, competitive, public
Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): N
Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Too much
Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): No hoookkkksssss :(((((((

Reflection
Strengths: I think my extracurriculars were strong and diverse from most asian male applicants, my stats are definitely very competitive in and of themselves along with my course load, and I think my recommendations and essays should have set me apart.
Weaknesses: No hooks is probably the biggest weakness applying to an ivy league school and no big name awards even though I listed a lot of my MUN and debate awards under the extra circumstances. That might have done it, or the longer I look at my essays, the sadder I feel.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have no idea, they probably could’ve flipped a coin to decide my fate unfortunately because I really lacked any substantiative hooks being an asian male. :frowning:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere yet
Where else are you applying for RD: A lot of places but including Cornell/Columbia/UChi

General Comments:
Wrote this entire thing Tuesday Morning at 10:43 because I was quite stressed and to be unbiased

8

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (760 R/W, 760 Math)
SAT II: 760 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A (I think 3.7ish although school does not do this)
Weighted GPA: 4.1
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP US History (5), AP Lang (5), AP Computer Science (5), AP Chem (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Biology, Honors Physics (plan on self studying for AP physics but have been highly discouraged)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): #1 in statewide computer science competition, AP Scholar w/ distinction,

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Founded NJ Chapter of nonprofit organization to promote STEM globally (especially in underdeveloped countries) , hired a Board team and worked with donators and corporate sponsors to set up multiple successful charity events, raising over thousands of dollars, building several schools for locations in extreme poverty. (Founder/President)
  • National Honor Society at my school, again used charity contacts to provide large amounts of volunteer hours. (President)
  • Founded Engineering club for Minorities, which led to represent our school at several competitions throughout the year. (Founder/President)
  • Founder of Model UN, debating global issues in conferences at local universities. (Founder/President)
  • Board Member of Med Club (work on volunteering and promoting awareness of medical fields and pathways) (Board Member/Work on tech side)
  • Selected as an ASPIRE mentor for my school, which are a group of highly qualified seniors who guide and help freshman ease the transition Into high school while also keeping track of several issues such as mental health awareness.
  • Board Member of Computer Science Club (worked on developing facial recognition for school attendance) (Board Member/CoPresident)
  • Science Olympiad Team Leader (went to regionals, nothing really special)
  • other small stuff not important

Job/Work Experience: H4 international in America sooooo
Volunteer/Community service:

  • Volunteer work at my local library as a tutor.
  • Volunteer at Nursing home
    Summer Activities:
  • Worked on NonProfit and with corporate sponsors to raise money for events and raise publicity
  • Summer Tutoring
    Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, very emotional and moving
    Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
  • AP Chem Teacher: 7/10, had a good relationship
  • AP US History 10/10, only picked 5 students to write letters for.

Teacher Rec #1: AP Chem Teacher: 7/10, had a good relationship
Teacher Rec #2: AP US History 10/10, only picked 5 students to write letters for and we are actually great friends.
Counselor Rec: Usually writes a great recommendation, but I’ve rarely talked to her.
Additional Rec: This was actually pretty decent.
Interview: Went well, but it was relatively short because the guy was a doctor/surgeon and had to go back soon. He stated he would put in a great word and thought I was a very funny, likeable person.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Molecular Biology
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large Public School
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): International living in the USA? Weird type of situation which almost kills my opportunities anywhere.

Reflection

Strengths: I think that my essays were really good, and I think that my subjective side was a little unique. However, it is Princeton so I can’t say all of this really stood out.
Weaknesses: GPA, I believe my GPA was a little lower than it should have been only because I struggled with family issues freshman and sophomore year, which I made sure to fill the holes in.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I was just deferred, I am excited to see how I stand out among the RD pool.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Rutgers (Newark) - Accepted
I applied to a lot of other schools so I hope to hear from them:
SUNY Buffalo
UNC Chapel Hill
Rutgers (NB)
Vanderbilt
Seton Hall

General Comments: Congrats to everyone accepted! For all of us deferred, it does not mean the end of the road. Let’s just wait and see how it goes in the RD pool and have some hope.

