<p>Engineer, no need to feel that way at all! I suspect that many if not most of the students profiled in these stories shared your concerns about whether they would be competitive applicants. Obviously, they were, and I suspect you are as well.</p>
<p>Remember that the students in these news stories are not necessarily ‘typical’. Certainly, most students at these highly competitive schools could not possibly be Presidential Scholars or National Merit Scholars. There are very few of those nationwide and they are distributed among hundreds of universities! There are no schools in the country (including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc.) where such achievements are the norm! The students profiled in these stories are appealing to newspaper reporters precisely because they ARE truly academically exceptional or interesting in some non-academic way.</p>
<p>The vast majority of students at Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, Yale etc. are simply top students who have shown active involvement in their communities and who write compelling applications accompanied by strong recommendations. They are not all ‘geniuses’ or the winners of national/international competitions. They haven’t all founded businesses or non-profits. There are some people like that at each of these schools but they are not the average students.</p>
<p>In the words of Princeton’s admission office:</p>
<p>"Our goal is to understand how applicants have excelled within their particular schools and communities. We understand that you face a unique set of challenges and opportunities, and we expect to see how you have taken advantage of those specific circumstances. We evaluate each candidate individually and we make decisions based on a holistic review of the application.</p>
<p>We expect applicants to have taken courses in the following, if possible: English, mathematics, foreign language, laboratory science and history. (Full details are given on the Academic Preparation page.) In addition, we look for applicants who have challenged themselves with honors, advanced placement (AP) and dual-enrollment courses available to them. We evaluate International Baccalaureate (IB), A-levels or another diploma within the context of the programs curriculum.</p>
<p>Our Advice
Instead of worrying about meeting a specific set of criteria, try to create an application that will help us see your achievements inside the classroom and out in their true context, so we can understand your potential to take advantage of the resources at Princeton and the kind of contribution you would make to the Princeton community. Show us what kind of student you are. Show us that you have taken advantage of what your high school has to offer, how you have achieved and contributed in your own particular context. </p>
<p>We look for students who make a difference in their schools and communities, so tell us about your leadership activities, interests, special skills and other extracurricular involvements. Tell us if youve had a job or a responsibility in your home. Most Princeton students were academic standouts in high school. Most of them also invested their energy and talents in significant ways outside the classroom. We want to know what you care about, what commitments you have made and what youve done to act on those commitments. . . ."</p>
<p>[Princeton</a> University | Admission Requirements](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/admission/applyingforadmission/requirements/]Princeton”>http://www.princeton.edu/admission/applyingforadmission/requirements/)</p>