Will Graduate Early, Please Chance me for Princeton

Colleges & Universities Princeton University
1

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (800 Math, 720 Reading/ Writing) (Only taken once, this year)
ACT (breakdown): Didn’t take
SAT II: Didn’t take any, planning on Math 1 and 2, Chem and Physics in May. I couldn’t take any because of the rule that you can’t take SAT and Subject tests on the same date.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.87 (But officially school doesn’t do GPA)
Weighted GPA: 4.47 (But officially school doesn’t do GPA)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/400 (But officially school doesn’t rank)
AP (place score in parenthesis): School schedules all at the end of the year, planning on taking Calc BC, Both Physics C, and Chem
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc and Vectors, AP Advanced Functions, Enriched Science, Computer Engineering, Financial Accounting Fundamentals, Enriched Canadian History, Intro to Computer Science, Computer Science, English, Philosophy, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Chem 1, AP Chem 2, AP English (All of these are the hardest level of course offered at my school save for regular english)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Top Score on Expii Talent Search (featured on an article), 3rd place Ontario High-School Chess Championship (1st place team), COMC best in central ontario, CMO qualifier, 3rd place Math at Macmaster competition and top scores in other major Canadian math competitions

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Chess Club (Vice-President, Co-founder). Math Team (Captain, Founder). Quizbowl Team (Captain), Math Club (Teacher Assistant, Lecturer)
Job/Work Experience: [N/A]
Volunteer/Community service: Didn’t put any on my application.
Summer Activities: Self-taught latin, read works by famous philosophers/authors, learned higher physics and mathematics
Essays (details):
Common App: Wrote about dedicating an entire day to a famous unsolved math problem and in the end being stunned by the beauty in some fractal I got through a certain formula even though I was still no closer to solving it after days of work.
Influential Person: Wrote about Paul Erdos and his devotion to science and how he inspired me to devote my life to mathematics and science to become the best.
Short Answer Questions: I gave honest answers but I am worried I might come off as faking it to impress admissions, (e.g. Good Will Hunting for movie, Elegant Universe for favorite book)

Recommendations:

Teacher Recs- From 2 math teachers. I couldn’t see the recommendations since I waived my FERPA but I am sure they are great.
Counselor Rec: Maybe rushed? I don’t think I gave enough time.
Additional Rec: From a close friend and team member for competitions, I was hoping he would add a “social aspect” to my application. Was this the right thing to do?

Interview: None

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Mathematics/Physics
State (if domestic applicant): Ontario
Country (if international applicant): Canada
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

General Comments:

My school allows you to complete courses at a faster pace so I took this to the extreme and completed the 30 credits needed to graduate in 2 years (or at least, will) hence I have 15 courses this year. On top of this, I skipped a grade earlier on in my education so I will be 14 in the fall next year. My main worry is that I didn’t give admissions enough information since I didn’t take AP exams or SAT subject tests yet.

Also, note that in Ontario schools don’t do GPA calculations and don’t show the level of the class (Regular, Honors, etc.) on the transcript so I had to include a supporting document giving extra details.

In applied for regular decision because I wasn’t well informed of US deadlines (in fact I started my application 1 week before regular decision deadline).

Ever since I was a kid I wanted to go to Princeton, do I have a good shot?

2

I figure that in the worst case scenario, I will go to Waterloo for a year and reapply to a bunch of top tier schools through transfer or take a gap year and reapply through EA which will definitely give me solid chances.

3

In my personal anecdotal experience, being young and having fewer than four years of high school are at best neutral and never an advantage for HYP.

4

Care to elaborate? If that’s true it’s not fair, if anything I am more devoted to studying and have done more to further my education than the typical applicant.

5

I ran out of classes after three years, and applied to start as a 16yo. Waitlist, followed by an acceptance after a gap year, during which I did nothing impressive.

Life is not fair, it’s true.

6

Which university? HYP?

7

I was reading your other thread and then came here to see what classes you’ve taken and the details. You’e a smart kid. You seem driven to achieve, but I’ll say that you’re still a kid. When I say that, I mean you have much more to develop in terms of your maturity. Do not be upset. Finishing school super fast does not do much to impress ad coms. It isn’t fair? Some students don’t have the opportunity to take as many courses as you did- it’s true. I know schools where students can’t even skip courses despite having the intellect and capacity to do so. The school won’t let them.

So my question is why do you want to go to Princeton so badly? Next thing, you are an international student since you reside in Canada so…already your chances go down a bit from my knowledge. Your scores and ec’s look good, but HYPS group is always tough. No one can say yes for sure. If you do not get in to Princeton, then maybe you should take a gap year and focus on strengthening your activities. Don’t take any college classes or you will lose your freshmen status.

8

Also, don’t take both Math 1 and 2. It’s useless. Save the money and only take Math 2 since it’s the higher level exam. Plus, you’re interested in Mathematics, so you want to get an 800 on that. I’m sure you will.

9

Ok. Thank you. Do you think I have a decent chance at Princeton? I would probably prefer to go to Waterloo for at least a year and transfer to a top school. I think a big problem I had this year is I started my app really late and could only apply for Princeton and Stanford.

10

*That is, if I don’t get accepted this year.