9

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1530 (Verbal: 760 Math: 770)
SAT II: Not submitted (but I took Math 1, Math 2, and Lit)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): My school doesn’t calculate, but on the IB scale I’m ~6.7/7.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): My school doesn’t officially rank, but unofficially 1/54 (pretty sure Princeton didn’t see this though)
IB (place score in parenthesis): I don’t take until May 2019
Senior Year Course Load: Math SL, Chemistry SL, French SL, English Lit HL, Visual Art HL, History of the Americas HL
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Yeet I just put a few regional debate awards and being a Questbridge College Prep Scholar but that’s it

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate, “Youtube Content Creator” (I post covers and vlogs hehe), French Club (Secretary), School Newspaper, Singer on Church Worship Team, Big Sibling/Mentor to 7th graders at my school, Junior and Senior Council, Saturday Writing Academy (Student lmao)
Job/Work Experience: I did a rotating internship at law firms throughout NYC, but this wasn’t in my application (I may have mentioned it in my intervie, but I don’t remember)
Volunteer/Community service: Facilitator for workshops about advocacy
Summer Activities: For the supp, I wrote about seeing Broadway shows, studying for the SAT, tutoring, and taking a philosophical ethics class
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I think these were the best part of my application and I don’t want to rate them ehhh, as I had written every part of it besides the short takes in narrative. Here’s the details specifically:
Personal Statement (me being 7 yrs old at the library and reading with my mom hehe)
(Long) Supplement (me playing Gretchen in Mean Girls on Broadway but it transitions into me being in the audience watching Ashley Park, an asian actress, play a non-race-specific role on Broadway and how that ~inspired~ me. I was really worried this was risky given the Harvard lawsuit (plus I submitted the same supp to Harvard), but I guess it paid off!)
EC Supplement (debate, but specifically a debate about immigration law that I personally disagreed with but had to argue)
Summer Supplement (what I said in Summer Activities, but in narrative form)
Short Take (they were trying to hard to be quirky and cute but I feel like that’s very ~me~ so whatevs)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Math SL teacher (junior + senior yr) 8/10. I did and continue to do really well in his class but up until recently (like probably the past month) I hadn’t participated as much as I’d like to.
Teacher Rec #2: History of the Americas HL teacher (freshman yr global, junior yr U.S.) 9 (or 8)/10. I did really well in his class and I love history, so I always participated. I often spent time in his classroom just chilling and talking to him after school, he was my Extended Essay advisor, and he told me he really played up my writing skills. Howeverrrrrr, I once got caught ~giving~ homework to people in my class last year and was scared that was a gonna be a definite no because he’d mention it.
Counselor Rec: 9/10 I didn’t get to know him much until junior yr (I’ve been at my school since 7th grade), but I’ve volunteered at a lot of school functions (some of which he hosts b/c he’s also the community service/CAS coordinator). He also chaperoned my school’s trip to France and Barcelona, so we got to know him then, and I’ve worked on my application with him since the end of junior year (and ~2 or 3 times a week since September)
Additional Rec: 10/10 I’ve been a part of this program called Legal Outreach since summer before my freshman year and have done debate, saturday writing class, weekly advisory session, etc. with them throughout high school (year and summer). I would spend a lot of time getting to know the staff, have won writing and debate awards with them, and performed at fundraisers and parties.
Interview: 7/10 This was SO BAD omg I was convinced I was a definite deferral because of how bad my interview went. The second question he asked me was “How do you feel about your intended major being named after Woodrow Wilson?” (b/c you know. racism) and he mentioned the Harvard lawsuit and stuff. But we had good conversation about books, theatre, and policy apart from that.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Woodrow Wilson School, Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: < 60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): generally low income maybe? My parents went to college in the Philippines, so I don’t think I’m first gen.

Reflection

Strengths: Essays 10/10. My grades are great, but that’s average for the REA applicant pool. Recs. Also my application did a good job at highlighting my passions for politics and law, musical theatre, and literature.
Weaknesses: No subject tests submitted. SAT is high, but again average for the REA pool. INTERVIEW.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think the application captured who I am and my strengths/passions, so while my grades were well-rounded, they saw who I am and could see how I’d contribute to Princeton. I also think my essays were interesting and different because literally every . single . one was written in narrative.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’ve only applied to other private schools RD so Princeton’s my first! I applied to SUNY Bing and UBuff, but I haven’t paid those so I’m just withdrawing them.

General Comments:
Congrats to everyone accepted!!! Deferrals don’t mean rejections, and we know that this process is a crapshoot, so it has little bearing on you as a person/student/applicant!!

