**Official Princeton Class of 2013 Decisions Thread**

[drange17]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

• SAT I (breakdown): 2350/2400 (CR 800 M 800 W 750)
• ACT: n/a, im an international
• SAT II: bioE 780 chem 800 math2 800
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): n/a
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
• AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a
• IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
• Senior Year Course Load: n/a
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

define major?

Subjective:

• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): astronomy club (co-founder and treasurer), martial arts club
• Job/Work Experience: does national service/tutoring count?
• Volunteer/Community service: organized 2 major fund-raisers
• Summer Activities:
• Essays: good?
• Teacher Recommendation: idk
• Counselor Rec: idk
• Additional Rec: should have sent this in
• Interview:

great

Other

• State (if domestic applicant):
• Country (if international applicant):
• School Type:
• Ethnicity:
• Gender: M
• Income Bracket: lower
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

1st gen?

Reflection

• Strengths:
• Weaknesses:
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

blaming it on providence

General Comments: crap, cornell rejected me too

[CoolCalculator]

Decision: Accepted

[itsme123]

what's the URL. pl. post i cannot access the decisions site.

[FloatingSaturn]

Decision: Accepted

Congrats to everyone who got in! Will you matriculate?

[confused_vnese]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

• SAT I (breakdown): 750 CR, 780 M, 800 WR
• ACT:
• SAT II: 780 M2, 760 M1, 740 Ch, 730 Ph
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Counselor estimated top 2% i think
• AP (place score in parenthesis):
• IB (place score in parenthesis):
• Senior Year Course Load: GCE A level candidate: Math Physics Chem History, English, History honors (prediction straight As)
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None too spectacular. No sciency olympiads. 1 international writing award 1st prize, Singapore odyssey of the mind etc.
  

Subjective:

• See my post in the Georgetown forum. For super-detailed, find my post in the Yale forum dated 16 Dec
  

Other

• Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes. Got more than 90% but i've got better offers.
• Intended Major: Political science
• State (if domestic applicant):
• Country (if international applicant): Vietnam
• School Type: In Singapore - large public. Very competitive
• Ethnicity: Asian
• Gender: F
• Income Bracket: Combined total 8k per annum
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): 4 years high school in Singapore on full scholarship and all the life experiences i got.
  

Reflection

• Strengths: I think i have a certain level of maturity that may not seem obvious from the way i look, and is definitely not something many 18 year olds have. I have a rather well-rounded profile, with major awards in both sciences and social sciences. I know what i want and i do well at it. I also have a personality. I'm quite funny in person and i know how to make conversations.
• What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Highlight the well-roundedness. My focus now is definitely on politics/history and english.
• Weaknesses: I've heard that you need intl olympiad prizes for H and i only had one writing competition to my name. I don't think i'm anything spectacular though. Seriously.
• Why you think you were accepted: I dont know! Its all a mystery
• Where else were you accepted: Harvard, Yale (EA), Columbia (likely), Dartmouth (likely), Georgetown SFS. Those are all that i applied for during RD round, withdrew the rest after EA decision.

General Comments: I don't know! I'm really overwhelmed. I received a likely so its a little expected but still feels nice to have that orange tiger popping out at four in the morning. Was the first decision i checked.

[dirigibleplum]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

• SAT I (breakdown): 2340 -- 780CR / 800M / 760W
• SAT II: U.S. History 680 / Chemistry 680 / Math II 690
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/323
• AP (place score in parenthesis): World Hist (4), Statistics (4), US Hist (4), English Lang (3)
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Bio, Civics, Hnrs Physics, AP Calc BC, AP Literature
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit semifinalist (finalist pending), academic letter, GA Certificate of Merit, AP Scholar with Honor, numerous science fair awards; also let them know about becoming valedictorian and a Presidential Scholars candidate post-submission

Subjective:

• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4 yrs community service (Key Club president, Beta Club treasurer, NHS); 3 yrs science fair, Georgia Junior Science and Humanities Symposium presenter; 1 yr Academic Team (varsity); 4 yrs Math Team; 1 yr county school superintendent student advisory group; 4+ yrs piano/keyboard; 1 yr "school-spirit" (homecoming festivities -- voted on homecoming court, voted homecoming queen); I also attached a more expansive resume, though nothing really worth noting here
• Job/Work Experience: None
• Volunteer/Community service: See above
• Summer Activities: Volunteered 6 weeks at a hospital
• Essays:
  - Common App -- "Describe a character in fiction, etc... that has had an influence on you" -- Wrote about Albus Dumbledore and how his advocacy of tolerance has made an impression on me.
  - Supplement -- Wrote some partially-developed drivel about my religious identification, and how I came to realize it.
• Teacher Recommendations: My Hnrs+AP Chem and AP Lang teachers both thought very highly of me. Can't speak for their writing ability, though my Lang teacher was probably better
• Counselor Rec: Could have ranged from generic to good
• Additional Rec: None
• Interview: Yes, personal interview. It was tepid at best.

Other

• State (if domestic applicant): GA
• School Type: Suburban public -- mediocre in my opinion, but located in a reasonably academically competitive region
• Ethnicity: Asian (Korean)
• Gender: F
• Income Bracket: < 30K
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First-gen

Reflection

• Strengths: SAT, GPA, Common App essay
• Weaknesses: No standout awards/ECs
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I know better than anyone that I'm hardly Ivy caliber. Also, Princeton loves impressive people who obviously want to impact some kind of change in the world. I'm hardly impressive -- practically vanilla compared to their accepted applicants.

General Comments: Not fussed. It was a huge reach.

[findis]

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:

• SAT I (breakdown): 800CR-790M-780W (2370)
• ACT:
• SAT II: 800's on physics, math II-C, US history, 780's on bio, chem
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): about 3.97
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 (tie)
• AP (place score in parenthesis): 5's on US History, Computer Science A, Microeconomics (self-study), Macroeconomics (self-study)
• IB (place score in parenthesis):
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Euro (A), AP English Lit (A), AP Spanish (A-), AP US Gov (A), AP Stats (A+), AP Physics C (A+). BC Calc through CTY over summer (A).
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing major, but NJ Science League: 1st in area every year. Bergen County Math League: 1st in group. Academic Decathlon: First and second in region, awards in almost everything. National Merit winner, AP Scholar with Honor.

Subjective:

• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
  -Cross-country (with award given to one senior a year), winter track, spring track, GSA (treasurer), SADD (president), NHS, Earth club, politics club, quiz bowl. Bible quizzing team - significant time commitment. Some extracurricular involvement in music.
• Job/Work Experience: Tutoring.
• Volunteer/Community service: Local library, picking up recyclables, community service club.
• Summer Activities: Summer school tennis, cross-country camp, calculus BC through CTY.
• Essays: Good?
• Teacher Recommendation: Don't know about one. Other very positive, "best student ever taught," etc.
• Counselor Rec: Don't know.
• Additional Rec:
• Interview: Okay. I got the feeling that both the interviewer and I were quiet and slightly awkward types, so it was short and slightly awkward, but I think she liked what I had to say.

Other

• Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes. With letter about abnormally high expenses due to sister's illness.
• Intended Major: Physics.
• State (if domestic applicant): NJ
• Country (if international applicant):
• School Type: Good public... but apparently only one person has gotten into Princeton in the last ten years.
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender: Female
• Income Bracket: ~100k
  

Reflection

• Strengths: Standardized testing.
• What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I think I was basically just honest, but in my interview I tried to convey that I'm not a typical obsessive but a genuinely well-rounded person who takes things in perspective.
• Weaknesses: With this school, at least, I don't think I did anything wrong, but the essays, interview, and "unfocused" EC's might have been relatively weak.
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I don't think there's a reason, like "I should've done better on xxx" or "I'm so good at yyy." There are a lot of great applicants, and honestly I'm proud of myself for being waitlisted.
• Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
  Accepted: UVa, Brandeis, MIT (yay!)
  Rejected: Yale
  Waitlisted: Stanford

Other: Congrats everyone who got in! I'm going to take myself off on the waitlist and go to my first choice, MIT, for the record.

