Confession of an "Average" CCer

Applying to College
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<p>'08Holla, I know that some people have been admitted who have scored less than 2200. I just wanted to give myself the best possible chance at getting into the schools I was interested in, considering there are so many students with good ECs and good scores. But thank you for your encouraging words. I will be taking the ACT this month and in June.</p>

<p>Logos, you have a lot of faith in the SAT! ;-)</p>

<p>pageEL60, I am certain that you did not have a SAT score as low as mine! So your point is moot :)</p>

<p>Ooooh, Kyle. I did study! It may not have seemed like it, but I still put a lot of work into it. And just think about how upset I would be if I studied the entire summer and didn’t experience a significant increase in my SAT score? It seems like my October retake is my last shot.</p>

<p>Cooldude11989, I’ll try not to worry. SAT II subject tests! Ughh. I hate those as well. But I’m going to study really hard for those. Thanks for offering your help.</p>

<p>As for the ACT, I took a practice test and got a 31. I need to get at least a 32 for Princeton’s average ACT score. Probably higher to stand a decent shot. Uuugh, this is so frustrating.</p>

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<p>I really love how some people say SAT isn’t everything in the college’s eyes when they know perfectly well that unless you have A HOOK, you WILL need above a 2200 to get into just about any ivy, maybe excluding Cornell. Lets ask ourselves, Who do we know has gotten into an ivy with a score below 2200? No one. Even boys at elite prep academies with wonderful connections still have to score above 2100.</p>

<p>Do I agree that SAT measures intelligence and that colleges should use it as a standard? No, no and no. But thats just the way it is.</p>

<p>Also, why in God’s name do you like Princeton so much if you haven’t even visited? Somethings telling me you just like it because its a name brand school. Whats wrong with a state university? UVA, Michigan, Berkely are all VERY GOOD SCHOOLS. Honestly, if you were a Princeton worthy applicant, you would get scholarships to go to those schools.</p>

<p>I don’t think you realize that Princeton is the top of the top, as hard to get into as Harvard. Kids at my elite New England prep school have gotten denied or waitlisted this year when they would have gotten in any other year beforehand. They had scores of 2300+ and perfect GPA’s with excellent recs and ECs. Its only going to get harder every year, and next year is supposed to be the hardest.</p>

<p>All in all, I do admire your work ethic, but people don’t get into Harvard, Princeton, Yale by hard work alone. You do have to be brilliant.</p>

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<p>SweetLax88, I have not visited Princeton, but I can’t help the attraction. Some attractions are inexplicable (or they are explicable, but I can’t seem to find the words). </p>

<p>You assume too much. Not everyone has the big bucks from their mommy and daddy to go visit schools here and there. How about being less judgmental? Maybe people from your “elite New England prep school” have the money, but I certainly don’t. And I honestly don’t care that people go out there and waste their money visiting schools when they have a strong chance of being denied – seems like a waste of time. I’d rather visit a school after I’ve been accepted.</p>

<p>And I don’t just like it because it’s a name-brand school. I like Princeton because it cares about its low-income students, has the best financial aid in the country, has great departments in the humanities, has the majors that I am interested in and is in a great environment. There are other reasons as well.</p>

<p>What’s wrong with a state university? Because I don’t want to be IN-STATE. Good grief. As for out of state universities… why go to them? I could just as easily go to UIUC and have less problems. But I’m not interested in a state university because I don’t like that environment (huge student population, etc.) UVA’s location is unappealing. Berkeley is out of state. Michigan is already on my list. Feel better now? Geez.</p>

<p>I do realize Princeton is the top of the top. You can mention your “elite New England prep school” all you want, but the fact is that your students are held to a higher standard because they are expected to take advantage of their “elite New England schooling”. New England is also a competitive area. Please grow up and stop being bitter about the people who didn’t get admitted from your school. Your negativity is appalling.</p>

<p>All in all, I think you’re negative and bitter about your own school’s acceptance rate into Princeton. I can understand you being realistic, but bashing me by saying that I’m not ‘brilliant’ is just sad. There were others who bashed me just like you did and I have to say, I shut them up. Stop being arrogant about the prestige of your school. There’s a reason schools like diversity – they don’t want all the “elite New England preps” from your school. And I’m glad that they don’t, because they may have accepted someone like you! :D</p>

<p>Please read the rest of the thread to find any hint of me thinking that it would be easy to get into Princeton. It just seems like you read my previous post, commented and didn’t read the rest of the thread. I thought someone from an “elite New England prep school” such as yourself would be smart enough to figure that out.</p>

<p>I am brilliant. I thought figuring out that the SAT or ACT didn’t measure intelligence was last year’s discovery?</p>

<p>;-)</p>

<p>Also, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but your post was extremely negative. No hard feelings? Haha.</p>

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<p>There are thousands of Colleges in the US, many of them outstanding. Don’t let the fact that you have ‘fallen’ for Princeton blind you from doing a proper search of other options. You are an outstanding student, but even if you had a 4.0 and the maximum SAT score, you would NOT be insured admission to Princeton. Go, look at other possibilities, and see if any of them strike you with a similar passion. I suspect your mail box is FULL of colleges that would LOVE to have you.</p>

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<p>Thanks, JoeAdmissionDean. I’ve been looking at other colleges as well (though Stanford is my #1 – that probably doesn’t help!) I know that there are a lot of colleges that would love to have me. But I would love to have them. I hope that makes sense.</p>

<p>Thanks for all your help.</p>

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<p>SweetLax may be negative, but at least he is honest. Princeton is one of the top schools in the world. If it admitted students because “they worked really really hard, and dream of going to school there,” then they wouldn’t be a top school. People are born with different talents. Use your writing skills to attend a good journalism school. Leave Princeton for the gifted and brilliant students</p>

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<p>You guys are all wrong about college visits…Princeton is like Paris, France–you dont have to go there to know it’s good.</p>

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<p>MuTiger12, be pessimistic elsewhere.</p>

<p>Why don’t you attend a good “Let’s be negative for no reason!”-school? I think that might fit you. No, seriously, I do.</p>

<p>anakinsolo, I agree ;-)</p>