International student applying to Princeton

amptron2x
Wed, 11 Jan 2006 22:08:02 +0000

Astrid -

You understand that I’m not being mean. Just realistic. I have better SATs than you (2210), comparable SATIIs, I’m an IB diploma candidate with excellent grades and high expectations of 6s and 7s on my exams, I’m an artist, I was recognized as one of the best writers in my state, I’ve got a mess of good ECs, I was sent unsolicited applications from Harvard, Princeton, and Yale…and yet I applied to none of those schools because I understood that my qualifications, as good as they are, weren’t good enough considering the competition. Instead, I applied early decision to the University of Pennsylania, an Ivy League school that is a bit less difficult to get into than Harvard, Princeton, and Yale (and, by the way, had the program I wanted). Even so, it was a reach for me - I had maybe a 1 in 5 chance. And in the end, I was rejected. Of course, I applied to a bunch of other good schools and expect to get into most of them. The moral of my little story, if there is one, is be realistic about your chances. I understood that my chances for getting into UPenn were low, given my qualifications. You can apply to Princeton, but understand that it is highly unlikely you’ll get in.