<p>I'm applying to Princeton for a BSE in Comp Sci and I need to write this supplement:</p>
<p>"If you are interested in pursuing a B.S.E. (Bachelor of Science in Engineering) degree, please write a 300-500 word essay describing why you are interested in studying engineering, any experiences in or exposure to engineering you have had, and how you think the programs in engineering offered at Princeton suit your particular interests."</p>
<p>Since I know Computer Science is not an actual subset of engineering how should I attempt to answer this question? Should I just basically write a 'why cs' essay, or should I attempt to incorporate engineering in the essay even though thats not the dept I'm applying to?</p>
<p>Just talk about cs. Princeton considers CS to be an engineering field, so talking about experiences in CS and why you want to study CS should suffice.</p>
<p>Actually Princeton offers Computer Science (COS) both as an AB (BA) degree as well as a BSE degree:
<a href=“Becoming a CS Major | Computer Science Department at Princeton University”>https://www.cs.princeton.edu/ugrad/becoming-cs-major</a>
Formal requirements are listed for each of these under the additional requirements section at the bottom of the page so you have an idea of what each might involve. I think if you are looking at the BSE version you will want to include an engineering component in the essay. If not, I suggest you look at the AB version and skip the additional essay. </p>