Amber Jackson is going to Princeton, where she's interested in linguistics. Like her classmate Richard Rosenberg, she got into all eight schools she applied to, and it came down to Princeton and Swarthmore. She figured Princeton's rep will "serve me well," and the huge endowment ($1.6 million per student, she calculated) caught her eye. What's more, she'll have to pay only $8,000 of Princeton's $51,000 annual ride—maybe even less. She's appealing her aid package.
GPA: 3.9 unweighted
SAT/ACT scores: 700 math, 770 critical reading, 710 writing/31 composite
Extracurrics: Mock trial, SGA, People to People International, founder of MLK's Quidditch Club, volunteering at church
Essay topic: Her dedication to the environment
Advice: Be aware of the different approaches schools take to awarding aid, especially when calculating the family contribution.
Organization tip: Compile a résumé early; it brings the big and the oft-forgotten achievements together.
What schools want: Students with passion—"those interested in something but not floating"
Coping strategy: Comedy Central stand-up
Do-over: Would have done online chats with students at the colleges.
Biggest surprise: Had no idea that some colleges fly applicants in free for visits. Princeton and Swarthmore did so.
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Reader Comments Read all comments (1)
Michael Ding of NC 4:42PM April 17, 2011