I am new to CC and I decided I would start with a post about my dream school, Princeton. I intend to study international relations/international studies, and I am very interested in Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School. I visited the campus last summer and I have decided that I will apply SCEA next November. Obviously Princeton is a reach for nearly everyone, so please give honest opinions, however harsh they may be.
GPA: 102.73 (W)- My high school uses a 100 point scale for all grades and GPA. I have received all grades of 95+ however, so this translates to a 4.0 UW and a very rough, unofficial estimate of a 4.5 W. I have also taken many classes at my local community college (more on this later) and have a GPA of 4.0 there as well.
Class Rank: I am definitely in the top decile of my class, and can speculate (unofficial) that I am, as of now, either in line to be the valedictorian or salutatorian.
High School Context: Public, central NJ (nothing special or super competitive, above average public school), ~1200 students
SAT: 2330 Composite (800 CR/730 M/800 W), single sitting
SAT II: Biology E- 730; I plan on taking the World History and French (w/o listening) in June. Depending on my scores I may study for US History for next October.
AP: This is going to sound really bad, but I have only taken one AP, and it’s not a major one: AP Human Geography. I will take the test in May, and based on practice tests I can reasonably expect a 4 or 5. My utter lack of AP classes (though I take all honors) is somewhat laughable, but it owes to the fact that I am concurrently enrolled at my high school and community college (explanation below).
Concurrent Enrollment (CE): As I have stated above, I attend both my high school and community college. The CE program is selective, as only 11 people in my grade participate out of 350. In this program I will graduate with both a high school diploma and an A.A. in liberal arts in May/June, 2017. This includes 64 college credits and a challenging, college-level course load. Clearly, it is NOTHING compared to the course work expected at Princeton, or any 4 year school for that matter, but I think it shows my level of academic engagement. I don’t know how rare/common it is for college applicants to have a two year degree coming out of high school, but hopefully it counts for something. This is the reason for my lack of APs but high weighted GPA. Does this make me stand out in any way?
ECs: Just to get this out of the way, I am kind of a band nerd. I participate in marching band (section leader), jazz band, pit orchestra, jazz combo (student run club, co-president), and wind ensemble. I also sing in the men’s choir. Music is very important to me, and I play the saxophone quite well (sorry if I’m sounding narcissistic). I also play the piano at an intermediate level (nothing special). I have composed a few things on piano though. Additionally, I am a member of the Model United Nations club at my school (president), and I am trying to start a Youth and Government club for next year. I am a member of NHS and intend on running for an officer position. Also, at the college, I was selected for membership in Phi Theta Kappa, which I am in the process of joining.
Volunteering: plenty of hours through NHS and my church youth group (looking to get involved with Habitat for Humanity over the summer)
Programs: CE program, Boys State, People to People (was selected for and went on a trip to Europe through the organization freshman year)
Awards: MUN stuff (Outstanding Delegation, selected as an alternate for the Conference on National Affairs (TBD, I was one of 45 selected out of over 2000)), possible valedictorian, Dean’s List (every semester at the college), selected for Harvard National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists (doesn’t seem too special, don’t plan on attending because of lack of money and scientific interest), 2013 Scholar-Citizen Award (summer before freshman year, probably unimportant), various music related things at my HS
Work: Two summers as an assistant teacher at a summer music program; I will get another job in the fall
Other: I went on a two week summer service/mission trip to Kenya with the Foundation for Peace. I personally know the two founders of the organization, and I genuinely wanted to go. It included service in the slums of Nairobi and the surrounding environs in schools, churches, and orphanages. I don’t know that this is application relevant.
Essays: TBD
Recs: These will probably be strong (one from a CE college professor, one from my guidance counselor who is CE specific), but everyone’s recs are good, let’s be honest.
Hooks: None- middle of the middle class, white, New Jersey citizen, 4th or 5th generation college student, no legacy, … Basically I’m just your average American high school student.
All in all I think I am about average for an Ivy applicant, but any opinions and comments are welcome. My other reach schools of interest are Harvard, Georgetown, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins. However, I doubt I am a strong enough Harvard/Columbia regular decision applicant. Any thoughts on these colleges would be great as well!