<p>Hey,
I spent perhaps too much time on CC message boards last year when I was obsessed with getting into Princeton. I decided to help out '09 hopefuls by answering some questions during fall break (Princeton has an entire week off after midterms which most other colleges don't have).</p>
<p>In short: I applied ED, was deferred, and then accepted. Princeton is as great as you think it will be. I would not have been as happy anywhere else (even Yale). The effects of anti-grade inflation measures are still to be seen (perhaps midterm grades will reflect Malkiel's initiative, perhaps not).</p>
<p>I'll try to answer any questions, but I know the most about the admissions process, social science academics (econ, politics, woody woo, etc.), social life, extracurriculars, and general student life. I don't know much about the performing arts or engineering.</p>
<p>Wow, I bet this poor guy is really regretting that post now...he's getting a little more than he may have bargained for from the inquisitive CC ED-er's :) Maybe mzhang will help him out.</p>
<p>(I'm assuming it's a guy but I have no idea...sorry if I'm wrong, tiger08.)</p>
<p>Wow, I sounded like a mad dog up there. Yeah, I hope you did well on your midterms, too. All I've read is Princeton students complaining about how hard they are/were, which is kind of cool and kind of eh...But thanks for taking the time out of your Fall Break to talk to us :)</p>
<p>zantedeschia: I did the following after being deferred: called my primary application reader a few days later in December (your guidance counselor may be able to find out who your primary reader is; you have a primary reader even though final decisions are now by committee, although the system seems to change every year), wrote a letter (real not email) to Dean Rapelye in January, and wrote a letter to my primary reader in February. Obviously don't beg in your letters, but update them on any new awards etc. and try to describe how and why you will make the most of a Princeton education. Also confirm that Princeton is still your #1 choice.</p>
<p>I also applied to Yale, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Duke, Cornell, Tufts, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Rice, Vanderbilt, and Wash U. Some of these I honestly had no intention of attending (like Brown). I was only rejected by Yale. I was waitlisted at a few that I probably would have been accepted at early (Hopkins, Penn).</p>
<p>Grade deflation is a set of suggested guidelines: 35% As for an entire department, not for one course (55% As for independent work). It's supposed to be implemented over 3 years, and no student or professor seems quite sure how or if it's going to work.</p>
<p>I'd like to major in the Woodrow Wilson School (50% accepted), otherwise politics or poliecon from politics dept.</p>
<p>phantom: I had two interviews, but apparently they don't do group interviews with admission officers anymore. As for the alumni interview, it went well but I think it had zero influence on my admission. I just talked with the alum for a while about my academic and extracurricular interests and asked a few questions about their Princeton experience. As long as you're not racist or obnoxious the interview doesn't matter (but don't decline to be interviewed). If you have the interview at a diner or Starbucks they will probably buy you coffee. If you live in NYC you might have the interview at the Princeton Club of New York, which is intimidating.</p>
<p>Right now I'm writing for the Daily Princetonian and doing a lot of Whig-Clio stuff (International Relations Council, Model UN conference in Georgetown, staff for high school model UN conference in Princeton, etc.). I'm also on the ski team. People find it impossible and unnecessary to do as many activities as in high school.</p>
<p>philntex: If you are admitted, you will complete a long housing form, asking you such things as preferred number of roommates, favorite genres of music, and "Name six adjectives to describe your ideal roommate." I don't think they actually look at it, with two exceptions. They will not put you with a smoker if you say you don't smoke and would mind if your roommate did, and they will put you in substance-free if you sign up for it. I'm in a 9-person suite in which everyone requested a single or double. It really worked out well though, because we all get along and have a huge common room. Plenty of freshmen do get singles or doubles. A caveat about subs-free: many people in subs-free are not subs-free outside of the dorm (or in a few cases, inside), and many people in regular dorms don't drink.</p>
<p>It seems like every freshmen is in intro to micro or macro (ECO 100 or 101). I'm doing micro right now. There are 300 people in the class but I don't think that makes it any harder to learn the material. I feel that I'm getting a solid foundation in economics, and although some people dislike precept, I find it to be a helpful review of the lecture. If you have AP credit for BC calc, Micro, and Macro you can place into an advanced intro econ that combines macro and micro and has three professors. As for class size, my other courses have 5, 16, and 95 students, respectively.</p>
<p>I'm not sure I understand your question about how active/energetic the campus is. Do you mean in terms of politics, athletics, extracurriculars, non-street social life? In general, people tend to have a lot of energy for all sorts of activities.</p>
<p>Thanks a million for answering my questions, tiger08. And what I meant by how active the campus is is how much there is to do outside of street life (i.e. are there many events on the campus, such as speakers, seminars, bands, other entertainment, etc.?)?</p>
<p>There better be, Phil...imagine what that would be like..."Life outside the Street: Um, read up for the lit exam! See all of the sights in Princeton Township (I hear they've got a <em>large</em> selection of clubs...)! Help the homeless........if you can find any."</p>
<p>kebree: I'm doing a freshman seminar called "So You Want to Be Secretary of State: How U.S. Secretaries of State View the World" taught by Anne-Marie Slaughter, the Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School, and William Burke-White, both experts in international law. The seminar is a great mix of international relations theory and history. We've had dinner and class at the dean's house and will visit Princeton's manuscript library to see the original copy of George Kennan's 'Long Telegram.'</p>
<p>In general, seminars with well-known professors (Peter Singer, Cornel West) are difficult to get into (over 100 students applied for the Secretary of State seminar), but I haven't heard of anyone who disliked their freshman seminar. Students who don't get into a seminar in the fall have first priority for the spring seminars. If you want to see the 04-05 seminar topics, check out <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/fs/04/index.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/fs/04/index.htm</a> .</p>
<p>Precepts...hmm. It really varies. We have interesting discussions in my politics precept, and the preceptor is a native English speaker. Econ precept is boring but useful. It can get bad when the preceptor doesn't speak English well (I've heard of one macroecon preceptor who pronounces Keynesian as Cajun). You can always ask the real professor questions after lecture or during office hours if you're not assigned to the professor's precept.</p>
<p>Thanks! That seminar sounds incredible...it probably would have been my top pick, too. Still, all of them look good...it's too bad they don't continue them through sophomore year.
I guess the precepts really depend on the preceptors and the groups of students in them, so getting a good/bad one is really a matter of luck.</p>
<p>confusion: I think that the following stats increase the probability of admission significantly: 1500 or higher combined SAT (old version, i don't know about the 2400 system), 750 or higher on most SAT IIs taken, top 10% high school class, 5s on most APs taken (or IB equivalent). There are a significant number of people with lower stats than that at Princeton, except for the top 10% in high school, which is really key. I won't divulge my stats except to say that I met those criteria. </p>
<p>Tangentially related, the only books I'd recommend that deal with admissions are A is for Admission and The Early Admissions Game.</p>