10

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1550 (800M, 750E, 23 Essay)
ACT (breakdown): 35C (36S, 35M, 34R, 33E)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Bio M, 730 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Doesn’t rank, but unofficially 1/350
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology, Calculus BC, Computer Science A, Computer Science Principles, English Language, European History, Physics C EM, Physics C Mechanics, Statistics, US History, World History (all 5s)
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP English Literature, AP Psychology, AP US Government, Local College CS Data Structures, Local College Multivariable Calculus, Local College CS Advanced Data Structures
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Robotics Club (Captain), School App Development (Lead), School Newspaper (Founder), All three available honor societies
Job/Work Experience: NASA internship
Volunteer/Community service: Founded Robotics Club in home country, lots of volunteering in robotics club, Church music volunteer, NHS volunteering, math honorary tutoring (500+ hours overall)
Summer Activities: NASA internship, robotics competitions, self-learning code, traveling
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I thought they were good, but don’t know how to rate them.
Common App: Wrote about social growth through high school robotics
BSE: Wrote about how I got into engineering/CS and how Princeton would supplement tech skills with liberal arts education (engineering as science in the service of society)
Influential Person: Younger brother inspiring me to be the best big sister and person
Activities: Robotics contributions and journey
Summers: Overview of summer with emphasis on family memories and friendship
Graded Paper: Literally the only thing I could find, 4/9 AP Lit paper oops (well written, but didn’t follow prompt)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I waived viewing rights, but I assume they would be pretty good.
Teacher Rec #1: AP Physics teacher, basically had him half the day every day last year, good relationship
Teacher Rec #2: AP Lang teacher, eh was sorta quiet in his class, writes well though
Counselor Rec: New counselor last year. However, I go to him a lot to work out scheduling so that I can take the classes I want, so I think he knows I make the most out of my curriculum. Good but not super personal relationship
Additional Rec: Robotics coach for 4 years, has written recs for me before
Interview: Talked a lot about engineering topics in technical detail (showed competency), somewhat choked in explaining my love for the school, overall I think I was decently articulate

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes (but I have no hope for any)
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): somewhere
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: SE Asian (1st gen immigrant)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Too much for financial aid but not enough to pay without major loans :confused:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: Academics, not highly represented state, very focused on my passion for CS, maybe essays
Weaknesses: Application doesn’t stand out, Asian, rec 2
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No matter what happens, I’ll probably be mulling over this question too.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to some rolling state schools with pretty good scholarships. Waiting for decisions elsewhere.

General Comments (pre decision):
I don’t think my application stands out much; I don’t have a company or awards or research. However, everything I do, from activities to courses are because I like to learn. I’m glad I didn’t obsess over tests and instead spent time doing things I love. And I’m quite happy with that. I really hope this goes well, but I’m honestly expecting a deferral for now. Good luck to all.

General Comments (post decision): I have no idea how I got in, but I did! I am so happy! I really liked my Princeton essays, but I didn’t have anyone review them so I’m not so sure how they actually stack up. It’s also possible my state is just really underrepresented so there’s less competition. Congrats to everyone who got in! Good luck to everyone with all your remaining applications and with your college futures! I’m sure you’ll be able to be successful and happy wherever you end up.

Except for the last comments, I wrote this beforehand while anxiously waiting for decisions.

11

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1540 (770 both)
ACT (breakdown): NA
SAT II: 780 US History, 730 Lit
Weighted GPA (school only uses weighted and out of 100): 99.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 US History, 5 Lang, 3 Chem (submitted all)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Physics, AP Econ, Calc BC, Linear Algebra/Multivariable, Religion (Catholic school), Journalism
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMS Semi-finalist, National Hispanic for PSAT, Cum Laude Society, national latin honor society

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Cross country team (captain)
-Mock trial team (captain): our team made it to state finals last couple years so probably what counted most
-Track (i put that there was an expected captaincy senior year)
-School Campus Ministry
-Carlton Fellow (it’s a mentoring type thing with new students)
-yearbook editor
-professional development seminar in NYC

Job/Work Experience:
-Legit none

Volunteer/Community service:
-Fundraised for Leukemia and lymphoma society
-coordinated blood drives with NY blood center and red cross
-Parish youth ministry leader (basically organize weekly meetings and weekend-long retreats)
-altar server at church (reppin since 4th grade lmao)
-tutor at school

Summer Activities:
-a LOT of travel to Europe, also been to Japan
-Philosophy and ethics seminar for a week in Pittsburgh
-mission trips with youth ministry

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 10/10. I really liked this one. It could have come off as typical/plain, but it was about how being Hispanic has taken a different meaning nowadays. Focused on the transition of child to adult and seeing the changes even in my own friends of how they treated me as they came to grasp the idea of race more and more. I threaded in a lot of Spanish too which they may have liked.

Princeton Main Supplement: 9/10. I did the one about culture. Focused on how we cannot value our own culture without learning to value that of others. Really emphasized parts of Mexican culture while putting in my love for travel. I liked it, but I didn’t have enough words to get it where I really wanted it to be.

Princeton Activity Supplement: 10/10. short and sweet blurb about mock trial and how I love the fact that such a diverse group of students (athletes, artists, gamers, even DJs) get together to become one cohesive unit that succeeds.

