So, here’s the deal: I’m a quadruplet (which is like triplets plus one more) and I’m trying to go to college. I’m a junior and I want to get into an “elite” college (obviously Princeton, but possibly Georgetown ). I’m also an African American male if that helps.
Current Course Load: Honors Physics, AP Biology, AP Language and Composition, Honors Pre-Calculus, Government, Latin III.
*Senior year I will be taking all AP classes, except for one, art, because it’s a requirement at my school.
Unweighted GPA: 3.79
Weighted GPA: 4.33
ACT Score: 30 (This was my first try, I plan on taking it again)
Class Rank: Top 10%-- 72/732, but that is subject to change of course
Extracurriculars: Varsity Football, Varsity Track, Officer in School Cultural Club, Tutor at local elementary school, NSLI-Y (National Security Language Initiative for Youth) study abroad in Jordan with the State Department–I’m fluent in Arabic as a result, 20 hours a week working at Old Navy.
No, not poor, my parents make 230K a year. But, dividing that among 4 kids who are going to college all at once is going to be quite a challenge. In addition, next year, 5 of my 6 classes will be AP.
Work on that ACT. If you raise it, I think you have a shot at a top 20 school.
Ask your parents to run the NPCs for some schools and enter 4 enrolled at once (if all of your siblings will go straight to college). Schools that meet full need or merit scholarships are probably the way to go, but you need to understand the financial part of this. Find some schools that might give you a large merit award, too.
Being a higher scoring URM definitely helps. But PTon and its ilk are as hard as they come. Many super talented African American students will be rejected. All you can hope for is to be “viable” and thus, in the conversation. Anyone who would tell you more than that is speaking through their hat (“you have a really good shot” – ummm… no one other than Malala Obama has a real good chance). I think you’re “viable” and should definitely apply.
I recruit at my mostly black alma mater school district. Sometimes, even the best of the best from that very large school district do not get offers from schools like Princeton.
You’ve accomplished quite a bit. Make sure you apply widely. Best of luck to you.
First off, congratulations, you have accomplished a lot and are to be commended for that!
If you are a recruited athlete your circumstances will be a bit different. If not I believe your GPA is a bit on the low side, so the importance of bringing your ACT score up weighs more heavily. Really digging in on that I believe could be very meaningful for you.
Admission at Elite schools is remarkably challenging, being across the board strong is imperative.
To do what you have done while involved in athletics and working 20 hours a week is impressive. Best of luck to you!
Realistically, anyone’s chances at Princeton are dicey with a 7% acceptance rate. URM will help, but right now your test scores are low, and your GPA is on the lowish edge as well. Your NSLI-Y background is nice, but otherwise your EC’s don’t particularly stand out. None of this is to say that you don’t stand a chance or that you should not apply, but be realistic, and have a range of target schools. The more coherently you can present yourself and differentiate yourself, the better your chances will be. What makes you stand out from all the other qualified applicants? What would you bring to Princeton (or other schools) that will contribute? What do you want to do, and how would you take advantage of the incredible resources at these schools?