<p>(Sorry–I think I posted this originally in the wrong sub-forum…)
Princeton has been a longtime dream for my son and he had what several others (including alums) thought was a solid application. Big disappointment that he got the rejection message yesterday, but was accepted into Swarthmore, Tufts, and was wait-listed at UPenn.</p>
<p>The whole family is moving into acceptance mode, but there is an extraordinary coincidence that we are trying to get resolved. Even though my son was rejected, another student in his high school with the same last name and initials was accepted. The other student has solid credentials, too, but has not been accepted into any other college but Princeton. My son and the other student have attended the same schools since grade school and have constantly had clerical mixups, including receiving each other’s report cards, getting each other’s mailings, etc.</p>
<p>What’s haunting my son is the possibility that his dreams have been forced to changed by a clerical error–some mix-up in folders. I realize the possibility of a clerical error is highly remote and don’t expect the outcome to change. Does anyone have advice about how to approach the Princeton Admissions department to do a second look just to lay these fears to rest?</p>
<p>I would call the admissions office and find out how to contact the admissions officer for your region. The regional officer handled both your son’s and the other boy’s apps, so he/she would probably be able to give you a definitive answer pretty quickly. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>I would definitely contact the adcom as soon as possible. It is possible that your school might have made a mistake with the transcript etc. (it happened at our high school one year with a similar case) and I truly don’t see any harm in checking it out.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear about Princeton but if it turns out not to be an error…he got into Swarthmore!!! Wow! Swarthmore acceptances are as rare as hen’s teeth. Don’t be sad, celebrate!</p>
<p>Yes, check into this and I appreciate the diplomatic way you are expressing your concerns. If this is gnawing at you and your son there may well be something to it.</p>
<p>It occurs to me that if this is a mix-up on Princeton’s part they may well do the right thing and offer admission to both your son and his classmate. That would be a win-win for everyone.</p>
<p>Thanks for the thoughtful advice! My son called the admissions office. They gave the answer I expected: Princeton does not accept appeals, inquiries are not allowed about the admissions process, all decisions are final. We are going to (sensitively) check this out with the high school guidance counselor and then try again. Again, what we’re after is mostly closure to put to rest the gnawing feeling that a mistake has been made. If there are no paperwork problems, then more power to the student who was admitted!</p>
<p>^^That was just the cookie-cutter response that all college admissions offices need to give out this time of year. You have a legitimate inquiry that seems like it should at least be double checked. I would push a bit more before heading off to Swarthmore!</p>
<p>Hmmm here’s a thought, most admissions communication uses the social security # as I recall, it is entirely possible that someone at his high school made an error and switched numbers. Start at your guidance department and go from there, but don’t drop it until you are satisfied. Good luck!</p>
<p>I sent all my SAT scores to Princeton on Dec 4th, 2010. In January, they still hadn’t received it and said I should still wait because they’ve so many applications to process.</p>
<p>At the beginning of February, I got an email saying they were still missing my SAT scores. I resent them. Two weeks later, they still hadn’t received them. It was already the middle of February, so my Dad wrote a letter demanding they check this problem out.</p>
<p>It turned out that my SATs arrived three months ago-- except they were placed in the wrong file!!</p>
<p>Anyway, happy ending. Admitted to Class of 2015 :)</p>