What Can My Daughter Do to Improve her Changes at Princeton?

Colleges & Universities Princeton University
1

<p>Hi All,</p>

<p>My daughter is a 10th grader at a public High School in Texas. It is a very competitive HS and has a hand full of HYPS acceptances each year. My daughter has her sights on Princeton, (she went to a Harvard/Princeton/UofVA info session to “see” H and fell in love with P) As her Mom, I simply do not want to her to pour her energy into a process that will yield in huge disappointments. She is a bright kid (what parent does not think that) and I will list things she has done below so maybe I can get some feedback for matches for her and what schools are stretches, right on target and “safe” schools.</p>

<p>GPA 4.0 (Non weighted…she has a weighted also)
Ranked 3/650
PSAT 215 (10th Grade)(High Math, not great Critical Writing)
Marching Band
Marching Band Leadership Position
Underclassman Honor Society (not sure if that is a school program or national program but I know that most kids in UCHS go into NHS)
Presidential Service Award “Gold” (last year and should qualify this year)
Currently takes 2 AP’s (World History & Computer Science)
Will take 6 AP’s Next Year (Chemistry, Biology, Cal AB, English, US History, Music Theroy)
And slated for 6 her Senior Year (Cal Based Physics, Cal BC, English, Economics/Government, PSY, and either STAT or Eviron Science)
Region Band Member
Solo & Ensemble Outstanding Performer
She is also in the GT program</p>

<p>So…with that said…what else does she need to do to have a “shot” at a HYPS or if there is no chance there, what would be good schools for her? She has a passion for Medicine, all of her volunteer hours at the Medical Center here and she hangs out mostly in the PediatricICU and NICU’s. (the nurses love her because she will do anything they ask her…lol…she spends 10 hours a week there faithfully)</p>

<p>We are open to any suggestions…there are many goals she has that she has not achieved yet, ie, leadership positions she will apply for, music competition etc.</p>

<p>Thank you</p>

2

<p>Hi! I have two kids at Princeton now. Up front, I have to tell you I am an alum, so they probably got some help from that. However, now that they are there, their background seems in line with 60% of the kids, setting aside the athletes and the uber-geniuses. First of all, they went to a small Catholic school which generally sends the top 10% to ivies + Stanford + MIT. My D got nothing but As, and took the most difficult curriculum. Her SAT, old scale was high 1400s. My son got a lot of A-s, but his SAT new scale, combined from two sittings that he insisted on taking, was 2300. Unusually for a boy, his CR his highest score. Also, he took the most difficult class schedule of anyone in his grade because his mother was a meany and when he quit band I urged him to try taking two languages at a time:).</p>

<p>So that’s the basic academics. Both my kids were good enough academically to qualify. My son probably stood out because of his verbal skills, my daughter won some math prizes etc., so might have been a little gender unusual. </p>

<p>So, why did they get in? The alum thing wouldn’t have been enough. Here is my theory. My daughter was the kind of kid who loved high school. She did all sorts of stuff, and wound up editor in chief of the newspaper, head of a dance club, acting in school plays, etc. She also did ballet at a national level, meaning she did a summer intensive with ABT in New York, etc. And her teachers thought the world of her. My son was very different. Not a joiner. However, he played soccer all four years, started on varsity, wrote for the paper, performed with the school improvisational theater group, and after he quit band, he taught himself the guitar, and then how to use a synthesizer, and had a hobby where he wrote hip hop beats. And he wrote a hell of an application essay.</p>

<p>Neither kid cured cancer, solved homelessness, or showed signs of winning the Nobel Peace prize for anything in particular. So my theory is one that gets some play here on cc. Each of them were a little unusual, and their activities and traits could be summed up in a pithy phrase. D might have been, for example, the ballerina with documented evidence of pretty serious leadership capabilities. S might have been, for example, the soccer player who wrote beautifully and composed hip hop beats.</p>

<p>The thing is, all of this, except the extra language class for S (bad mom!), were their own ideas. My D loves to be involved. And her time at Princeton has been the same. My S is more solitary but is highly creative (no I promise it’s not just the mom talking). So with your daughter, you have to scaffold her, support, her, but let her find her own unique interests and then just present her with possibilities that she may or may not take up. I beat my head against a wall trying to get my son to get perfect grades. Complete waste of effort in retrospect. Anything other than encouraging your kid to become and explore who they are is unlikely to work too well, IMO. Good luck!</p>