Hello!
I am an international student applying for Princeton (class of 2021).
I have graduated 3 years ago, since then I have been serving in the army.
What do you think I should write about in the “last two summer” prompt of the Princeton application? I haven’t had a summer vacation over 3 years…
I would love to hear your ideas!
QueenZi
Not really a problem! What Pton wants to know is what you choose to do if you have a big chunk of time off - that you either are working by necessity or choice, or if not that you are spending at least some of your time doing something interesting.
If I were in your position, I’d spend one short paragraph talking about your experience in the army if you haven’t done that elsewhere, and another paragraph starting with “When I did have summers off…” and talk about what you did with your time off when you were in school.
Be creative! I actually talked about random stuff and included some funny mistakes in that short paragraph.Only two sentences were about my research projects. Others were about funny/emotional moments in my life. Everyone is trying to show that they deserve Pton. I understand that; however, your personality is a very important factor in this process. Just be honest and write what you did. If you really want to stand out, write something risky and be different. I think writing about your experiences in army would be great!
@QueenZi I, too, think writing about the army is a good idea. Make it memorable, tell an anecdote that isn’t a part of most people’s experiences. Stay away from anything controversial.
I think you wrote your opening hook already: “I haven’t had a summer vacation in over 3 years…” - this would grab my attention.
Good luck,
Psy
Seconding the ‘I haven’t had a summer vacation in over three years’ is a great opening .
I opened up with the fact that I really didn’t have any summer vacation, and then wrote about my plan for my 6 mouths gap between my release from the army until my school years (A trip to japan to practice Karate, and a plan to create a computer game).
Do you think this is a good Idea?
Thank you!
QueenZi
@QueenZi it is always better to write about what you did, not what you plan to do. Any profound realizations or activities in your past two summers?
Nope, all of my vacations were used for much needed rest 
@QueenZi then write about that! How did you get your rest? What worked best for you? Did you dream? Did you day-dream while resting? Was it hard to rest? Why? Did you stare at the ceiling and wonder about X as you fell asleep? Did you rest somewhere exotic or odd? Given your unusual reasons for needing rest, this could make for a memorable essay.
You could email admissions and explain that you’ve been in the army for three years, and thus haven’t had a summer vacation in over three years: are they interested in your 2013 summer vacation, in your summers in the army, or what you did during the short ‘Weekends off’ /breaks from the army (which for most soldiers would involve seeing family, significant other, and sleeping… So not all that interesting.)
The question would probably involve discussing being in the army or, indeed, your plans for what you plan on doing during your gap months.