Chances for Princeton ED

cookiemom
Sat, 06 Nov 2004 22:12:17 +0000

Even the elite schools accept a small number of students based on academics alone. They are not your run-of-the-mill valedictorians, but rather extraordinarily brilliant individuals. I’ve seen quotes that at Harvard this about 150 students a year, or less than 1% of their applicant pool. The other 99% of applicants will be evaluated on other factors as well.

I don’t review applications. I’m just an alumni interviewer and don’t get to see the whole application. However, I do get a sense of how good of a student someone is from their interview. I ask them how they have challenged themselves in high school, and kids will often tell me their SAT scores and class rank. It is impossible to get a good sense of who will get in without seeing the entire application. I’m usually able to tell if someone will be rejected, because their credentials don’t seem to be competitive. However, it is very difficult to distinguish between those that are accepted and those that are wait listed. These are all students who are academically competitive and have good EC’s. This is where potential contribution to the college community comes into play. It just depends on what the school is looking for to diversify its class.

Yes, some of the decisions are heart breaking, especially when you meet a student who is eager, mature, and highly impressive. Every interviewer will tell you that there are students that they give their highest endorsement to and they don’t get in. However, we don’t know how they may compare to the rest of the applicant pool.

akashbansal – I am not familiar with how schools evaluate international applicants. That said, your book and your performances at academic competitions are impressive and should help you. Good Luck and stop worrying!!!