What should I do now? Please read/answer!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>Ok, so I've noticed that my making of hypothetical chance-me threads isn't doing anything for me. I need to know what I as a sophomore can do NOW to increase my chances of getting into Princeton EA.</p>

<p>Sophomore grades, so far:
Honors Chemistry: B/A (really hard class, even the top students have B-'s)
Spanish II (Honors isn't offered): A/A
Honors Wold History: A/A
Honors American Literature: A/A
Psychology (Elective): A/A
Religion (Required): A/A
Geometry (this is what kills me): C/A</p>

<p>1.) I took the PSAT in October, and received an absurdly low score that does not reflect my abilities/potential in any way. The day I took the test, I was a complete mess (sleep deprived, crying hysterically on the way to school, didn't study at all, severe test anxiety, the list goes on..) and I think my guidance counselor must now think that I'm stupid or something. Should I explain my score to him, or should I just not say anything? </p>

<p>2.) So, you're probably wondering about my math situation. I'll be honest by saying that the grade I received is a grade that I earned. I was a little lazy last semester. I didn't study too much for math, I have a terrible teacher, and didn't pay attention. I mean I took notes, but my mind was somewhere else. This semester, I have an entirely different mind-set. I have a tutor now (100x better than my teacher), I pay attention, study, ..yeah. I am definitely not getting another C, that's for sure. Will that really hurt my chances for Princeton, even if I get straight A's from here on out?</p>

<p>Those are my only problems. I understand that if I quit it with being lazy and giving in to my OCD, that I can get straight A's (which is what I have now.) </p>

<p>I'll graduate with 8/9 AP's offered, 10 Honors classes, and really cool/unique ECs (some work with National Geographic, etc). Assuming I keep straight A's from now on, I'll have a cumulative GPA of 3.94/4.4</p>

<p>I'm not taking the PSAT or the SAT ever again. I'm just going to take the ACT (took a practice test and scored really high, tbh) and SAT Subject tests.</p>

<p>You're probably thinking something along the lines of "not looking too good for a Princeton applicant" or "oh, pretty rough start". So maybe I'm not an AIME 4x qualifier or Intel Finalist or whatever, but I can assure you that I have a lot to offer to Princeton. I'm capable of sooo much more than what my transcript currently shows, and as the years go on, I'll make sure that Princeton knows that. My passions include writing, fingerstyle guitar, reading about the arctic/antarctic, and photography.</p>

<p>What I'm really wondering is just...what should I do as of now? What would you do in my situation? I can't stop thinking about this and it's driving me INSANE so I reallyyyy need advice/help. I'll stop with all of these stupid threads if people would just talk to me...</p>

<p>Thank you all very much for your time. :)</p>

<ul>
<li>Brooke</li>
</ul>

2

<p>137 views and still, no one responds. Bump please?</p>

3

<p>Bump? /10char</p>

4

<p>I feel that this applies to not only Stanford but all selective colleges
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/stanford-university/533633-how-get-into-stanford-admitted-student.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/stanford-university/533633-how-get-into-stanford-admitted-student.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>“Stats don’t get you in to a college, a personality gets you into college”</p>

6

<p>Give yourself a story to tell Princeton. Also, don’t fret. Princeton (and probably many other colleges) give more weight on junior and senior year academic performances than those of freshman and sophomore year.</p>

<p>Get at least 750 on at least 2 subject tests (SAT II), and try to take as many (that you know you will score well). Get at least a 30 on your ACT. Take APs and do well (get 5s)</p>

<p>I don’t know what you have so far on your ECs, but do your best. Be the captain of one of the school teams you’re in. Be actively involved both on capus, and within your community. </p>

<p>And lastly be sure to show your awesomeness through the essays. Be yourself.</p>

7

<p>Be interesting. </p>

<p>I had mediocre EC’s, no awards, and a rank suitable for not even Cornell. Through my essays I painted a picture of a culturally and socially aware teen with enough adventures and stories to fill a book…</p>

8

<p>Stay away from this forum until at least mid-way through junior year. Seriously, it’s just going to get you more stressed out than you seem to already be. If you’re already going insane about college as a sophomore, you’re going to go absolutely crazy by the time Senior year rolls around.</p>

<p>But really, you should never consciously go about doing things solely for the purpose of putting them on a college resume, especially not now as a sophomore. And there are few things that you can consciously choose to do that will get you into Princeton. Just find extracurriculars that you’re passionate about and hopefully excel in them. It’s great that you have a lot to offer to Princeton. In the next couple of years, focus on those pursuits, not because they’ll get you into Princeton, but because you love them.</p>