Is Princeton Uni just for smart people?

Colleges & Universities Princeton University
1

<p>So, right now, I’m in the process of applying to schools, and I’m making sure I’m staying in my range of schools (schools that i actually have a chance getting into) </p>

<p>I know for sure that Im nowhere near ivy league material （i have a gpa of 3.2), but my parents insist that i apply to Princeton because its really close to home, and it wouldn’t hurt, right? They also mentioned that Princeton is becoming more lenient when it comes to admitting, and they might accept me for certain criteria that I may have, or because of my major (they might not have many people in that major), etc…</p>

<p>Has anyone heard about this? Or students being accepted even though they’re not quite “ivy league material”?
＾＾</p>

2

<p>Princeton is a reach for all applicants even with perfect SAT and GPA. If you are a recruited athlete or a million dollar donor, you may get in with a low GPA. Personally, I would not waste the application fee.
Have your parents look at the Student Profile for a reality check.</p>

<p><a href=“http://admission.princeton.edu/applyingforadmission/admission-statistics”>http://admission.princeton.edu/applyingforadmission/admission-statistics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>Well, your GPA is very low to be admitted if you aren’t a recruited athlete or don’t have some huge hook.</p>

4

<p>Sorry but your parents are wrong on almost everything except the possibility that it really is close to your home. </p>

<p>Please save your app fee for a nice dinner to show how grateful you are to your parents for their love (but not their college advice).</p>

<p>Want to see how kids fared last March? How do you compare to them? Then decide to apply or not</p>

<p><a href=“Princeton 2018 RD results discussion and review - Princeton University - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/princeton-university/1631203-princeton-2018-rd-results-discussion-and-review.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>“Is Princeton just for smart people?”</p>

<p>Yes.</p>

<p>The posters above me have pointed out that recruited athletes can get in with lower GPAs. While there’s an element of truth to this, it’s a little misleading. My son was a recruited athlete at Princeton, and was told that he needed 700s or better on all SAT Sections and on his Subject Tests, as well as a good GPA in rigorous courses.</p>

<p>The benefit of being a recruited athlete isn’t so much that standards are lowered, it’s that if you’ve met the academic thresholds, you’re chances of admission jump from 6% to nearly 100%.</p>

6

<p>Agree with @Sherpa - my son was also a recruited athlete and was told he would need to fall within one standard deviation of the student body as a whole in terms of test scores/GPA to be admitted. An exceptionally highly ranked athlete with slightly lower scores/grades might get a look but this is by far the exception. Most of the student athletes at Princeton that I know would have been equally viable candidates with their peers, even without being recruited. </p>

7

<p>Define “smart” </p>

8

<p>It sounds elitist, but yes, Princeton is only for “smart” people. I know this isn’t the answer you’re look for, but a 3.2 GPA is just not going to cut it. Academics at Princeton is challenging even for applicants entering with a 4.0 GPA. </p>

9

<p>I have heard people give advice similar to the advice the OP is hearing. People will say things like “Ivy league schools are looking for well rounded classes-they don’t want a class filled only with nerds”. Wrong. they want a class filled with very accomplished people who show signs of being among the people who will change the world. Getting into Princeton has nothing to do with being “smart”. Princeton isn’t looking for “smart” people. It is looking for accomplished people who are most likely to do amazing things with their education. They are not trying to reproduce Main Street USA. They want the headline about future inventions or wonderful achievements to read “Graduate of “their school” has…” They are not looking to round out a stellar class with a few people from the surrounding community who have middling grades and few accomplishments. On the positive side, there are tons of outstanding colleges who specialize in taking people with un-actualized potential, nurturing them, and then graduating people who have accomplished far more than their high school transcript may have suggested was likely. Find one of those schools. Then apply to Princeton for a MA. </p>