Recommendations (btw I didn’t see any of these, and only two of the three teacher ones were sent but idk which ones):
Counselor: 10/10?? Idk. She really took interest to me applying to Princeton considering my school doesn’t really send many kids to ivies. I think she may have gone all out for this one, especially considering the attention she gave me whenever we talked.

Teacher 1: 7-8/10. Cross country coach, told me he banged it out in a day. I could completely envision it being good because we get along, but at the same time he didn’t seem all that interested. Clearly got the job done tho haha

Teacher 2: 10/10. He’s my mock trial coach. Sometimes we have a very turbulent relationship, and I was kinda skeptical about asking him for one. But there’s just so much respect between the two of us that I couldn’t not ask him. I think he really went out of his way to make it good.

Teacher 3: 9/10. English teacher who I absolutely adore. I just don’t know if he could really capture me entirely, but from a classroom perspective he definitely had a good idea of who I am and he also loves my writing, making it a probably very good recommendation.

Interview:
Went super well. It was a local lady who had two kids at another of the private schools nearby, and we talked a lot about stuff that wasn’t even Princeton related. Interview went on for an hour until the cafe we were at closed, so it was great.

Other:
Graded Paper: pretty solid paper i got an A+ on. It was about nature vs. nurture and using various pieces of literature and new articles to support my viewpoint

For the personal favorites part I just wrote what I really liked, and did not try to sound too artsy/distinct/intellectual. I’m a dude who goes on Reddit all the time and loves the Dark Knight, so that’s what I put.

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes. Getting none tho oof
Intended Major: Woody Woooooo
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: All boys Catholic
Ethnicity: Mexican
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Hispanic (born in Mexico)

Reflection
Guys IDK how i did it. But hey I pulled through. Remember to reflect your personality and not act like you’re trying too hard. I also get that my race definitely played a role, but I had the stats just like most people.
-For future students, I have a standardized test tip for you: once you get the score that gets your “foot in the door” so to speak, your scores no longer become the comparison between applicants. So if you have a 1500+, focus more on doing things that will help you grow as a person rather than getting it 10 or 20 points higher. Make yourself stand out.

Strengths: EC’s, race, GPA
Weaknesses: My one crap AP, I guess SAT score compared to others but remember what I typed above, no work experience, and my one decent SAT II
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I fit the criteria they wanted, and they also need a diverse campus. I basically met their needs and more, and I worked my ass off to get there. Just work hard and it pays off
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’ve applied to McGill, NYU, Fordham, Northeastern. I was going to apply to Columbia, Northwestern, and Georgetown, but not anymore baby.

General Comments:
I love all of you guys who are here from the thread. You kept me sane, and no matter where you end up, you will do amazing things. Just remember that working your ass off is a legit college strategy, and just being a real human being who adds a little of flavor to their campus is really all that is required. Don’t try to appear to be someone you are not when applying anywhere, because admissions offices can tell when you try too hard.

It still hasn’t clicked that I’m a Tiger holy crap. Lots of love to all and best of luck no matter when you are reading this.

1 Like
12

Decision : Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1530 (800 math, 730 EBRW)
ACT (breakdown):None
SAT II: Maths 2 800 Physics 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: I don’t think my school has that kind of system
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/450 I guess…
AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics C Mechanics (5)

IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: idk if any of you know about the ISC Curriculum in India but that is basically what I am studying at the moment in addition to taking an advanced course in Physics Chemistry and Maths
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None which are that major… did win a national level astrophysics competition though, that too against college students

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Radio Club (founder and moderator), have been teaching my juniors since the last 4 years along with giving debates and speeches in various international seminars organized by my school about bringing out love for knowledge in the younger generations

Job/Work Experience: None tbh

Volunteer/Community service: Part of an NGO programme to provide basic literacy to underprivileged and extremely poor children and even adults

Summer Activities: Studying up on some advanced topics and taking up extra courses beyond the scope of my current curriculum. Also did some recordings for and hosted some radio shows.