11

Princeton doesn’t take transfers so if you attend Waterloo it’s out. Generally speaking top Us schools take very few transfers. In addition, the fact you’re 14-15 may be a problem - legally you can’t open a bank account, sign papers, etc, and placing you in a dorm with a bunch of 18-19 year olds can be a legal issue not to mention problems for you socially.
It’s clear you’re really really smart but you could probably have used two years with your superbrain to work on innovative stuff that’d make you more than a young teen who’s supersmart.
In any case, DO NOT graduate this year.
Does your school offer something like Dual Enrollment?
Or would your parents be open to your attending a US high school where you’d take advantage of dual enrollment to start on university courses that would NOT make you a transfer? Most importantly, the goal would be for you to join a research project and work on it, making your mark there.
https://orono.k12.mn.us/hs/
http://www.thorntonacademy.org/
http://www.pressherald.com/2016/01/19/plan-for-two-year-international-high-school-at-usm-moves-forward/

12

Princeton will have a transfer program soon (next year) but even if it doesn’t I will apply as a transfer to a bunch of top tier schools. A US high school is pretty much out of the picture due to the distances and cost. Is it possible to attend a university for a year but apply as a freshman to another and “forfeit” that year if I get accepted? Basically like saying, I took courses at this university for educational enrichment but still apply to be a freshman?

13

Do I even have a good chance for Princeton?

14

No, you can’t attend a university and apply as a freshman, UNLESS you take university courses as part of dual enrollment agreements.
You’re 13, will be 14. There has to be a way for you to take more advanced classes without jeopardizing your freshman status. Would your high school work with you and allow you to stay enrolled while taking more advanced classes at a university nearby?
If you went to a US high school, you’d be boarding of course. The links I provided above present school programs specifically designed for that purpose.
Princeton will have a transfer program but it’s been formed in the spirit of allowing more deserving low income students who first went to community college due to financial pressures or low performing schools that don’t prepare for 4-year college. Some lateral transfers may squeak by but I wouldn’t count on it. Acceptance rates will likely be 5% and under since it’s usually harder to get into a top tier as a transfer than as a freshman.
You CAN take classes “for education enrichment” as long as you audit them and don’t take them for credit.
Your chances are hard to gauge. Your age may be a plus or a minus, the fact you’re clearly smart enough to be dual enrolled and doing research but didn’t will be a negative, the fact you went through all these courses quickly will be a positive sign but also a potential risk that you’re a “learning robot” and you don’t have anything yet to prove that you are a genius (ie., no research), the fact both recommendations are from math.

Note: subject tests - take Math 2, Physics, and a humanities or history test.
Math 1 is baby SAT math, so it’s redundant with Math 2, and having a strong nonstem score will not quite offset but at least show some balance vs. all stem tests added to everything else.
Secure a recommendation from your AP English or Philosophy teacher.

15

I agree strongly with what @MYOS1634 has said.

I really don’t recommend starting off at another university because if you need scholarships to attend…well it’s harder to get any when you’re not a freshmen. Also, I still do not know why you so vehmently are set on Princeton …and Stanford is also in the picture?

It’s alright though. They are good schools and would have the rigor that you might be looking for in a school. You do not have a bad chance if you wish to know. You have the stats of a good candidate, but I cannot say how competitive you are. Many students (who are much older than you though) have similar stats…but you have a chance, but it’s not a 100% sure chance.

I do agree about the lack of research. But, it seems that you’ve done well in Candian math competitions so that will help your application.

16

The thing is I was so late to start my application that I only had time to apply to those 2 universities, Princeton being my first choice. I will definitely write a paper over the summer, that can only improve my chances. I also figure I will throw in AP Psych and do well on that exam for a Social Science and Humanities AP for balance and either French or Latin SAT subject test as I was taught those as oppose to US history which I have no experience with whatsoever.

17

Should I redo the SAT for a higher Reading/Writing score? I don’t know if it’s worth the money and time.

18

No.
Your SAT is fine and the fact you took it so few times is great for you. You now need some subject tests that will show intellectual strength and versatility, and you need to stand out by showing what you’re capable of. It means not graduating, but negotiating with your secondary school to see if you could stay enrolled there, not taking classes (or taking a few only, that you’ve not taken yet) and “dual enroll” somewhere for the purpose of applying to a US university. Once that’s been agreed upon, find a professor willing to let you help in the lab, and make no mistake at first you’ll be cleaning beakers or the equivalent, but once you’ve established your trustworthiness and abilities, you’ll be trusted with more.

19

Oh, actually I was thinking more along the lines of researching myself and writing a paper in mathematics/physics. I generally dislike experiments and it’s easier that way. Math and Theoretical Physics are usually one person things. Do you have any subject tests you recommend that are particularly easy to learn? I probably shouldn’t do a subject test if I will get a poor score.

20

What will you do with this paper? Who will publish it? Simply writing it is not going to mean much.

You need to stay in HS. You may think there is nothing left to learn there, but I assure you, you are wrong. Even if you spend a year or two broadening your horizons taking theater or music, it would be better than saying you powered through all the academics and then stopped.

You must realize that 20% of kids could finish HS early? It’s not typically seen as a “plus”.