What should my confidence level be when applying to Princeton considering my qualifications?

Colleges & Universities Princeton University
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Hello all,

Princeton is currently the college that I most want to go to. I am planning on applying this year as a rising-senior with a n interest and passion for political science and economics and I was wondering if people with a deeper knowledge of Princeton’s admissions process could give me their rough estimation as to how my application stands up comparatively to the average applicant. Because Princeton’s Common Application questions and writing supplements have not been released yet, I am limited to talking about my SAT/PSAT, curriculum rigor, ECs, and GPA. But enough of an introduction, here goes:

Note: I am from Michigan. That may be relevant or it may not be, but I figured I’d include that piece of information. Also I should say I am a white male from a middle class background. I am the son of a single mom and I was conceived via artificial insemination (mom is lesbian). I have two siblings in college also. Again, I’m not sure if that is relevant, but I thought I would include it anyways.

GPA: UW 3.97

Curriculum Rigor: 4 APs before application (US History 5, Microecon 5, Biology 4, Calc AB 5), 5 APs senior year, Math up to Calculus 2 (after senior year), only three years of what I believe to be a relatively pathetic Spanish curriculum.

PSAT: 1450, R&W 720, Math 730
SAT: 1560, R&W 770, Math 790, and a perfect 24 on my essay
SAT Subject Tests: Math 2 750, US History 780, Biology (Ecological) 800

Extracurricular activities: 3 years of school’s Black Student Union (served as Treasurer and VP), 3 years as the cofounder and copresident of my school’s very first debate/forensics club, 4 years working for a significant local philanthropic organization in which I helped decide which organizations benefiting youth would get grant money, 3 years at a low skill cashier job, 2 years at a low/medium skill job (file management) at a rehabilitation consulting agency that specializes in rehabilitation for patients who received a TBI due to a motor vehicle accident, NHS member and officer, tutor for 2 years, and one year as a member of the school’s gay straight alliance.

I am passionate about all of my ECs and think I can successfully convey this fact in my written responses.

If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know. Also, thanks so much for spending the time to read this post!

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Edit: Actually my GPA is 3.997, not 3.97.

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@vDuncan

The supplementary app has been up for a few days…

http://admission.princeton.edu/sites/admission/files/pdfs/SupptoCommonApp_2016_7-15.pdf

Your course rigor is good, grades and test scores are where they need to be. But nothing raises you above your competition (they have great grades, scores and rigor too). Your ECs are ok, but don’t immediately captivate me. Creating an interesting / compelling narrative will be crucial. A white male serving 3 years in a BSU and a lesbian mom are possibly good essay material.

Your writing has personality, so start working on those essay drafts. I wish you good luck!

  • psy
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Thank you, I will definitely start working on the supplementary app. I didn’t realize that it had already released.

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I agree with Psywar – you’re viable but nothing in your stats/resume jump out. If you get in, it’ll be on the strength of your essays and teacher recs. I recruit for a PTon peer (and to which you might even apply, who knows?) in MI and would say you resemble most of the kids whom I interview. A great thing about being in MI is that you can also apply to UM under its Early Notification pgm too. Good luck this upcoming app season.

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If you have a “passion for political science and economics,” what have you done in those realms, outside school? Hint: it’s an election year. Your ECs are interesting, but all this will hinge on just how you come across in your app/supp. Make sure you know what P wants to see, what they say. And make sure your writing is relevant to that and an admit review; this won’t be ordinary hs writing.

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Your numbers (GPA and SAT) are competitive for any school, including Princeton. As for the other parts of the app, it’s difficult to tell.Certainly, showing passion for your ECs – versus just being in ten clubs or competitions to be able to put them on the app – should help to show Princeton who you really are.

I would say that Princeton is still a reach, but you should be a very competitive applicant. If it is your clear #1 and the NPC indicates that you and your family can afford it without taking on too much debt, you might consider applying SCEA.

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Thanks for the insight lookingforward! I didn’t want to get too political on here, but I do plan on doing some extracurricular work related to the election this year. Because I haven’t done so yet, I did not include it in my original post.

Also I realized that I accidentally totally omitted a VERY significant part of my life in my original post- my choral participation. I am extremely active in my school’s vocal music department and I am in a top choir that competes competitively at states and solo and ensemble. I am part of an extracurricular men’s choral group and acapella group that also compete at the state level. That may add a significant musical component to my applications as well.

Again, thank you for your comment and help.

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Thanks for the comment prezbucky! I am definitely considering applying SCEA to Princeton and if I recall correctly from my research, SCEA at Princeton should still allow me to apply early to U of M because it is a public school.

Thanks for the honest, constructive response! :slight_smile:

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any awards? elected to stu gov? win forensics competitions?

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https://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S45/02/99M42/index.xml?section=topstories

If you do the math, that means 81.4% of SCEA applicants last year were either deferred or rejected. Given those odds, every student applying SCEA to Princeton – no matter what their stats or ethnicity – should assume they will be deferred. In that way, come mid-December, if are indeed deferred, the outcome will have been expected. And, should you receive a fat-envelope, it will be a wonderful surprise. You need to adjust your confidence level accordingly!

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Thanks for the advice! I will do so.

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I may be getting National Merit Finalist, but I don’t know yet. Besides that, I don’t have many that would be worth noting. I may get the standard department rewards and I may receive a certificate for my work with the philanthropic foundation that I am part of. I’ll also probably get the AP Scholar rewards, but that’s probably a relatively irrelevant award to a school like Princeton. Most of the things I do don’t give out rewards.

It’s definitely one of the weakest parts of my application.