What the heck?!?!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>now, before you read this, don't assume im being pretentious and annoying, im just kinda venting and want some opinions...these are my stats:</p>

<p>GPA: 3.98 UW, 4.5 W
Class Rank: 2/640
SAT: 2250, ACT: 34, SAT II's 750 Math II, 750 Chemistry, 790 Spanish
All 5's and 4's on AP tests, mostly 5's
White male from Southern California, public school</p>

<p>Captain of varsity tennis team, on it all four years, won MVP of league, awarded top doubles player in the county, I also have a United States Tennis Association ranking of top 50 in Southern California. Been playing since i was ten.</p>

<p>Vice-Chair of City Council Youth Commission, on it for three years. We plan events and charities for teens with disabilities in the city and help pass certain legislation pertaining to the youth.</p>

<p>Three year editor of school newspaper (Center Editor, Copy Editor, Managing Editor). I won numerous county and national awards in journalistic writing as well. </p>

<p>President of Red Cross Club. Ran numerous charity drives.</p>

<p>Vice President of Project Concern Club. </p>

<p>Captain of Academic Decathlon team, two years. I won six medals and 2 highest scorer plaques combined for both years i was on the team. </p>

<p>I had well-written and interesting essays and my counselor loves me, and my teachers like me as well. Basically, what I want to know is how I got flat out rejected from Cornell, Dartmouth, Wharton and The College at UPenn, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and waitlisted at Amherst and Williams. I didn't even get waitlisted to one ivy. I got rejected after being deferred from Stanford as well. I'm a little bitter, and I just want your guys's opinions or thoughts cuz I'm a little sad. My choices now are either Duke or Berkeley.</p>

2

<p>Well thats definately a ■■■ moment…there most have been an achilles heel somewhere…Felony? Murder Charges? Tax Fraud?</p>

<p>JK</p>

3

<p>Wait for it… wait for it… I got nothing unless:

  1. You seemed psycho in your interviews.
  2. Your essays or recommendeations were not as good as you thought.
  3. Your application was viewed as invalid because maybe you lied or something.</p>
4

<p>In hindsight, you should have worked the recruited athlete path.
For schools taking one in ten, and maybe one in twenty unhooked, you looked like plenty of other people in the application pool. It’s just that tough.
This doesn’t negate all your considerable accomplishments. It says more about the application pool than it does about you.</p>

5

<p>Alex it is tough and many people are like you and confused. Some are worse off though. You have two great schools to choose from. I know kids who love Duke.</p>

<p>Try to move on and embrace the choices you have. I hope next year you will come back and tell others like you how much you love your new school.</p>

6

<p>a ton of kids like you get rejected every year. You’re obviously a great candidate, but I’m not shocked you didn’t get into those places. Nothing jumps off the page. And Duke v. Berk? Not exactly slumming it.</p>

7

<p>Well were you recruited? 'Cause if not, you’re in that “toss-up” category… although I would’ve expected you to have been accepted by at least Cornell.</p>

8

<p>Top 50, as a singles player? Boy’s 18? If so, what went wrong when you spoke to the coaches at each school? What exactly did they say? What was your best placing at Nationals?</p>

9

<p>no i was top 50 in cali, not the nation, i wish haha, im not good enough for recruitment at the ivies, i contacted the coaches who all wanted top 100 in the nation wen i talked to them, which i’m not because i never got around to playing national tournaments all the time</p>

10

<p>omg youre exactly like me</p>

<p>president of red cross club (ran numerous drives with each one amounting to several thousand dollars), captain of academic team (science olympiad), captain of sports team (swim team), board of many youth commissions, 2250 sat, copyeditor of school newspaper</p>

<p>but competitive high school in massachusetts</p>

11

<p>You got into Duke… You’re not as great as you think.</p>

12

<p>Could you elaborate, randombetch?</p>

13

<p>Duke and Berkeley are two fine schools. You could have gotten into some more on your list and not had better choices.
To deconstruct some of the numbers, Harvard, Princeton etc. have said they accept one in six applicants rated #1 in their class. The odds for #2 might be one in ten or fifteen.
For those unhooked, I’ve always taken (somewhat crudely) the 75th percentile of the class as median SATs for unhooked admits. You are looking at 780-800 Math and Reading at the top schools. I know it’s hard to believe that #2 in the class and Math and Reading of maybe 750 each would leave them searching for other reasons to accept you, but they would.</p>

14

<p>Poor kid! Your stats are perfectly good enough for all those top 3 schools. There must a reason behind the rejection by all. You are judged by what you submitted. Your applications do not show you are what they are looking for. I guess you are indeed ‘pretentious and annoying’ as you described yourself, but you do not realize it. It is not acceptable to show any conceit or being self-centered side of you in college applications. The point is to show you are great, and also great to others around you, therefore possibly contributing more to your college life of you and other students.</p>

15

<p>Well, Duke are UCB are very, very good schools, so you have a choice between two great places. Not too shabby, as many people don’t even get such a great choice.</p>

<p>It might come down to something as shallow as female preference. UCB and the Bay Area has some of the hottest Asian and Indian girls you’ll ever see. I’ve never been to Duke or NC, but I would imagine they have a plethora of extremely beautiful Caucasian girls. Just a data point to consider…</p>

16

<p>You have solid stats and okay ECs but not standout SATs or ECs. The problem with sports is if you aren;t a recruit being #50 in SoCal vs. just a varsity doubles player doesn’t really matter. </p>

<p>Good news: Holy **** you got into Duke. I would choose it over Penn and Cornell anyway.</p>

17

<p>Schools don’t talk to each other. Look a kid with okay ECs, a 2250, and a sal is probably going to get into a couple Ivies tops. I don;t understand the shock.</p>

<p>Also Alex you got into Duke. I mean how much better can it get than that!</p>

18

<p>Sometimes life doesnt work out the way it should. Be happy with your acceptances to UCB and Duke, these are great schools!</p>

19

<p>I agree with Stoompy312- perhaps your recommendations were not as good as you assumed. Or a few mediocre marks in the “Character Qualities” section the teacher checks off could have sunk your app.</p>

<p>Thank your lucky stars for Duke, it’s a fabulous place.</p>

20

<p>slipper1234: i don’t really see what your saying. your saying that because the OP played a sport which he loved and had passion for, displayed leadership with (being captain) and excelled at (ranked, MVP award), that this does not matter at all on an application because he is not being recruited. that doesn’t make any sense to me; don’t colleges want you do what you love. I mean, its the same thing as if you played an instrument, and was very good, but your not getting recruited for your instrument so that won’t matter at all on your app as well?</p>