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App (9/10) : basically wrote about how passionate I am about science and discovery and about how a large part of my life is taking up inspiration from various places and sources but mostly a lot from quantum mechanics and the like
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t see any but trying to rate them on my nearest guess

Teacher Rec #1: Advanced Course Physics Teacher (9/10) Was one of his favourite and most reliable students…also the most proficient in his subject…so he has probably written a lot of good stuff about me…
Teacher Rec #2: English teacher cum class teacher (8/10) has known me the most among all of my high school teachers and views me in very high regard
Counselor Rec: (8/10) quite a nice teacher and someone whom I am quite friendly and open with…
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Went really great!! We talked about a lot of stuff, from how I like reading to anime to my future plans…He seemed genuinely impressed

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Physics
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): India
School Type: Private Coed
Ethnicity: Indian?
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~10000$
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: My essays, which brought out my interest in what I want i want to do and accomplish
Weaknesses: My extracurriculars… i feel they are quite sparse…probably my rank and scores?
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I honestly have no idea…Probably I wasn’t good enough i guess? quite confused about this though
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: ------

General Comments:
For all those who have a mixed bag of feelings and are just looking for people to share their thoughts and views, I have started a thread for Princeton deferrals, and it would be great if you could check it out and start interacting there

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/princeton-university/2115418-princeton-university-scea-2023-deferral-thread.html#latest

13

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (R: 720, M: 800, Essay: 22)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: US history: 750, Math 2: 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Weighted GPA: 4.2
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 21/500
AP (place score in parenthesis): US history: 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Gov’t, HP Comp Gov’t, AP English lit, Architecture, AP Spanish
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • History Club (founder and president)
  • School Play
    Job/Work Experience:
    -Tutoring at school (paid by my school)
    Volunteer/Community service:
  • Docent at Local Historic Home museum + research and write up exhibits for museum + plan and set up tea parties
  • Docent at annual historic home tour
  • Volunteer at public library
  • Volunteer for local walking tours
    Summer Activities:
    -History program at UC Berkeley
  • Volunteering at local historical society’s walking tours

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app: 9/10 pretty solid. I spent months working on it. It was about my love/passion for local history.
Supplement: 8/10 also solid, but basic. I wrote about the significance of a fellow classmate. I would always debate with him on a variety of topics. Our arguments/conversations helped foster my mentality of talking to others for the sake of learning + finding my own voice and beliefs.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:(8/10) My calc teacher. I’ve had her for two years. We have a good relationship, but we’re not super close.
Teacher Rec #2: (7/10) APUSH teacher. I didn’t talk that much in the class.
Counselor Rec: (8/10) She was really enthusiastic about writing my letter. Kept visiting me in class to ask me personal questions. But also she has to write letters of rec to over 100 students…
Additional Rec: (9/10) My “supervisor” from the historic home where I volunteer. We have a strong relationship. She knows how enthusiastic I am about history.
Interview: (7/10) It was my first interview. I was extremely nervous; I came out as red as a tomato. :frowning: But other than that, it went smoothly.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yea
Intended Major: History
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: large public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: upper middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nah

Reflection

Strengths: I’m pretty passionate about what I do. I love history, esp. local history + My essays
Weaknesses: Test scores are on the low end. I took only 1 AP class junior year. I have a fair number of A-'s. Also not super strong recommendations.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: See above
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments:

Pretty bummed tbh (who wouldn’t be?). I have to start working on other applications. :confused: I am keeping my fingers crossed. Now I just have to wait… for 3 more months. I will probably send in another LOR and a LOI. Good luck to all who were deferred!

14

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1570 (800 Math, 770 ERW)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 US History
Unweighted GPA: 3.98/4.0
Rank: N/A
AP: BC Calculus (5), AB Calculus Subscore (5), Statistics (5), French (5), English Literature (5), 3D Studio Art (5), US History (5), Computer Science A (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Macro, AP Micro, AP Physics I, Hon Multivariable Calc, Hon Post-AP CS, Hon Post-AP French, English XII
Minor Awards: National Merit SF, Academic All-American Athlete, National AP Scholar, All-New England Athlete

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Varsity Water Polo (9-12) (Captain) (East Coast Champions)
Varsity Tennis (8-9, 12)
Owner of Coins YouTube Channel (8000+ Subscribers, 800000+ Views, 3 Videos Per Week)
Math Team (9-12)
Computer Science Team (10-12) (Captain)
Entrepreneurship Club (9-12) (President)

Job/Work Experience:
4 Years, Year-Round working in a coin shop and assuming leadership roles in terms of being responsible for large transactions, making appraisals, and numismatic research.
1 Summer, Working in the World Trade Center at a financial tech startup.

Volunteer/Community service:
Church Involvement (Midnight Runs, Food Shelters, etc.)
Driving a blind man to and from church and helping him take communion / participate in the events.

