Meet your mentor
I’m Ryan Moores, a public high school graduate from Colchester, Connecticut, now attending Princeton University as a Sophomore. I remember always being concerned that I was at a disadvantage, applying to colleges alongside students from around the world who had virtually unlimited tutoring and college advising services. After hundreds of hours dedicated to researching the college preparation and application process, it became very clear to me that the basic guidance I received at school would not be enough. Now, as a college student who was able to realize my academic goals, I hope to provide students with the support I never had, directly from the “other side” of elite college applications.
I am pursuing a degree in Philosophy, as well as minors in Quantitative and Computational Biology and Neuroscience, on the Pre-Med track. The importance of how my future college would prepare me for medical school was significant as I completed the college application process.
My experiences
In addition to supporting students in their pursuit of traditional academic goals, I’m also a strong advocate for non-traditional paths. At the end of high school, I took a gap year in Indonesia through Princeton’s selective Novogratz Bridge Year Program. While living with a local host family and studying Bahasa Indonesia in daily language classes, I worked as a climate and energy journalist for a youth- and democracy-focused nonprofit. I also taught weekly English lessons to a wide range of learners, from children to professionals.
At Princeton, I’ve continued to explore diverse interests. I’m a student employee at the music library, an Opinion writer for The Daily Princetonian, a local radio host, and a member of the PU Running Club. I also pursue independent research and writing in the field of radiation oncology.
Most recently, I was accepted into Princeton’s International Internship Program, where I completed an 8-week surgical rotation at two state hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa.
Through these experiences—before and during my time at Princeton—I’ve gained firsthand insight into what makes a college application stand out. I’ve also come to appreciate how valuable it would have been to understand this process earlier, and I’m excited to help others access that knowledge now.
My Qualifications
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I applied to 12 schools, ranging from larger state schools to competitive Ivy Leagues, was admitted to 10, and waitlisted by 2, recieving over $800,000 total value in merit-based scholarships. I have experience applying early action as well as regular decision.
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I graduated Valedicatorian of my class with a 4.0 unweighted GPA. I completed 12 AP courses, scoring a 5 on all but 2 exams. My standardized test scores (ACT and SAT) put me well in the 99th percentile for both, with a submitted ACT score of 35 and an essay score of 12.
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established an American Sign Language club for group instruction and spreading awareness
student representative on the Colchester Board of Education for two years, while standing as student body vice president
tenor saxophone in wind ensemble and jazz band
varsity track and cross country captain, ranking top ten in Connecticut
organized a local nonprofit dedicated to nature cleanups and tracking public waste data
attended state-wide writing center conferences and assissted fellow students with writing and coursework through Writing Center
worked for a summer as a Spanish/English Bilingual daycamp counselour
competed in state-wide Science Bowl competitions