[bicyclekick]

Decision: Waitlisted


Objective:

• SAT I (breakdown): 2200 CR: 710 M: 700 W: 790
• ACT: 34
• SAT II: USH: 790 Chem: 770 MathII: 770
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/190
• AP (place score in parenthesis): 5, 3
• IB (place score in parenthesis):
• Senior Year Course Load: 3 APs, 1 Honors
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): various sports, community service and volunteering
• Job/Work Experience: none
• Volunteer/Community service: Mount Sinai Medical Center Volunteer
• Summer Activities: volunteering/sports
• Essays: I thought they were decent
• Teacher Recommendation: good
• Counselor Rec: good
• Additional Rec: good
• Interview:

amazing

Other

• State (if domestic applicant): NJ
• Country (if international applicant):
• School Type: public, noncompetitive
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender: M
• Income Bracket: upper middle class
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

none

Reflection

• Strengths: Idk really
• Weaknesses: EC's
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

Honestly, i feel lucky to be waitlisted
General Comments:

[cherry62]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

• SAT I (breakdown): M 750, R 650, W 690, T 2090
• ACT: M 35, R 33, W 33, S 28, C 32
• SAT II: Math II Level C 800, Chemistry 730, US History 730
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 when app was sent
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/367 at time
• AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB (5) Calculus BC (5) US History (5) Chemistry (5) English Language (5)
• IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Physics B, AP European History, AP Spanish V, AP English Literature, Leadership III, Library Science
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge College Match Finalist, Questbridge College Prep Scholar, Wellesley College Book Award, Outstanding AP US History, Computer Apps II, English II Student of Year, Best All Around (Senior Superlative ), Homecoming Court - 2nd runner up (does that count?) AP Scholar with Honors, Junior Marshal

Subjective:

• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Executive Board (secretary) Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society (President, VP in 11th), National Honor Society (Secretary) Interact Club (Secretary/VP), Spanish Club, Key Club, Piano (12 years), Charlotte Chinese School, Culinary Club
• Job/Work Experience: Hostess at Japanese restaurant (summer), crewmember at Penn Station East Coast Subs (8 months)
• Volunteer/Community service: Library volunteer, Sunrise Assisted Living volunteer, various activities = over 75 hours of community service
• Summer Activities: Rotary Youth Leadership Award camp
• Essays: ehhhhhhh, they were alright
• Teacher Recommendation: excellent, i think
• Counselor Rec: excellent
• Additional Rec: n/a
• Interview: Best interview out of the ones I had, they made me love it more. I had a married couple who met at Princeton and we talked for a long time.

Other

• Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
• Intended Major: undecided, but probably Chemistry
• State (if domestic applicant): NC
• Country (if international applicant):
• School Type: large public
• Ethnicity: Chinese
• Gender: Female
• Income Bracket: less than $40,000
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation, top female at large public school that is highly recognized academically within NC, Questbridge College Match Finalist got me some good stuff

Reflection

• Strengths: grades, activities, leadership, community service
• Weaknesses: SAT score
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Just not good enough I guess? I don't really know and I'm really not trying to down on myself. Everyone who I've seen at this thread, Yale's and Stanford's seem really awesome so I guess that's why
• Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Duke, MIT, Notre Dame and UNC Chapel Hill, Waitlisted at Yale and Stanford

General Comments:
Congratulations to everyone who got in! I don't feel bad and I've got my eyes on Duke [which was probably my number one when I applied] and MIT (total surprise) now . I'm kind of upset at Princeton just cause I loved it especially after my interview, but hey, no expectations = no disappointment. Well congratulations again!

