<p>This is a report on the Princeton on the Road information session held in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Monday 22 September 2008. I picked up my son from his dorm room at the University of Minnesota (where he is a dual-enrollment student for "eleventh grade") and drove the short distance to downtown Minneapolis. One great thing about downtown locations such as the big convention hotel where the Princeton meeting was held is that they have great public transportation (well, as good as public transportation gets in Minnesota), so that students without cars can get to the meetings by themselves. This meeting was more lightly attended than a Princeton information meeting I saw four years ago in a different conference room in a downtown Minneapolis hotel. The audience was ethnically diverse--"white," "black," and "Asian" students seemed to be there in about equal numbers--but dressed in rather upscale outfits for the most part. </p>
<p>There was a table of handouts just outside the door of the meeting room, and information cards to fill out. Admission officer Joe Ramirez said hello to people as they walked in. When he opened the meeting, he said he is from Omaha, Nebraska and is a class of '07 graduate of Princeton, who has worked in the admission office a year already. He first showed a four-minute video, produced in 2004 by a 2003 graduate of Princeton. The video showed a lot of campus scenes with quick cuts and had voice-overs from many students or recent alumni about what they liked about Princeton. The main thing that Princeton students said they liked about Princeton was the diversity of opportunities there and the other students. </p>
<p>Then Mr. Ramirez began his talk. He said the thing that makes Princeton different is the undergraduate experience. There is a strong emphasis on undergraduates at Princeton. Princeton has 4,850 undergraduate students and 2,295 graduate students, which is a rare ratio of undergraduate to graduate students at a research university. Princeton has a liberal arts tradition, but a strong engineering program. Most classes have less than twenty students [my son whispered, "just like my classes at the U of Minnesota"], so students can be engaged with the faculty, especially in their major courses. </p>
<p>There are typically ten courses for completing major requirements. It takes thirty-one courses to graduate from Princeton, so most students are taking most of their courses outside their major. Certificate programs are great; look for them on the Princeton website. </p>
<p>Independent research is required of all students at Princeton. You work one-on-one with members of the faculty. A student can choose the research topic for the senior thesis based on the student's interests. Examples of alumni with interesting senior thesis projects include Meg Whitman of eBay, Justice Samuel Alito of the United States Supreme Court, and Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America. And the senior thesis projects result from preparation earlier in Princeton undergraduate education. Junior papers are shorter papers that develop research and writing skills. There are seventy or more different freshman writing seminars which students can choose from. </p>
<p>Princeton has a study abroad office, and even better it has international internships. Would-be science students often ask, "Can I do research in a lab?" and Princeton's answer is that you HAVE TO do research in a lab as a Princeton science student. </p>
<p>A student asked: What makes the Woodrow Wilson School special? </p>
<p>A: You apply to this major in your sophomore year. Each year 90 students are accepted; recently 140 students applied. You work on a "task force" on a public policy issue. </p>
<p>Mr. Ramirez asked how many students attending the meeting were interested in later studying medicine, and quite a few raised their hands. He said Princeton has no professional schools, and it has no pre-med major. Princeton does have a pre-health career advising office. There are about 900 students registered with that office. </p>
<p>Student Q: What are the opportunities to study economics and business? </p>
<p>A: There is no business major at Princeton, but great opportunities for students interested in business. Business Today is a student group founded by Steve Forbes when he was a Princeton student. </p>
<p>Student Q: Can a Wilson School student take another major? </p>
<p>A: No, only one major is possible because of the senior thesis requirement, but a certificate is possible. </p>
<p>Student Q: Is there a pre-law program? </p>
<p>A: There is pre-law advising, but law school admission has even more flexibility than medical school, because there are no specific course requirements, so there is lots of flexibility in what you can study. </p>
<p>On student life, Mr. Ramirez said that there are four years of housing guaranteed for Princeton students. There are no theme houses or language houses or other specialty residences. There is diversity in each residence, but you can choose to live in a single room or in larger groups. Each residential college [undergraduate dorm] has its own personality, and each residential college's residents think that their college is best, which shows that they are all good. Eating clubs are clubs where students eat--you join those as a junior if you like. </p>
<p>Student Q: Are the dorms co-ed? </p>
<p>A: The rooms are of course single-sex, and there are a few single-sex wings in some dorms, but mostly they are all mixed-up. </p>
<p>Parent Q: How is placement into dorms done? </p>
