Stats
SAT: 1560 (780 Math, 780 Reading)
ACT: 35 (35 English, 35 Math, 35 Reading, 36 Science)
GPA: 3.89
Rank in Class: 5
Size of Class: 144
AP's Taken: Biology, Physics Mechanics, Physics Electromagnetism, AB Calculus, BC Calculus, American History, Statistics, Computer Science, Chemistry, English Language, Spanish Language
Extracurriculars
I was the captain of my schools track and hockey teams in my sophomore and junior year as well as the captain of the football team in my senior year.
I was the president of my school's green action team and the vice-president of our computer science club
I volunteered some weekends at a nursing home and shadowed doctors and medical professionals most days during the week.
Short Personal Story
"Honestly, the reason why I applied to Princeton was because I thought that I'd just roll the dice and see what happens. I had no idea that I was ever going to get in.
I applied to John Hopkins earl, because I've always wanted to be a doctor, and got in. So, I was pretty cool with that. But, one of my really close friends was applying to Princeton and I decided that I might as well roll the dice and see if I could get in.
So with pretty two days left to apply to Princeton I pulled three all nighters, wrote my essay, filled out all the supplementals, got the letters of recommendation I needed and just applied. It was probably the most stressful couple days of my life. Let me tell you, I thought that my heart was going to give out when it was all over.
But then a couple months go by and march rolls around and I didn't expect much because I figured the essay was probably garbage, I didn't have much time to read it before I sent it, and the supplementals were definitely trash, so I didn't expect anything positive, but lo and behold, I got in.
I think that when I saw that I started laughing because I finessed my way in and it was just so funny to me how that whole situation played out.
But, it felt great getting in. Having the opportunity to be with all these incredible people who are doing all these incredible things feels absolutely amazing. On top of that, knowing that after I leave here I have a really good shot at working pretty much anywhere I want is absolutely incredible."
Useful Advice
"Well, don't do what I did to start! I'd say that to Juniors and Seniors, they should really start planning early. I started doing my Johns Hopkins application at the end of Sophomore year. The Princeton one was a different story, but the one for Johns Hopkins I started really really early.
I'd also say that for students who are maybe in their freshman and sophomore years, they should try to visit the schools and really see if it would be a good fit for them before they apply and beyond that, they should try to have a list of schools and careers they may want to have in the future.
Lastly, I think that sometimes people don't take the risk of applying to really good institutions because they feel like they won't get into them, so there's no point in trying. I'd tell them to try their hand and roll the dice, at least once you do that there's now a non-zero probability of getting in.
It reminds me of the Wayne Gretzky quote I used to read to myself which went something like 'If you don't do it, it won't happen' or something like that. If you at least apply you have some chance of getting in, if you don't you won't."
Princeton Undergraduate, Class of 2023
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