I’m an incoming junior with a 3.6ish GPA. I know I can do way better in school, so I will give it my best next year. I also volunteer a lot and do unique extracurriculars. I know Princeton’s Econ program is super tough to get into, but I have my heart set on the university. What can I do to better my chances? Please help!
Also, what should I be aiming for on the PSATs? I take them this October…l
A 3,6 UW GPA will hurt your chances. You will need a high ACT/SAT score, EC’s with leadership and focus. You will also need to choose a lot of match and safety schools because Princeton is a reach for everyone.
Princeton does not admit specifically to their Econ program, but rather the school as a whole. A student who has been admitted to Princeton has a great deal of latitude in switching concentrations. Therefore, to get into Princeton’s econ program you must simply gain admission to Princeton…which is not such a simple task in reality. @TomSrOfBoston above gave you good insights in this regard. PSAT’s are not used in admission to my knowledge but I would use them as practice for preparing well and attaining good test results. All the best!
PSAT’s are important because of the NMS. Don’t ignore it. These are the predicted cutoff for class of 2017
Class of 2017 New PSAT National Merit Cutoff Scores (Updated Per The College Board)
Alabama — 1420
Alaska — 1400
Arizona — 1440
Arkansas — 1390
California — 1470
Colorado — 1440
Connecticut — 1460
Delaware — 1450
DC— 1480
Florida — 1440
Georgia — 1450
Hawaii — 1440
Idaho — 1410
Illinois — 1440
Indiana — 1440
Iowa — 1410
Kansas — 1440
Kentucky — 1420
Louisiana — 1430
Maine — 1430
Maryland — 1470
Massachusetts — 1470
Michigan — 1420
Minnesota — 1440
Mississippi — 1420
Missouri — 1420
Montana — 1390
Nebraska — 1420
Nevada — 1430
New Hampshire — 1440
New Jersey — 1480
New Mexico — 1410
New York — 1460
North Carolina — 1440
North Dakota — 1440
Ohio — 1440
Oklahoma — 1410
Oregon — 1440
Pennsylvania — 1450
Rhode Island — 1430
South Carolina — 1430
South Dakota — 1380
Tennessee — 1430
Texas — 1460
Utah — 1400
Vermont — 1440
Virginia — 1470
Washington — 1450
West Virginia — 1380
Wisconsin — 1410
Wyoming — 1380
Please re-read my advice to you earlier http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19136988/#Comment_19136988
As Cantiger said, PTon doesn’t admit anyone into its “Economics Program”. Admitted students ask to major in it during their sophomore year.
Your biggest hurdle is you seem to be fixated on a school that rarely has anyone with a GPA such as yours who isn’t a recruited athlete. Your first step should be to broaden your list of schools.
You don’t seem to have much understanding of what a viable candidate for a school like Princeton is. Or if you do, you seem determined to adhere the “doesn’t apply to me” attitude.
Reading the information you responded to @T26E4 with in the post linked above, I actually see you as a candidate for Princeton with your GPA. You said college board evaluates it as a 4.0 but your school evaluates it as a 3.6? Not sure what that means, but colleges are in the know of how your school approaches this. In your counselor recommendation, he or she will explain to the admissions committee (which as you say has seen students from your school before) how rigorous the standards are and where you rank in relation to your peers. Perhaps your GPA is solid by your school’s standards. HOWEVER-- from here on out, you absolutely need to be making As in all your classes. This shows an upward trend, and if not, a sustained rigor and level of performance in your classes. Princeton doesn’t just want to brag about the grades and scores of its students - it wants to brag of their SUCCESS once they arrive at Princeton and go BEYOND. To do this, they need PREPARED students who have had the right high school experiences to indicate their potential for success if admitted to Princeton.
Now, for test scores, to be a strong candidate, you need a 1460+. Do not continue to post on these chance me forums until you have those test scores. Spend more time studying and pursuing your passions!!! Get off college confidential!!! Come back the spring before senior year as you assemble applications and start thinking about getting your ducks in a row. Stop the chance me’s altogether! They are useless!!!
Get good scores, get good grades, and make those leaderships and presidencies you mentioned WORTHWHILE - people in positions of admissions power like @T26E4 and the adcoms at Ivies and beyond can smell resume padding and meaningless application items from a mile away. Be sincere, be thoughtful, and be authentic.
Also, get over Princeton right now. Odds are you won’t get in. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply, it just means you should get over it having put your best foot forward. Look at schools that are strong in your area. Places in the range of NYU, BU, Northeastern, UVa, UNC etc (just as arbitrary mentions) in terms of selectivity. Secure a place in your state school’s honors program as a back up (although know that for me, my state school was my most expensive option, even behind high quality private schools like Vanderbilt, Williams, Boston University Honors and Grinnell).
Good luck. I wish you the stress free college application process that, unattainable as it seems to be for everyone that attempts it, may only be found once you stop stalking college confidential and start living your life authentically, meaningfully, genuinely, and once you start working your butt off.
@Senior2016M Thank you so much for the advice. I will definitely take it seriously.
I will be doing 9 APs junior year, and will mainly be focusing on my grades, extracurriculars, and community service. I will definitely somehow get As in all my classes. I know at this point I have no other option but to do so.
I’m already scoring a 1480+ on my practice tests, and got a 1480 last year when I took it officially (before I started prepping). I’ve gotten a perfect score twice.
I understand what you’re saying about success. I know I can do really well, but that I sometimes slack off. I’m giving it my everything junior year, as I’ve already been scared by the older students in my school about how junior year is particularly stressful in our school.
I can tell you though that I can’t get over Princeton even if I tried. I am definitely applying early and I really will do everything I can to get accepted.
Being in the higher percentage of my class, I already know I have my state school to go to, although that really isn’t an option for me.
Thank you for your insight! I’ll do my best to not stalk CC!
9 APs!! Good grief… That’s an awful lot. Be careful not to overload. Princeton doesn’t want stressed students who try to balance too much. Trust me, your peers may be competitive, but the Valedictorian doesn’t have the best chance of getting in. Once you are academically qualified (which you certainly are based on what you’re telling me) they want to see your other qualities, that je ne said quoi, the spark that makes you an asset to their community.
Certainly go ahead and apply early! But know that you’ll just feel differently at the end of senior year. Let’s say you get in early, which you might, you might not, you’ll realize that even though you love Princeton, you could be happy elsewhere. I applied SCEA to Yale. I was deferred and then rejected. Thinking back now, I regret applying altogether, not because I didn’t get in, but because I just can’t imagine myself being there! I feel I wasted my EA option in retrospect, but that’s okay because I found the school for me. You may feel the same in 9 months as you do now come decision time, or you may hate Princeton and be glad you chose another school. Just be open minded.
Good luck, and remember that worrying and stressing is like a rocking chair - it will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere!