How to get into Princeton?

[tjewell1994]

Hey, I am only a Freshman in high school, but my parents are pushing me to start looking at colleges already. I am REALLY interested in going to an Ivy League school, I would prefer Princeton because I have family located right by the campus, but any one would be GREAT! Anyway, what do you guys think my chances are of getting in and what do I have to do to get in.

 

-I have had straight A's all throughout elementary and middle school, and currently have all A's in high school.

-I am the number one golfer on my high school varsity team. (hope to play golf at the college)

-I am a member of the National Junior Honor Society.

-I am a member of my school's track team.

-I am currently taking all Honors and AP classes.

-I am looking for a career in business, or a career in finances.

 

I am being serious here and only want serious replies. If you think I have NO chance of getting in, then tell me that, I just want to know because I really want to get in.

 

Also, if there is anything else I could do (extracurricular activities, etc.), please let me know.

 

Thanks.

[claytonstoker21]

it will really probably depend on what you score on your act junior year , that along with activitys might get you on there. i think around a 30 would be a good score to get in there, not sure tho

[ed the golfer]

You never know..

I know a kid who got a 36 on his act, was in tons of extra cirricular stuff, and first in his class with a 4.59 GPA,

and he got rejected from, i think MIT

just do really good on your act (probaly take prep classes for it) and have a good gpa

[highergr0und]

You need something to set you apart. Schools like Princeton will routinely turn down 4.0 students with good ACT scores. Extra curricular activities are a must, not just golf and other sports. I would try to get some info from the admissions department of the school.

Work on gaining some connections. Find out if there's any sort of groups you can join that are associated with the school. Maybe your family around the area can help you out.

Just don't pin all your hopes on getting in. Sometimes there's nothing you can do. There are a lot of great schools that will set you up well for your career path. You also want to have some fun during HS.

[Aimee]

Schools like Princeton look for geographic diversity. You have a better chance of getting in from FL than if you lived in the Northeast. Good grades don't guarantee anything, the only "lock" is if you are a legacy. Keep your grades up, try to fit in some community volunteer activities to round out your extracurricular.
Try to find an Alum who lives in your area and talk to them. Sometimes having an Alum put in a good word can also help. Most of the Ivys have great networks...and often if you are applying from a distant area, you're going to have an interview with an Alum in your area.
Good luck, it sometimes seems pretty random for who gets in, but you definitely have a shot.
BTW, your parents are nuts to have you obsessing over college so early. Did they go to an Ivy?

[CMAN300]

Since only 10% of applicants are accepted you need to have more than good grades. My senior in highschool we had 3 students in the top 10 of the class with gpa's above a 4.6 that applied and only one was accepted. One thing that they look for is personality in interviews and essays. A good place to look at what they want is to go to collegeboard.com and that will help you out a lot with what you need to do to get on the right track.

[markheardjr]

Get a round with the golf coach and shoot sub 65, that'll get you some attention!

[tjewell1994]

thanks for the replies. to Aimee, my dad went to IU and my mom went to Wake Forrest, so, no ivy league for them. i'm hoping that my golf will set me apart from the others. also, i already have a lot of volunteer hours and plan to get a bunch more. i was thinking about joining the key club at my school, i have no clue what that is, but it sounds like something colleges would be impressed about.

[slanger]

to be honest, unless colleges are talking to you about golf. it is WAY to early to think about. Enjoy golf and high school. I'm a sophmore and a high school golfer as well and a repeat. I'm GLAD I don't have to think about college this year. and dont set your standards on one school. If all else fails, then 1) your dissapointed and 2)you'll have a bad feeling about the school that isn't Princeton that you have to go to. Widen your range to many schools. But if i HAD to give you advice, just stick out, join some interesting clubs, help out with interesting things, talk to alum, make your essays creative and get to know your high school teachers REALLY well. They write your recommendations after all, so if you're close, they will rave about you and talk about how awesome you are at life. Maybe a few of them will know alum. Thats about as much as I can tell you about applying to college. Continue to do well obviously too.

slanger

[tjewell1994]

^^^^ thanks. i'm not worried too much right now, but i think an early start is better than late. i do have a lot of other colleges in mind also. like, yale, harvard, stanford, u of florida, IU, duke, penn state, ball state, and wake forrest. i know those are all really big schools (except wake), but i should get accepted by one of 'em.

[slanger]

good choices duder. I took it as your life was set on princeton just because of the topic but i see you have some other good choices in mind as well. i'm sure you'll do fine wherever you apply. you're also making me quite nervous that i havent thought about this at all hahahaha. PSATS in a week hoooooray!

[PSUH]

I actually have a friend at Princeton. He had straight A's throughout his entire life. He was in numerous honers society programs throughout the nation and participated in all undergraduate science competitions. He scored a perfect 1,600 on the SAT and was also rank one of our class. I believe he already had over 30 college credit hours before he even graduated HS due to dual credit courses. This guy was a genius, he basically could of graduated HS in 2 years if he wanted. Good luck, ivy league is no joke, but I'm sure if you work hard, you will achieve your goal one way or another.