Summer Activities:
Playing water polo, working in coin shop/fintech startup, producing videos for YouTube channel

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: Talked about my experience as a coin collector and what it means to me. Unique but nothing crazy (9/10)
Princeton Supplements: 8/10
Princeton Graded Essay: 8/10
Princeton Full Essay: 9/10

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10
Counselor Rec: ??
Additional Rec: 10/10 Boss
Additional Rec: 9/10 Boss

Interview: 10/10 – Could not have gone better

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Econ/Archaeology
State (if domestic applicant): Northeast
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy

Reflection:

Strengths: Test scores, academics, athletics, legacy, unique but applicable extracurricular (they have a large numismatic collection)

Weaknesses: School of ~100 already has three committed athletes and potentially more, bland essays

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: If accepted, legacy likely tipped a competitive application in. If rejected, potentially they may not have wanted to have four+ kids from one school. I would be so excited to attend (like out of my mind excited).

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: N/A

General Comments: This was all written before I heard to minimize bias. I feel as though I have about a thirty percent chance of acceptance given legacy status, and would be thrilled with an acceptance. There are also a lot of other awesome places that would be exciting to attend as well!

Edit: So excited! Feel free to send a message, I’d love to get to know you guys before getting to campus next fall!

15

Remove the “a” in the bold, size, and color of your decision.

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 730 R/W and 790 Math
ACT (breakdown): 35 35 for all except a 34 for English
SAT II: 710 or 720 US History and 680 math 2 lmao
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Weighted GPA: 4.38
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5 i would guess
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5) Lang (5) BC Calc (5) Physics C Mechanics (5) World History (4) Art (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable/Linear Algebra, AP Gov, AP Comp Gov, AP Lit, AP Bio, Human Anatomy, Chinese 4

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nope

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): yoga teacher certified, soccer, national art honor society (vp), tons of honor societies and other clubs. lots of at home responsibilities.

Job/Work Experience: nope

Volunteer/Community service: just a TON in general, mostly making food for homeless shelter

Summer Activities: Bio internship at a top 50 university, summer program at top 30 university taking undergrad classes
Essays (rating 1-10, details):

  • common app: 10/10, about home life and my passion for creating things
  • long supp: 9/10, touchy topic, about seeking balance in life after disordered eating

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 bc calc teacher loved her to death
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10 ap lang teacher also loved haha such an inspiration
Counselor Rec: 9/10 he is normally not the best but I explained my background to him in a senior profile and he was a lot nicer and I think he wrote me a good letter
Additional Rec: nope
Interview: I didn’t think it was the best but apparently went well! She was pretty emotionless and hard to read but it was about an hour!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: lol heck yes
Intended Major: molecular biology
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public, 2500+ kids
Ethnicity: hispanic and central/east asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: sub 60 k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM in various ways, questbridge (applied to princeton SCEA instead of ranking!)

Reflection:

Strengths: Really showed who I am as a person, was honest and didn’t try to fluff up. I secured really good recommendations because I make great bonds with my teachers. I think I’m a pretty decent writer also (I love writing).

Weaknesses: Interview, probably. And being from a fairly high income, very competitive public high school, not a “spike”, very well rounded

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Authenticity!!!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: idk haha

General Comments: stay true to yourself and if the school is the right fit for you, you will be chosen. if not, don’t worry you will go to college you will be successful. college doesn’t define you in the slightest!!!

16

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1550 (780M, 770R, 6/6/6 essay)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36E, 36S, 33M, 34R)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.57
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~30/350 (school’s ranking is weird but 4.0 uw and 10% so not sweating it)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC, Music Theory, US History, Environmental Science, Statistics, English Language (all 5’s)
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calculus at state university (just finished with final grade of 97), AP World History, Honors Jazz Band, AP Spanish Language, Honors Choir, Twentieth Century Topics Seminar, AP English Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Camp trainee/counselor, moderator on Genius.com, pianist for school musicals, school swim team (captain), honors choir (president), improv team (captain), member of acapella group
Job/Work Experience: Camp counselor, lifeguard for local pool
Volunteer/Community service: National Honors Society
Summer Activities: Working at camp, outward bound trip
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10; spent a lot of time on it to make it unorthodox but interesting; very happy with the finished product. Found a couple grammatical mistakes after submitting though
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10. Incredibly hard APUSH teacher who is known for writing great recs. We are both fond of each other which is pretty rare—not only for her to like students, but also for students to like her
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10. Math teacher; had her for two years and she’s an old family friend, but I didn’t do super well the first year in her class
Counselor Rec: 6.5/10. Counselor knows who I am and we’ve talked several times, but wouldn’t expect anything great.
Additional Rec: 10/10. Chorus and music theory teacher; we know each other very well (I’ve babysat for her son, she calls me whenever she’s stressed about about the choir, etc.) and expect it to be pretty good.
Interview: 9.5/10. Showed up a little late but he was late as well so didn’t really matter; very good conversation (he asked about me as much as I asked about the school, but it flowed naturally) and we both liked each other a lot