<p>A: It's random, but students from the same states are mixed into several different dorms; mostly students of all kinds are mixed up into each dorm. </p>
<p>Student Q: Do many upperclassmen choose to stay in the residential colleges? </p>
<p>A: We have one year of experience with that, and surprisingly many stay. All upperclassmen can have some meals in their previous residential colleges, to maintain connections with those. </p>
<p>Student Q: How did it work for you when you applied? </p>
<p>A: I'll talk about the application process in a while. </p>
<p>The city of Princeton, New Jersey has 30,000 residents, in a suburban environment. Students are on campus for many activities, so there is lots of campus life. You can take advantage of New York City and Philadelphia also, as they are not too far away. </p>
<p>Business Today is the largest student publication in the country. The Business Today students fund-raise all over the country, and invite speakers to campus from many different businesses. </p>
<p>Princeton has received an alumni gift for a center for creative and performing arts. There are two orchestras on campus, and also a laptop orchestra, which has performed at Carnegie Hall. Most orchestra members are NOT music majors. </p>
<p>Mr. Ramirez said students ask "Are most Princeton students liberal or conservative?" He said there are both kinds of students, and they maintain dialog with one another. The Whig-Cliosophic Society runs intercollegiate debate programs. There are strong student groups for both Republicans and Democrats. One example of the campus culture of dialog is the freshman seminar co-taught by Robert George and Cornell West. They debate with each other as a few lucky freshman see both points of view in one seminar. </p>
<p>Mr. Ramirez asked if any students were interested in athletics, and a few raised their hands. Princeton has strong Division I athletics, and also club and intramural sports, including ultimate Frisbee. </p>
<p>Student Q: What is the most popular major? </p>
<p>A: Some popular majors are history, politics, English, and biology, and there are many smaller majors. </p>
<p>Parent Q: What about the club sports? </p>
<p>A: Some clubs compete against nearby colleges such as Rider, Rutgers, or Penn, and some compete nationally. </p>
<p>I asked about press coverage I had seen about a program to encourage students to take a year abroad. </p>
<p>Mr. Ramirez answered that the Bridge Year program is still in the works, and is intended for students who are interested in service abroad. The program will start with students who enter in fall of 2009 [students from high school class of 2009]. </p>
<p>There are lots of service opportunities through the Pace Center. </p>
<p>Parent Q: Why would someone from Minnesota want to go to Princeton? </p>
<p>A: For all the things I've talked about: the undergraduate focus, special speakers are open to undergraduates more than to graduate students. It's not for everyone, but it's a certain kind of experience. </p>
<p>Mr. Ramirez asked how many high school students in the room were seniors and how many younger, and it was about half and half. He then explained the admission process. </p>
<p>It's a holistic process. We ask, "How is Joe going to do academically?" What challenging courses have you taken? Take what interests and challenges you. There's not one kind of curriculum (AP, IB, college dual-enrollment) that is better or worse. </p>
<p>Applicants must submit the SAT or the ACT with writing, and three SAT Subject Tests. </p>
<p>Extracurricular activities are important. Be committed; how you made an impact in your community is important. We're thinking about what kind of community player you are. </p>
<p>Your essays should be well-written and thoughtful. It should reflect YOU as a person. Have someone look at it to see if it represents you as you are. </p>
<p>Three recommendation letters are required: one from a school counselor, and two from two teachers of different subjects--it doesn't matter exactly which subjects. Additional letters of recommendation are okay, as for example from a coach or from an employer. </p>
<p>Princeton also asks some fun questions, such as "What is your favorite book" or "What is your favorite website?"--NOT princeton.edu [which got laughs from the audience]. </p>
<p>Princeton also has an open-ended question: "What else would you like us to know?" Feel free to use that. </p>
<p>Most applicants apply with the Common Application with the Princeton supplement. There is also a Princeton application. You can apply on paper or online. If you apply online, we print out all the online forms, and read them from paper. </p>
<p>Princeton has NO early decision or early action. Everyone applies by the first of January, and receives a response by March. </p>
<p>Then alumnus Don Smalley '72 was invited forward to explain the alumni interviewing process. Mr. Smalley first asked if anyone in the room had ever met a Princeton alumnus before this meeting. I was one of the few people in the room to raise my hand. Mr. Smalley said that most applicants don't have a chance in their personal life to talk to someone who has been to Princeton. Princeton has an alumni interview process for that reason. </p>
<p>Mr. Smalley then asked, "Does anyone remember the movie Risky Business?" He gave a synopsis of the movie plot, and then said, "I've almost never had that kind of experience. But lots of interesting things do happen in interviews." You can find out about Princeton. It's also a chance for us to pass along information to Princeton that adds life to the file. </p>