[tjewell1994]

^^^^ WOW! what a genious!

i do have a bad grade in science class right now. i am working sooo hard to get it up, but it isn't budging. i need to work hard to get that up to at least a B and get good grades the rest of the year to still get an A in that class.

[mattjud]

the best piece of advice i ever recieved was "it aint what you know, its who". go to the campus and talk with a dean of students or something. also another old addage is " the A students work for the B students and the C students Own the Company".. you have to have some personality. this last qoute is more on than you know. my grandad was a clown and barley got a highschool ed, but left us a pretty nice company to have. me and my dad and brother are running now. you have to have some BS in you....

[hwwong]

As a recent college graduate, here's my advice.

1. You have a good start - keep your grades up. This is important - especially good in demonstrating your abilities if you have lots of extracirriculars.
2. Study a lot for your SATs/ACTs - score very high - pretty much a no-brainer, but just to ensure your application is bulletproof.
3. Assume leadership roles in your clubs/community - show that you have responsibility, leadership skills, organization, time management.
4. Be exceptional - you can be really good at a sport, excel in a foreign language, get published. But it helps to have achieved something great before you even apply to Princeton.
5. Learn to write well. You have to communicate a lot through paper/writing. You will also be writing a lot in college. Show that you can excel academically while at Princeton.
6. Make contacts/network. Find people you can associate with that went to Princeton. Work your way up to someone that has influence at the school. This will help A LOT.

Bottom line - Princeton is a TOP Ivy. You have to be exceptional. Strive for that, get some solid recommendations by people that went there, you should have no problem.

[url="http://www.princeton.edu/admission/whatsdistinctive/studentprofiles/_all_students/"]http://www.princeton.edu/admission/whatsdi.../_all_students/[/url]

Good luck!

[Rudders]

[quote name='tommyjewell-1994' post='1993379' date='Oct 7 2009, 08:32 PM']Hey, I am only a Freshman in high school, but my parents are pushing me to start looking at colleges already. I am REALLY interested in going to an Ivy League school, I would prefer Princeton because I have family located right by the campus, but any one would be GREAT! Anyway, what do you guys think my chances are of getting in and what do I have to do to get in.

-I have had straight A's all throughout elementary and middle school, and currently have all A's in high school.
-I am the number one golfer on my high school varsity team. (hope to play golf at the college)
-I am a member of the National Junior Honor Society.
-I am a member of my school's track team.
-I am currently taking all Honors and AP classes.
-I am looking for a career in business, or a career in finances.

I am being serious here and only want serious replies. If you think I have NO chance of getting in, then tell me that, I just want to know because I really want to get in.

Also, if there is anything else I could do (extracurricular activities, etc.), please let me know.

Thanks.[/quote]

Work on getting some "socially conscious" volunteer work; Princeton being a rather "liberal" environment, would look at that as a plus. One other thing though; if you have a bad grade in science, and you're looking to get that up to a B, how are you running straight A's??? Wanna try that again?

[tjewell1994]

^^^^^ it just dropped like 2 days ago. it's back up to a B right now because i got a 100% on a quiz today, so i still have a chance at an A by the end of the grading period.

[mac94]

One of my students was the brightest kid I've ever known. Straight As, 35 ACT, mid 1500s SAT, Nationa Merit finalist, golfer. Yale turned him down. Had full ride offers to U. Chicago and Washington (Mo.). Took the Washington.

I had straight As, lots of honors, lots of activites. 1360 SAT and I couldn't even sniff Ivy League.

Princeton requires unbelievable talent and little luck. Sort of like making the tour.

[Srixon-Ian]

Being through the process only two years ago and being lucky enough to get into Cornell I can say that you are on the right track to give yourself a shot at getting in. There is no way to 100% guarantee yourself getting in. I was good in school, but my sister was even better, she had the volunteering, 4.0 unweighted and 5.2 weighted, perfect ACT and didn't get into Harvard. However she is very happy with her full ride to Boston College. However, just enjoy being in high school, in a year or so look at schools and you never know what one you will just feel right about. There are plenty of good ones to choose from.

[jadehand]

Easiest way is to get recruited for golf. That way you don't have to worry about the crapshoot that is admissions.

Admissions are so competitive for Ivy's and Stanford nowadays; keep in mind there is no one formula or way to get in. Last year at my school we only had one person get into Stanford, one into MIT, and one into Yale...and our senior class last year was 850 people in a competitive public school in SoCal. Basically the top 10 in the senior class had 4.45+ GPA and 2200+ SATs and great extra-curriculars, and our valedictorian got into MIT. None of the other top 9 sniffed a top 10 school. The other two who were admitted to Stanford and Yale were hovering around 20-25 class rank.

