I am a white male.
This also goes for other Columbia and Cornell.
Is engineering easier than schools of arts and sciences?
No. Admission is to Princeton as a whole and declared concentration is non-binding. However, those who apply as BSE concentrators must submit an additional essay and their application goes to the engineering department as well as admissions.
@Cantiger do you think the extra essay, if well written, gives BSE candidates more opportunity to be “real” to the admissions officers and more memorable?
Also, do you think certain engineering concentrations are more sought after as they try to piece together a class? I always thought my son’s BSE essay was his best and he applied for ChemE (a smaller engineering concentration).
I always thought if he has applied COS or ORFE (larger sizes) it might have made a difference.
And if these are factors, then despite Princeton’s admittance to the university and not concentration, might BSE be easier in some cases?
@psywar It’s certainly possible that the additional essay could help with rounding out the application. I know that around 21% of applicants accepted to the class of 2020 indicated engineering as their intended concentration. Am I recalling correctly that your son was accepted SCEA a year or two ago?
It’s hard to know how admissions views applicants who lean toward engineering compared to other concentrations, and really how many applicants in the larger pool indicated their intent toward BSE. Princeton is also highly regarded in undergraduate engineering so the applicant pool for BSE may be particularly strong.