[22catch22]

Decision: Accepted


Objective:

• SAT I (breakdown): 2300
  CR: 720
  W: 800
  M:780
• ACT: n/a
• SAT II:
  U.S. History: 730
  World History: 760
  Lit: 730
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.99
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):top 5 percent at least
• AP (place score in parenthesis):n/a
• IB (place score in parenthesis): Testing in May
• Senior Year Course Load:6 IB courses
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Um...National Council of Teachers of English Writing Award...if thats major

Subjective:

• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Honor Society (VP), Soccer, Model UN (Pres), Mock Trial (7th,5th,10th,2nd at State, best attorney in state senior year)
• Volunteer/Community service:NHS and Adams Volunteer Corps --> +100 hrs.
• Summer Activities: Sleeping/Summer job
• Essays:Common App=excellent, Princeton supplement=pretty good
  
• Teacher Recommendation:One great, one good
• Counselor Rec:Good
• Additional Rec:No
• Interview:Very good

Other

• State (if domestic applicant): Indiana
• School Type:Midsize urban, middling stats, though with a small group of competitive IB students
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender:Male
• Income Bracket: 100,000-200,000
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):Legacy

Reflection

• Strengths:Writing, and pretty good testing
• Weaknesses:Leadership in ECs not wonderful, no really major awards
• Why you think you were accepted: I'm sure the legacy helped, and my stats and essay were good too...who knows

General Comments:
SO EXCITED! Literally shaking when I got the news.

[llpitch]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

• SAT I (breakdown): 2180 (690CR, 780M, 710W, 10E)
• ACT: 34 (34E, 35M, 34R, 33S, 10E)
• SAT II: 780 Math2, 770 World History, 660 Physics
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 / 247
• AP (place score in parenthesis): 5’s: World Hist, Statistics, Psychology (self studied), Comp Gov (self studied) 4’s: Eng Lang, Physics B, Euro Hist. 2009 AP Exams: Calc BC (self studying BC), Econ (self studying both), Bio, US Hist, Eng Lit
• Senior Year Course Load: Band, AP Calc AB, Spanish 3, AP Lit, AP Biology, APUSH (online)
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None really. Just AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Band (Clarinet Section Leader, OBDA Select Band, Hawaii Honor Band twice, 7 years), Marching Band (Clarinet Section Leader, Hawaii All State Marching Band, Marched Rose Parade twice: 2006 and 2009), Mu Alpha Theta (Co-President senior year), Academic WorldQuest (Founder and Team Captain of the 4th/65 place team in Hawaii), NHS, Interact
• Job/Work Experience: None
• Volunteer/Community service: Just NHS and Interact
• Summer Activities: Summer classes, band camp, I moved between my Soph and Junior years.
• Essays: Decent I guess. Nothing amazing.
• Teacher Recommendation: One said I was best student of career, other was good.
• Counselor Rec: Didn’t read; probably good
• Additional Rec: None
• Interview: None

Other

• Applied for Financial Aid?: Yeah, but probably not getting any
• Intended Major: Undecided
• State (if domestic applicant): Hawaii
• Country (if international applicant):
• School Type: Public
• Ethnicity: Half White, Half Filipino
• Gender: Male
• Income Bracket: 200k+
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Navy brat..not like that’s even a hook lol.

Reflection

• Strengths: ACT, Rank, AP scores, location
• Weaknesses: SAT II'S! I submitted SAT2's to Harvard and Princeton, Waitlist and reject. I withheld from Stanford and Yale, accepted. Extracurriculars, volunteer work, summers, essays
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Solid academics

General Comments: My only rejection...and my top choice =/ Oh well also accepted at Yale and Stanford! Waitlisted at Harvard.

