So I'm Definitely In

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>J/k, I know it is a reach for everyone almost, but can you gauge my chances. I want to major in mechanical engineering.</p>

<p>Race:Black
SAT: 2070 (790 CR, 650 M, 630 W) I probably will not send this in
ACT: 31
SAT 2: Havent taken yet</p>

<p>Work Experience</p>

<p>6/1/07-7/25/07 Target (Missouri City, TX) 30 hrs/week
6/7/08-8/22/08 16 hrs/week
Employee Food Ave.
Mitigate customer relations problems<br>
Provide high-quality food service </p>

<p>Activities</p>

<p>10th-12th Elkins Forensics Team 30 hrs/week
Member(10th-11th), Team Captain(12th) 25 weeks/year
Participated in Lincoln-Douglass Debate and Extemporaneous Speaking<br>
Instructed novice debaters </p>

<p>9th-12th Trumpet Player</p>

<p>9th -10th Elkins High School Football Team 20 hrs/week
Linebacker, Kickoff, and Receiving Team 36 weeks/year
Directed the Defensive formation
(Quit because of wrist surgery) </p>

<p>11th-12th Science Honor Society 6 hrs/week
Member(11th), Parliamentarian(12th) 15 weeks/year
Judged local science fairs
Participated in community service for science related endeavors </p>

<p>11th-12th English Honor Society 6 hrs/week
Member(11th), Treasurer(12th) 6 weeks/year
Financial management for the society</p>

<p>11th-12th Mu Alpha Theta 6 hrs/week Member(11th-12th) 5 weeks/year
Competed in General Math and Science </p>

<p>Athletic Awards </p>

<p>9th District Runner-Up Football
2nd Place in district
10th District Champions Football
1st Place in district </p>

<p>Musical Awards
9th
Dallas Lone Star Showcase of Music Outstanding in Division Award
University Interscholastic League Concert Sight-Reading Award
10th
San Francisco Musical Showcase Participant
University Interscholastic League Performance Award</p>

<p>Speech & Debate Awards</p>

<p>10th
State Qualifier in Lincoln Douglass Debate
5th Place Team Texas Forensic League State Tournament
1st place University of Texas Longhorn Classic Tournament
1st Place Aldine Debate Tournament
National Forensic League Distinction Honor </p>

<p>11th
State Qualifier in Lincoln Douglass Debate
State Quarterfinalist Extemporaneous Speaking
3rd Place University Interscholastic League District Extemporaneous Speaking
6th Place National Forensic League District Extemporaneous Speaking
National Forensic League Special Distinction Honor </p>

<p>Science Research Awards</p>

<p>9th
Fort Bend Outstanding Achievement in Science Award </p>

<p>10th
Fort Bend Outstanding Achievement in Science Award
Elkins High School Top Chemistry Student Honor</p>

<p>11th
Evaluation of Photon Tunneling Probability by Spatial Variation published by The Society for Amateur Scientists
4th Place American Physics Society-Texas Chapter
Jacobs Engineering Science Research Award
4th Place Science and Engineering Fair of Houston
Fort Bend Outstanding Achievement in Science Award
Elkins High School Top Chemistry Student Honor </p>

<p>Distinctive Research:</p>

<p>9th Quantitative Analysis of Electron Transition in Helium </p>

2

<p>I've never heard of Elkins... so how the heck did you find a job researching that stuff?!?!?!?!</p>

3

<p>You have great activities, and you do have the URM thing that could play in your favor but you need to have 3 Subject tests, which means they will see your SAT anyhow. So, the scores are a bit low-you didn't list gpa or rank and those are very important stats. Princeton seems to be pretty relient on test scores but if your rank and gpa are good then your will ec's will help. Good Luck.</p>

4

<p>Shoot I forgot to list my rank and GPA, </p>

<p>Rank:13/476
GPA: 3.86 UW, 5.54 W</p>

<p>I did not get a job researching it I did it on my own at home. I have been teaching myself the stuff and researching every summer since seventh grade so it has been a progression.</p>

<p>In terms of APs, I am going to have seven this year and I had four last year so I have a total of 11 AP classes.</p>

5

<p>Good chances, given the combination of your URM status and good research. I can't say you're definitely in ;), but really, who is? Make sure you do well on the SAT 2s, and maybe retake the SAT I if you want.</p>

<p>I think you'll be an attractive applicant. That obviously doesn't mean you'll get in, but if you apply to a few places I imagine you'll meet with significant success.</p>