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Woody Woo
State (if domestic applicant): NC
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Multiracial
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Deep background in/love for music, gay

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, being authentic in my passions/ECs
Weaknesses: Nothing non-academic that’s “high-achieving”
Why you think you were deferred: Probably the above weakness, but at the end of the day I did everything as well as I wanted to, so am proud of my application despite the deferral—I mean hey it’s Princeton it’s not like I could expect an acceptance
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: nowhere so far

General Comments: Don’t feel discouraged about the process! There are so many other great schools to choose from and there’s still certainly a chance for Princeton

17

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1560 (800 Math, 760 EBR&W, 6-6-6 Essay)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (36 English, 34 Math, 35 Reading, 32 Science, 10 Essay) // didn’t send
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 760 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88
Weighted GPA: 4.53
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): idk
AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics 1 (5), English Lang (5), US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP English Lit, AP US Gov’t, Religion 4, AP Comp Sci, DE Discrete Math, DE Linear Algebra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 2x AIME Qualifier, AP Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist, School Departmental Awards (Math, Science, History, Spanish)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Water Polo (9-12): Varsity (10-12), All-League (11-12), Captain (12)
  • Swimming (9-12): Varsity (9-12), All-League (10-12), Section & State Meet Qualifier (10-12)
  • Math Club (10-12): President (12), organized competition for middle schools this year (25+ schools attended)
  • Democracy Club (10-12): just kinda hung out and talked about current events and policy
  • Speech & Debate (12): co-founded this year
  • Campus Ministry (11-12): retreat leader and went on 2 service trips to South America
  • Jamba Juice (11-12): work part-time

Summer Activities: sports are year-round for me and I worked at Jamba Juice

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App (9.5/10, personal), Main Supplement (9.5/10, about free will), Summers (8/10, learning Python juxtaposed with learning my job), Activity (6/10, Swimming)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Hon Precalculus (7.5/10, knew him well and gave me dept. award but idk how well written)
Teacher Rec #2: AP US History (9.5/10, participated a ton, gave me dept. award)
Counselor Rec: idk I mean it’s a counselor rec (7??/10)
Additional Rec: Soph. Spanish Teacher (11/10, let me read it, it was the best stuff anyone’s ever said about me imo, consistent with my essays)
Interview: went well, pretty broad/casual conversation, was around an hour (8.5/10)

Applied for Financial Aid?: nope
Intended Concentration: Math
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Catholic
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: too much for aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): all of them

Reflection

Strengths: essays were good per my teachers/peers that read them?
Weaknesses: hookless, lack of theme/clear quota that I’d fill within the class, grades could have been better, lack of service
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: no clear interests, pretty standard app overall
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: nowhere yet
General Comments: not really sure what value Princeton sees in deferring everyone

18

For my son:

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 790 ® 800 (M)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 (math 2) 800 (physics) 800 (chemistry)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (5), AP Eng Lang (5), Calc BC (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Phy C, Multivar Calc, AP French, AP CS, Research, AP Eng Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF, local and regional music awards, National French exams gold medalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
NHS, Science Club, Math Club, CS Club, French Honor Society, school newspaper
Band - symphonic and jazz (All State and regional ensembles)
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service:
Soup kitchen, senior center - all 4 years
Summer Activities:
Selective Math camp
State Governor’s School
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App was really good (at least an 8)
Supplement was on cultural background (at least a 7)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: English teacher from 11 grade
Teacher Rec #2: Physics teacher of two years
Counselor Rec: Don’t know
Additional Rec:
Interview:
Went well
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Undecided
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Suburban Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: High
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: Academics and honors in extra curriculars. Essays
Weaknesses: Nothing extraordinary in extra curriculars and background
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: See weaknesses
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Also applying to Rutgers, Yale, Harvard, JHU, Columbia, Penn, Berkeley

General Comments:

19

Decision: Deferred

*Note: I am filling this out before seeing my decision to prevent bias.

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1580 (800 Math, 780 English), Essay: 19
ACT (breakdown): 36 in all subsections, Essay: 10
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 800 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.82
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Officially in top 1% or 330, unofficially rank #2
AP (place score in parenthesis):
Calc BC, AB subscore, Computer Science A, Chinese, Stats, Chemistry, Physics 1, US History – (5)
World History, Physics 2 – (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Honors Orchestra, AP Microeconomics, AP Spanish, AP Government, Wellness A/B, AP English 12, Math/Science Thesis, Partial Differential Equations (taken at local college)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USNCO Honors Award (top 150), 2-time USNCO semifinalist, 2-time AIME Qualifier, 2-time DOE Science Bowl Regional/State Champion, National Merit Semifinalist, National AP Scholar Award, USACO Silver Level

