Chances for Princeton/Northwestern? Help please!

Chance Me / Match Me
1

I am either applying to Princeton early action or Northwestern early decision. What are my chances of getting into one of those based on my stats? Thanks so much!!
Demographics/personal info:
White female
Jewish
Both parents went to a four year university

Intended major: Chemical engineering

School record and stats: (I am a junior)
I am 6th in my class out of around 360 kids
I go to a public high school in North Carolina 30 min outside of Charlotte
Unweighted GPA: 3.95
Weighted: 4.8 (This will go up at the end of the year after all my APs are inputted, probably to a 5.1-ish)

Junior year schedule:
AP Language
AP US History
AP Chemistry (I have a 100 average)
AP Calculus AB BC
Honors Spanish 3
AP Environmental Science
(I have A’s in all of these. My lowest grade is a 95 in calc)

Senior year schedule:
AP Physics 1 and 2
AP Literature
AP Psychology
AP Computer Science
Multivariable Calc
Honors Spanish 4
Art 2

Standardized testing:
My SAT score is a 1970- 690 math, 650 writing, 630 critical reading
I feel like this is my biggest weakness. I don’t know why my scores are “so low” in comparison to my peers. All the kids in the top 20 of my class all have at least 2100 SATs. I am preparing to take the SAT again in the fall to get into the 2100 range. (I hope!!) :confused:
I am taking the math 2, chemistry, and apush subject tests in May.

Extracurriculars- (listed based on how important they are to me)

  1. I started my own company/charity. I hand make tie dye apparel, mostly shirts. I planned a fundraiser at my school in which all the proceeds from the school colored tie dye shirts I sold went to a local charity benefiting special needs children called Joyful Hearts. I raised about 500 dollars in that fundraiser. I am currently working on planning another fundraiser in which I will sell pink tie dye shirts for our pink out football game in the fall, in which I hope to raise close to a thousand dollars. Also, I have started up an Etsy account in which I sell tie dyes outside of school where the profits go to the same charity. Additionally to my Etsy account and school fundraisers, I take personal orders from peers at school who request personalized items like shoes, sheets, and pillow cases. I feel like tie dye demonstrates my artistic abilities, which is something that I haven’t been able to pursue as much as I would have liked being so busy with doing my best in school. I am very proud of the work I have been doing for special needs children, and hope to do lots more of it in the future.

  2. I have been going to the same Jewish summer camp for 7 years. This year I am spending my whole summer as a counselor at this camp. It involves a lot of leadership, interpersonal skills, responsibility, and ability to interact with children. This is something that I am very passionate about.

  3. I tutor regularly. I tutor 3-4 times a week. Three times every week, I tutor the same boy and get payed for it. Once a week I volunteer at a local middle school to tutor kids struggling in math. Tutoring is also something very important to me.

  4. On Saturday’s I volunteer for something called Miracle League. This is an organization in which I serve as a buddy to special needs children and help them play the game of baseball. Volunteering for miracle league is where I got my inspiration to donate the proceeds from my tie dye shirts to Joyful Hearts, which is a broader organization which encompasses miracle league.

  5. When I get back from my counselor job in August, I have a full time job as a nanny in August.

  6. One year of work experience at a local grocery store

  7. Vice president of the math honors society at my HS (Mu alpha theta)
    Member of student council, art club, NHS, and beta club (planning on running for an officer position in NHS and beta)

I plan to write my essays on how important my work with tie dye and special needs children is to me or my passions regarding working with kids at the summer camp.

Let me know your honest and realistic opinions on my chances please. :slight_smile:
If possible, could you comment on whether my other activities can make up for my low test scores?
Thanks!!

2

I forgot to add my athletic XCs… oops!
I have played softball all my life. I was a starter on the varsity softball team freshman and sophomore year. This year, I made the extremely difficult decision to not play this season, as I decided to focus on my other commitments. In its place, I am training for my second half marathon currently, to keep myself in shape athletically.

3

Your test score is too low for these 2 schools.

4

Bump

5

I wouldn’t wait until the fall to come up with other options. You should consider schools with a more realistic chance for your current SAT score. I’m not saying you won’t improve, but the chance of your score dramatically rising is slim. Even if it jumps to 2300, you still need some other options.

6

For ED you’d get in Northwestern almost for sure with a higher SAT or ACT (which is needed for McCormick because it’s the hardest school to get into for engineering, even ED, unless you apply to another school and transfer before school starts which is insanely easy to do and might help you). Even without a higher SAT you’d probably get in with a good essay because your super well rounded. RD I don’t think you’d have at shot engineering unless you got like a near perfect SAT, and even then their is 10x the competition so your odds would plummet (though it wouldn’t be impossible). Princeton has a higher standards, so I’d say you might get in early action, but with lower odds then NU. If your ED NU or EA Princeton (which I think is restrictive EA so you might not be allowed to ED at the same time) your probably drastically lower you odds for the other school, so I’d think carefully before deciding. At the same time, you should definitely apply to whatever is your clear top choice; like if you like Princeton more even though you have lower chances than NU EA/ED don’t let it deter you from your top choice (even though NU’s amazing-- that’s where I’m going next year). Good luck deciding, and don’t worry your very qualified for both these schools!

7

Thanks so much for the response, it was very helpful! I’m thinking of now steering away from princeton and focusing on applying ED to northwestern, as it seems like that would give me better odds. Have fun at NU next year!!

8

@Heisenbergyk Thanks so much for the response, it was very helpful! I’m thinking of now steering away from princeton and focusing on applying ED to northwestern, as it seems like that would give me better odds. Have fun at NU next year!!

9

You really need higher scores. At least a 1500/1600 for Northwestern, and atleast a 2300/2400 for Princeton unless you have a hook. Raise your SAT significantly for CR+M (NU only looks on the 1600 scale) and apply ED to Northwestern and you may have a shot.