6

<p>Thanks! The other colleges I am applying to are:Harvard, UPenn, Yale, Duke, UT, and of course Princeton. Hopefully I get into them.</p>

7

<p>Are you guaranteed admission to UT? If not, I'd suggest adding a safety or 2more - 4 out of 5 of the schools you listed are extremely selective and difficult to get into. You have good chance of getting into all of them, but there's also a non-negligible chance you get into none. So make sure you've got your bases colored. And be optimistic - I'm sure things will turn out fine. :)</p>

8

<p>I am guaranteed admission to UT. I just got my real ACT score (the other one was the projected I hoped for) and it is a 34, so needless to say I am happy :)!</p>

9

<p>how the hell did you teach yourself all that stuff?? i'm impressed.</p>

10

<p>It took a really long time. I started the summer of seventh grade and kept teaching myself in the same topic: quantum mechanics, so that by eleventh grade I had learned alot.</p>

11

<p>"Calculated dilations in the wavefunctions of the Helium atom in a static electromagnetic field to elucidate effects of magnetism on particles for optimization of engineering design environments"</p>

<p>Wow! Self-studying quantum mechanics (meaning you had to learn by yourself differential equations) and your URM status makes you golden for Princeton. Did you get published for your articles? If so, you have a great, great chance. It still wonder though, if you're THAT good, why don't you do UIL science? You would totally rock the physics section. The problem is I never saw a black student at the regionals 5-3A science UIL.</p>

<p>Haha, I'm still studying the Schrodinger equation by myself, and I can tell, it's not easy (scratches his head mechanically...)</p>

12

<p>I love differential equations! <3</p>

13

<p>Oh my gosh, it took me so long to understand Schrodinger's equation, it is based on the combination of bohr's basic equation of energy. You know with H= h bar squared divided by twice the mass, plus the the potential that the particle is in. What Schrodinger did was to seperate Bohr's single particle into its components, that is why it had to be partial derivatives, to see the instaneous rate of change of each component of the wavefunction (x,y,z) in the three coordinate plan. </p>

<p>So schrodinger then used Bohr's equation and applied it to the dynamic system. So when you know the energy of a particle (the Hamilitian, yeah I am a bad speller) you then apply it so back solve for the particles wavefunction. </p>

<p>That is why it is so useful, bc you can use it solve for energy and position, which are the very basics of quantum mechanics. So it has applications to any dynamic system of particles. I still do not know whether it holds up for larger things, but for particles like electrons (which is what I used it for) it works.</p>

<p>The sum of Schrodinger's equation is that it yields the evolution of plane waves. I used it when finding the evolution of a wavefunction of electrons in a static magnetic field (a dynamic field would have been soooooo complex :(). If you want to know what happens, the wavefunction yields a slight decrease, so if you want to track particle position DO NOT do it in an electromagnetic field.</p>

<p>The science olympiad stuff is not offered at my school, I go to a large public and I am about the only person who does science research.</p>

14

<p>The article that got published was the one about quantum tunneling of photons, but I did it completely on my own so no legit journal would publish the work of a high schooler with a lab that is his bedroom. So it was published by the Society for Ameutuer Scientists.</p>

15

<p>Don't sound pompous in your essays. You sound a little proud right here.</p>

16

<p>"but I did it completely on my own so no legit journal would publish the work of a high schooler with a lab that is his bedroom."</p>

<p>I still think you should try submitting it for Intel/Siemens quality science fair. You never know. Last year, a russian student won for a math project on topology, not for an experimental science project.</p>

17

<p>
[quote]
"Don't sound pompous in your essays. You sound a little proud right here. "

[/quote]
</p>

<p>First i was talking to the poster who asked about understading Schrodinger's equation so I would think he understands what I was talking about.</p>

<p>And second, it is something that I am very proud of, but not in the pompous way. I mean I literally spent years teaching myself and doing projects so it is something that I am very proud of. But I do not want to be pompous.</p>

18

<p>You put my stats to shame. Your SAT I could really hurt you, though.</p>

<p>I'm on the debate & forensics team @ my school, too, & going LD this year ( I qualified for state on my first weekend out!)</p>

19

<p>^ he got a 34 on the ACT</p>

20

<p>phosphorlyescenc how did you qual for state in one weekend? You need 10 to qualify and you can only get max 8 at one tournament or did they change the rules or maybe you are just that awesome ;)</p>