[nchladek]

Well i think freshman year is way too early to start worrying about colleges. Admissions departments can sniff out BS and "good for college application" activities like K9 units. Just be unique and do what piques your interest, they can see if you have a true passion for something and that is what will eventually get you in somewhere. For example, don't do the Key Club (50% of Princeton applicants probably are in the Key Club but 5% get in...you can do the math) and instead put time into something you really like. Volunteer at a First Tee program, be a track and field coach at a middle school, etc. Think outside of the box and don't force yourself to do something you don't want to do, because you aren't going to fool someone who reads through 10,000 applications every year.

[tjewell1994]

do u guys think that joining the basketball team will help my chances since they want well rounded kids? i am pretty talented at basketball, but quit 2 years ago to focus mainly on golf, but i have been practicing lately and hope to get on the JV team this year.

[bfactor]

Take the most difficult courses you possibly can. Surround yourself with the best people you can in all activities. Realize that things like the National Honor Society don't make you special, they make you average. Don't waste application space with average achievements. Know the strengths and weaknesses of the schools you're considering. Those schools are all major research institutions and are highly regarded for a reason (Hint: it's got nothing to do with what goes on in the classroom, despite what people who don't "get it" think).

Also, I went to one of the schools on your list and aside from the public schools those are all relatively small in size, not "really big". For example, Florida is at ~35,000 undergrads while private religious schools such as Duke and Wake are ~6000 and ~4000, respectively.

[ahl3bomber]

Its a reach this early but work hard and we'll see how the cards get dealt....

[MR MIZUN0]

You said your family is located near by, I would go visit, take a tour, and meet with an admission rep, to show that you are interested. You will be looked as a highly motivated student if you did that as a freshman and or sophomore in high school. Also, tell your guidance counselor about your goals, they can really help you out! Take the PSAT, to get ready for the SAT, and ACT. During the summer of your junior to senior year, fill out all of your college apps, and apply as early as you can!! Just get a jump start on everyone, and do everything as early as possible, college's like when prospective students do that.

Put some extra curricular activities in there too, and some community service, and you should be good to go!!

[Tmiller72]

Contact the golf coach and let him know you are thinking about Princeton. You can keep him updated on your golf for a couple of years. If he ends up recruiting you and makes you an offer, then you have something that they want. You.

[matpatsheehy]

Not to get off topic, but the last time I checked, Ivy's don't make offers to athletes. No athlete at an IVY school is on athletic scholarship. There is no such thing.

Can an athlete qualify for some other type of aid, yes. But the traditional recruitment and offer you see from other schools does not occur at the Ivy's.

Can a coach of a program provide some admission advice because he is interested in a kid? Absolutely. They can indicate that they are interested but if a kid does not meet a minimum sniff test then the coach is sent packing. Individuals who play sports at Ivy League schools are truly student athletes and play the sports for the love not because they have something to gain.

I would not rely on athletics as a means for accomplishing your goal. Can being good at golf be terrific and provide some level of access or open doors? Potentially. First demonstrate you are worthly via the classroom and your extracurricular activities. Then I would work the athletic angle as a means to potentially solidify a spot in an Ivy League school.

FYI, don't discount other schools that are not part of the Ivy League. There are a lot of public institutions in the Top 20 of US News and World Reports. Moving on to Higher Education is as much about learning about yourself as it is being taught a new subject. I am convinced that no matter where you go to School, if you have it inherent in you to do great things then you will do them no matter what school you attend. Yes, some of these historical institutions also provide access to a network of individuals that other schools don't have access to but the school will not define you as a person.

I think those who have indicated that you should enjoy your time in HS are right. Enjoy it. You only get to do those things once. If you like basketball and it puts a smile on your face then you should by all means play. If not you may regret it down the road. Don't view it as a means for checking another box on your way to Princeton. Sometimes being too obsessed with a goal can close doors to other opportunities because you cannot see the forest through the trees.

This is just my .02 cents. Good luck.

[pinhigh27]

[quote name='Srixon-Ian' post='2005220' date='Oct 14 2009, 12:27 AM']Being through the process only two years ago and being lucky enough to get into Cornell I can say that you are on the right track to give yourself a shot at getting in. There is no way to 100% guarantee yourself getting in. I was good in school, but my sister was even better, she had the volunteering, 4.0 unweighted and 5.2 weighted, perfect ACT and didn't get into Harvard. However she is very happy with her full ride to Boston College. However, just enjoy being in high school, in a year or so look at schools and you never know what one you will just feel right about. There are plenty of good ones to choose from.[/quote]

Pretty sure that grading system is off, theres no way to even get a 5.0 let alone a 5.2. You can't take 100 percent AP classes, at least not anywhere near here.

[bfactor]

In some systems honors are on a 5 point scale and AP is on a 6, with regular courses at 4.

[pinhigh27]

[quote name='bfactor1282' post='2023111' date='Oct 23 2009, 07:24 PM']In some systems honors are on a 5 point scale and AP is on a 6, with regular courses at 4.[/quote]

dang, that sounds great!