<p>About the legacy thing, it might be worth noting that legacies do come from well-educated parents who already had what it took to get into Princeton originally. It definitely helps, but it's difficult to note exactly to what extent it makes up the difference of that 30%-40% acceptance rate. Maybe a lot, maybe just a moderate amount.</p>
<p>Like superstarpie said, everything does matter. They want the strongest, most well-rounded students who can contribute to a diverse environment. A superstar in math may have a very difficult time if he can't get his SAT CR score into the 600+ range. But similarly, the student who does very well in every subject will almost surely not get in if the admissions council can't find anything interesting about them: bland essays, typical ECs, no real passion exhibited. They want to see students who are strong at academics, who can do things besides their classes quite well (clubs, volunteering, and/or general hobbies like dance), and who have leadership. And they need to show passion. The application has enough room to exhibit how much you care for what you do with the letters of recommendation, essays, and extra-curriculars/volunteer lists. Essays probably are one of the most significant factors: my guess is it ends up being the decision maker pretty often. But I could be wrong.</p>
<p>URM is just another part of the whole aspect. I don't think the school uses quotas as I know other top schools don't, but they do consider it as both part of the applicant's background and a part of the diversity the applicant can bring to the campus. It does makes a difference, but probably not as much as some people fear it might. Don't stress out too much if you're Asian: there are plenty of Asians who got into Princeton :)</p>
<p>I don't know how much those short answers matter. My guess is it's just another way to look at the applicant (this is a very holistic process).</p>
<p>Anyway, I hope that all helped. It's really about the entire application: they don't look at bits and pieces to find the one thing they want; they use all these aspects of the application to get a good picture of who you are overall as a person. Clearly academics will come first, but because the applicant pool at Princeton is so strong, this will not ensure one's acceptance. You need to show passion, communicate interesting thoughts effectively, and show you're overall a person they want to have on campus. Vague, unfortunately. My only advice is to show that you're strong academically and can, well, do everything, and make sure you can show that you're passionate about something--doesn't matter what, and don't at all be afraid if it's something entirely nonacademic. Good luck!</p>