What chance do I have?

NedMart
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 18:08:52 +0000

Nobody has a good chance of being admitted to Princeton. Your GPA and class rank will make your chances longer than the average applicant. That is just reality.

That being said, if you are different enough and can make the case for what you will bring to Princeton, give it a shot. Everyone applies to reach schools, why not make Princeton one of your reaches.

My daughter is applying to this year. Her grades are good, but not perfect. Her test scores slightly below the published average. Princeton is her first choice, but she is not banking on being admitted. We know it is a long shot.

However, I think she has a reasonable chance because she is different. She won a silver medal at the kickboxing world championships last year. I doubt Princeton has many other female kickboxers applying, and none who have competed at that level (well, at least from the US National team - we know all of them).

Our hope is that they will see that she will bring something unique to campus - especially with the increased awareness around sexual assaults today. She will be nobody’s victim, and she just might inspire the other women on campus.

My suggestion to you is that you work on your grades and test scores - those are obvious. Then spend some time really deciding what you love. Why engineering, for example? What do you want to create in the future? Take that thing that you love and get started on your journey - I am talking, like, next week. Pursue it with passion, beginning now. In 9 months when you apply to Princeton, you just may have a narrative that will make you different enough to get a second look.

Best of luck!