Can I get my GPA up enough to get into Princeton by the time I apply?
Freshman year I got a 3.2 weighted and 3.1 unweighted both semesters, this year as a sophomore i did much better getting a 3.85 weighted, 3.7 unweighted 1st semester and a 4.14 weighted and 3.85 unweighted 2nd semester leading to a 3.6 weighted and 3.4 unweighted cumulative GPA. I know thats not good enough to get into princeton, but if I do really well junior and senior year do you think my gpa will be high enough to be considered?
Depends on where you fall in class rankings. From the looks of it, your GPA will be too low to place you in the top 1% of the grade, meaning it will be almost impossible for you to get into Princeton.
Being in the top 1% of your class is not a requirement for getting into Princeton.
I can’t find any published info on the GPA/Class Rank for Princeton’s admitted students, but I did find this info for Yale, which has stats that are very, very close to Princeton’s. 91% were in the top 5% of their class and 97% were in the top 10%.
Class rank is only one factor in a very complicated evaluation process. There are numerous other factors that admissions uses, including SAT's, minority status, state/country, extracurricular activities (a major component), or whether the applicant is an athletic recruit, among many others.
^^ Class rank is not a factor; course rigor is. One student can take all easy courses and be ranked #1 in their class, but that will not get them into Princeton.
Ive heard princeton doesnt look at freshman GPA, which if thats true is VERY good for me, I was in the top 40% of my class last semester when I had a 3.4 W cumulative GPA i now have a 3.64 W so I've definitely risen and will continue to rise. On the subject of course rigor Im about one of 10 sophomores that took 2 AP classes last year when everyone else just took 1, other advanced class I've taken are Spanish 2 Pre-AP and English 2 Pre-AP. My school doesnt offer honors classes which is why my schedule isnt filled with them like everyone else on CC.
Total divided by 7= 3.67 UW culm GPA. Very very steep climb, plus the fact that you would need to take the most rigorous course options from here on out. Princeton is among the most selective colleges extant. Your academic profile, while promising for future collegiate success -- doesn't match the typical viable P'ton applicant, I'm afraid.
When giving info sessions for my HYP alma mater, I tell families/students that the usual viable candidate is among the handful of that school's top scholars -- by implication, if they aren't in that select group, I rarely would consider them a viable (i.e. realistic) candidate.
Best of luck to you and keep the upward trend going!
i honestly dont have an excuse, i guess my best one would be the transition from middle to high school was hard, but honestly i was lazy freshman year but sophomore year i realized if i wanted to get into my dream colleges i would have to get it together