<p>We're not out to gong anybody. We're trying to get nuggets of fact and detail and color that will come out in your favor. </p>
<p>There are hundreds of Princeton alumni in Minnesota, and about 90 to 100 of the Twin Cities alumni interview each year. </p>
<p>Alumni interviewers get contact information for the student, about as soon as the student first sends in any part of the application, but the interviewers do NOT get any admission file information. Sometimes we get clues from an email address. If I see an address like "<a href="mailto:likes2dance@gmail.com">likes2dance@gmail.com</a>," I might contact an alumnus I know who knows a lot about dancing and performing arts to do that interview. The interview report is not heavy on judgment, but passes on information. We try to give interview opportunities to everyone who applies. </p>
<p>Some students ask, "Why should we be interviewed by alumni in our town, and not by the admission officers in the admission office in Princeton?" The answer to that is that thousands of students visit the admission office during the admission season, when the admission officers are busy reading application files. The admission office can't offer interviews--it's too busy. </p>
<p>Mr. Ramirez said, "About 21,000 people applied last year; just about all of them were interviewed, from Nepal to St. Louis Park, Minnesota." </p>
<p>Mr. Ramirez remembered the earlier student question and said, "I was asked about how the process went for me. I'll be going to Nebraska briefly soon, and I'll look up my interviewer. I still go to see him when I'm back in Nebraska." Mr. Smalley also hears of students who keep contact with their alumni interviewers. </p>
<p>Financial aid application information goes directly to the financial aid office through its online forms. All they ask is what a family needs to be able to go to Princeton. All financial need will be met with grants and student jobs--there have been no loans in financial aid packages since 2001. Many Princeton students end up paying less than they would at their local state college. Princeton gives out more grants than it takes in in tuition payments. </p>
<p>Parent Q: Do applicants fill out the federal FAFSA form? </p>
<p>A: Eventually, to see which funding source provides what aid. </p>
<p>Study abroad is also covered by financial aid. Princeton students have the least debt in the country; that's the bottom line. Princeton may not have the most total dollars, but it has the most dollars per student of any college. Princeton families today pay less in real terms than they did ten years ago. </p>
<p>The financial aid form also has a "What else would you like us to know?" box that will take a few thousand characters of explanation of family special circumstances. International students get the same aid as domestic students; Princeton is very need-blind. </p>
<p>Student Q: What about outside scholarships? </p>
<p>A: That would go to the student first, so first the hours of the student job would be reduced, then maybe you'd get a computer. The expected family contribution will stay the same, because that is what the family is able to pay. </p>
<p>Parent Q: Did you say financial aid is guaranteed for all four years? </p>
<p>A: You reapply each year, to see if any circumstances have changed. </p>
<p>For a family with an income under $120,000, Princeton covers all tuition. For a family with an income under $70,000 to $80,000, Princeton covers everything. </p>
<p>Parent Q: What if the family has assets? </p>
<p>A: Your house or your retirement fund are not considered assets when calculating your financial need. </p>
<p>Parent Q: What if it's not in an official retirement fund, but it's an asset? </p>
<p>A: The financial aid office looks at that. </p>
<p>Student Q: Do students apply to a specific college at Princeton University? </p>
<p>A: All students apply to the university as a whole. Students switch majors. We admit students who are interested in engineering, and when it comes time to declare majors, half of them no longer study engineering. But just as many students decide to study engineering after not coming in thinking they would. </p>
<p>Parent Q: I hear there are no transfer admissions, but how many students transfer out? </p>
<p>A: Yes, there are no transfer admissions into Princeton. About 90 percent of the admitted students graduate in four years. It's about 96 percent in five or six years; so most students graduate together. </p>
<p>Parent Q: What percentage of students get the major they want? </p>
<p>A: All except some applicants to the Woodrow Wilson School. </p>
<p>Student Q: Is there a J[anuary] term? </p>
<p>A: Fall semester lasts until exams in January. [This evoked a groan from a parent who is an alumnus of another college with that kind of schedule.] </p>
<p>Student Q: How do students get their academic advisers? </p>
<p>A: At first they are in the residential colleges, usually by major interest. Once you declare a major, you have a department adviser. </p>
<p>After the main session adjourned, I stayed around to listen to some individual questions, and had a chance to individually congratulate Mr. Ramirez for Princeton's bold stand in eliminating its early decision program. </p>
<p>My son later commented that the meeting was "generic," but it was informative and attended by people who mostly asked well-informed questions. We are still thinking about how Princeton compares to some other universities he is thinking of applying to. We appreciated Mr. Ramirez and Mr. Smalley taking the time to let people in our town know more about Princeton.</p>