[22catch22]

Decision: Accepted


Objective:

• SAT I (breakdown): 2300
  CR: 720
  W: 800
  M:780
• ACT: n/a
• SAT II:
  U.S. History: 730
  World History: 760
  Lit: 730
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.99
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):top 5 percent at least
• AP (place score in parenthesis):n/a
• IB (place score in parenthesis): Testing in May
• Senior Year Course Load:6 IB courses
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Um...National Council of Teachers of English Writing Award...if thats major

Subjective:

• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Honor Society (VP), Soccer, Model UN (Pres), Mock Trial (7th,5th,10th,2nd at State, best attorney in state senior year), Quiz Bowl
• Volunteer/Community service:NHS and Adams Volunteer Corps --> +100 hrs.
• Summer Activities: Sleeping/Summer job
• Essays:Common App=excellent, Princeton supplement=pretty good
  
• Teacher Recommendation:One great, one good
• Counselor Rec:Good
• Additional Rec:No
• Interview:Very good

Other

• State (if domestic applicant): Indiana
• School Type:Midsize urban, middling stats, though with a small group of competitive IB students
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender:Male
• Income Bracket: 100,000-200,000
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):Legacy

Reflection

• Strengths:Writing, and pretty good testing
• Weaknesses:Leadership in ECs not wonderful, no really major awards
• Why you think you were accepted: I'm sure the legacy helped, and my stats and essay were good too...who knows

General Comments:
SO EXCITED! Literally shaking when I got the news.

[mistofthekane]

[ size=+3]Decision: Accepted!!![/size]

2300+ SAT, lackluster SAT IIs, some national-level leadership, some national awards, mostly lucky.

Congrats to all? Why aren't more people posting? I thought the Princeton board was the most popular IL one on CC judging by the number of posts overall...

[randomnerdz]

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:

• SAT I (breakdown): M: 780; CR: 760; W: 800 (12E)
• ACT: N/A
• SAT II: Lit: 740, US History: 760, Math II: 770
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/570
• AP (place score in parenthesis): APHG (5), CHEMISTRY (4), USHISTORY (4), SPANISH LANGUAGE (4), STATISTICS (4), ENGLISH LANGUAGE (5)
• IB (place score in parenthesis):N/A
• Senior Year Course Load: Most rigorous.
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Several state, national, and international writing (poetry) awards.

Subjective:

• Extra Curriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
  Interact Community Service Club (President)
  Model Organization of American States (President)
  Student Council (Student Body Executive)
  Literary Magazine (Editor-in-Chief)
  Business Professionals of America
  UIL Literary Criticism & Ready Writing
  Varsity Orchestra
  Interfaith Club (Secretary)
• Job/Work Experience: I worked at a calling center last summer
• Volunteer/Community service: I volunteered as a Research Assistant for two Psychology Professors last summer. I have hundreds of service hours and organize many youth and community action/activist projects.
• Summer Activities: Calling Center, Research Assistant
• Essays: How I promote human rights/activism with Interact; My beard -- and how it's taught me that no stereotype can constrain me; What creativity means to me: a cute story from my past relating how creativity is fundamental to my life.
• Teacher Recommendation: 1st- It was good. Not as good as it should have been.
  2nd- It was positive, but my teacher obviously didn't edit it. It was replete with grammar and factual mistakes.
• Counselor Rec: Wonderful
• Additional Rec: Interact Club Sponsor-Glowing; I'm one of her favorite students from the past 21 years
• Interview: It was with a fairly old alumni. He told me I was a very competitive applicant. It was pretty nice.

Other

• Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
• Intended Major: Psychology
• State (if domestic applicant): TX
• Country (if international applicant):
• School Type: Large Public
• Ethnicity: South Asian
• Gender:Male
• Income Bracket: Middle Class
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.

Reflection

• Strengths:My essays were very, very creative. I spent a lot of time on them. I am ridiculously active in my school. I dream big. I write poetry pretty well, I suppose.
• Weaknesses: Teacher Recommendations, Ethnicity..
• Why you think you were rejected: I don't know, I did everything I possibly could.
• Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Columbia, Amherst, Williams, Grinnell, Tufts, UT; Waitlisted: Stanford, Princeton, Brown; Rejected: Harvard, Yale

General Comments: I'm majorly bummed out. Sigh.

[mistofthekane]

Decision: Accepted!!!

2300+ SAT, lackluster SAT IIs, some national-level leadership, some national awards, mostly lucky.

Congrats to admits! Why aren't more people posting? I thought the Princeton board was the most popular IL one on CC judging by the number of posts overall...