<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>