I agree with @tsbna44. You are putting too much pressure on yourself.
First of all, you are doing very well.
Secondly, there are a lot of very good colleges and universities in the US. Princeton is one of them. There are hundreds more where you can get a very good education.
Highly ranked graduate programs have students who got their bachelor’s degrees at a very, very wide range of universities. Graduates from Princeton and MIT and Stanford and Harvard regularly work alongside graduates from UNH and Rutgers and U.Mass and in most cases no one cares (or even remembers) where anyone got their degree.
Specifically in terms of your ECs, you are doing very well. My recommendation is that you do what is right for you. Then whatever you do, do it well. If you get into a leadership position, remember that leadership involves listening, and making the activity better for everyone else. Treat people fairly and be humble and kind. The people who write your references will notice.
You might also want to read the “applying sideways” blog on the MIT admissions web site. As I understand it, it recommends that you do what is right for you, and whatever you do do it very well. This approach has worked very well for my family, and should work at Princeton just as well as it works at MIT (or Stanford, Columbia, Harvard, …).
and find some time to have some fun and to relax.
and when the time comes, look for schools that are a good fit for you.
The pressure goes beyond the usual “dream school” syndrome with parents and sibling at Princeton. Will the pressure to achieve continue if you get in? Consider the idea that it might be healthier not to go to Princeton! I think we all really sympathize.
A true 501c3 requires legal work. I would not use the term “non-profit.” Besides, it seems possible that admissions officers are tiring of all the non-profits on applications.
I love that you work 20 hours at a store, and love the crossword work. Keep doing that if it is fun. How much photography do you do? You could photos in an arts supplement if appropriate- ask the school. Your sports takes up a lot of time and you are very accomplished. Any chance of being recruited? (I have no idea, and don’t know anything about sports.)
I think authenticity is one thing you have going for you (work, photos, sports, crosswords). So don’t feel you have to inflate accomplishments (non-profit, tutoring a friend). Is your tutoring informal or part of a peer tutoring program? If informal, leave it out.
You are fine. I would just continue and expand on what you are doing, especially sports, photos, crosswords. Colleges honor the EC of a job at a store, believe me. Your time management is impressive.
I really hope you will drop the “dream school” idea and any fixation on Ivies in general. Check out all the “little Ivies” (you can google the list) and Colleges that Change Lives. By all means apply to Princeton but also consider the positives of not going there!
I thought the kids run club was super good though…I founded it which took a lot of work. A few teammates and I go around and run with them and play games every weekend (not right now though, because it’s winter) and they have a lot of fun.
We earned close to $1000 this fall and donated it.
I’m not good enough to go to the schools I want to with it…but I wish I could. Still working on it but I’ve accepted you need to be insanely good and I’ve been injured and it’s just too late
Which might be seen as better than a “non-profit” at this point. Non-profit is usually a sure sign of “I started this to put on my college application”, where “I started a really fun club for kids doing something that I love and we donate money to charity” seems a lot more heartfelt.
Sorry I wasn’t clear. I agree with other posters that it is great to include the kids’ run club, just don’t use the term non-profit. It is not a non-profit, and many applicants are putting non-profits (often actual 501cs’s) on EC lists, and I have read they have begun to signal resume padding for admissions.
That’s why I wrote that authenticity is your strong point. Love the crosswords, photos and job along with sports-related activities. For sure include the kids’ run club. Great contribution and it sounds like you enjoy it as much as the kids!
You’re good enough to go to a lot of great schools. And millions of non Ivy grads and I’ll define that even more removing other top schools (ie state, regional publics) are outperforming Ivy grads in life - income, career growth, happiness, college football team - however each individual measures success.
I get the inside pressure at home - real or perceived - but both Ivy and non Ivy assure nothing in life.
Also- another thing is I don’t spend many hours on those ECs.
Job is only 2.5 months in the summer
Run club only an hour once a week 2 months in fall (and planning on doing 2 months this spring), but I spend a lotttt of other time coordinating it outside of that
Can’t even put crossword creating and photography into hours.
Don’t they make you put your hours on your application? Or am I confused?
Typically, the most selective colleges are looking for high levels of commitment and achievement in ECs. Your high placing in running plus associated charitable activities is still a pretty good EC, even if not good enough for recruiting (but some of these colleges appear to prioritize sports ECs, possibly to ensure a walk-on pool for various teams that need general good athletes).
But they also want to see top-end academics, so you really do not want to show a downward GPA trend in high school. Focus on keeping the grades up, which can help at a much broader range of colleges that you may possibly apply to.
This is a good EC. Make sure to include all the time you spend each year coordinating in preparation and during the fall season.
Yes you can, and should…assuming you stick with these activities and they make your top 10 when it comes time to apply.
Just academic awards go in the Honors section. The other awards go w/ the appropriate activity. Do some students put non-academic items here? Yep. Will some counselors tell students to do that? Again, yes.
This is the question in the common app:
Do you wish to report any honors related to your academic achievements beginning with the ninth grade or international equivalent?*
hopefully I can even out