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): I’ve done most of these extracurricular activities all 4 years; the years refer to when I held that leadership position
Mu Alpha Theta (Chapter, State, and National Presidents): 10th-12th
Math Club (President): 10th/12th
Science Bowl (Co-captain): 12th
Varsity Swimming (2-year team Captain): 4-year letterman
Club Soccer Player
Chess Club (Treasurer): 9th-12th
NHS
Student Council Concessions (Manager): 12th
Youth Leadership (Council Board Member): 11th-12th
Job/Work Experience:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Intern
Study.com Math Expert Q/A Contractor
Volunteer/Community service:
Children’s Museum: ~120 hrs
Methodist Medical Center: ~140 hrs
Smokey Mountain Wildfire Relief: ~8 hrs
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Calculus: My calculus teacher has had me for three years (1 year calculus, 2 years math/science thesis). We started off on the wrong foot, but I think over time we developed a good relationship: 7
Teacher Rec #2: Chemistry: Not many people like my chem teacher because they think she goes too fast or doesn’t teach well enough. However, we really connected; her fast paced teaching ways were compatible with my love for chemistry. She knows my academic interests but not really my extracurricular ones: 8
Counselor Rec: I have a really close relationship with my counselor and I think she probably wrote me a great recommendation. She knows all about my interests both academically and extracurricular: 9
Additional Rec: Youth Leadership Advisor: I’ve interacted with her a lot the past two years during our weekly meetings. She’s helped me develop speaking skills and is involved with my interests and can speak for the type of leader I am. I actually saw this letter; I’m pretty happy with it: 9.5
Interview: I actually though the interview went really well. They’re supposed to last 1 hour, but we got so engaged in the conversation two hours had already passed before we looked at the time. Although my interviewer was a humanities guy and I was a STEM one, we really connected.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Chemical/Biological Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Tennessee
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~$190,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: Leadership
Weaknesses: I participated in too many activities; shows maybe lack of loyalty
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My essay kind of explained what I did not why I did it, need to demonstrate greater passion
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to UIUC and UTK

General Comments:

20

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):750 M 750 RW: 1500
ACT (breakdown): highest 30 34 E 31 R 27 M 26 S (oof) I hate the ACT
SAT II:770 US history 660 World history (oof)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.9
Weighted GPA:4.2 (lowkey seems low but at my school it is very high)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):11/298
AP (place score in parenthesis): a lot i really dont want to type them all. four 5s, one 4, and one 3
IB (place score in parenthesis): ■■■ is this
Senior Year Course Load: AP Micro, AP Calc AB, AP Lit, AP Psych, Orchestra, Next semester is communications, astronomy and all of the previous courses besides AP Lit and Micro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Some orchestra solo violin and large group contest awards. some National history day regional awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Violin (concert master in 2 orchestras)
Dance-- 10 hour a week, including many performances per year
National history day competition-- takes up most of 2nd semester
Job/Work Experience: part time job 20 hours a week
Volunteer/Community service: like none. i like money sorry.
Summer Activities:Work. work. work. traveled a bit with the money i worked for
Essays (rating 1-10, details):9.5/10 I am quite proud of them. wrote about how I have always been mistaken for a foreigner and how I complained about my wage at my old job (it was half humorous, half serious)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I honestly dont know how well they were. of course, my teachers liked me but i dont think im that extraordinary, 8/10?

Teacher Rec #1: AP GOv teacher. I was the only junior in the class so hopefully he wrote something admirable about me 8/10
Teacher Rec #2: APUSH teacher. I love that class so much omg. 8/10
Counselor Rec: I go to his office quite a bit so he know me pretty well. 10/10
Additional Rec: My orchestra teacher. I only started in 8th grade so I know he can be a testament to my hardwork 10/10
Interview:
Ive had better interviews but it was not bad at all. I kind of just explained one of my EC in a weird and confusing way 8/10
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: hell yes
Intended Major: Woodrow Wilson
State (if domestic applicant):MN
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:small town, kinda large, 1100 kids
Ethnicity: Black
Gender:Woman
Income Bracket: this is slightly complicated since my parents are divorced but technically my income bracket it around 100K with both my parents combined income
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, kind of a unique background

Reflection

Strengths: my essays were the best i have ever written
Weaknesses: i wouldnt change anything looking back but my sat ii did not help much
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:I believe that my essays stood out quite a bit. I also only did what i loved and was passionate about in high school. Dont waste your time padding your resume, do what is important to you.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have not gotten any other decisions but this has definitely taken a weight off my shoulders

General Comments: I still cant believe it. Its like a dream.